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At last, the big day has arrived. This is it. You’ve found your soulmate, your other half, and you’re ready to commit to a wonderful life together.
The day that marks this special occasion will be perfect.

All the planning is done.
Entertainment, decorations, clothing, guest list – the whole works.

However, there’s one component of the whole day which is incredibly important, besides you two.
That’s right, we are talking about your wedding film provider. They are a very precious resource that you need to definitely think about carefully, especially if you want to have a choice of the best ones.

But how do you find the best filmmaker for weddings in Ireland? It’s not easy, but we’ve got some tips and tricks lined up for you.
Let’s take a look.

So, how do you decide who the best wedding videographer for both of you is?
How do you decide who to pick?
Or even where to start!

Understandably, this can be quite difficult for people who are inexperienced with hiring professionals in this way, because there are a lot of different things that you need to take into consideration.
There are quite a few categories to keep in mind. You have to think about so many little things.
Each one will make a big difference when hiring a wedding videographer, and you have to think about all of them.

So what we’re going to do is go through them, one at a time, and talk a little bit about each one and what it means.

Levels of Experience

First, let’s talk a little bit about the experience of the videographer.

One of the first things that you’re going to want to think about when it comes to a wedding videographer is how experienced they are at capturing all of the different moments that happen over the course of your special day.

A wedding is made up of so many small things. An experienced videographer will spot all these little “stories within stories” <- Watch our Instagram video below about this.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2RWKgxnCFk/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

For each precious moment that happens, you will want it captured on video.
And that’s not easy.
It’s a challenge to accurately and adequately capture all of these moments to a standard that you’re happy with.

During a fast-paced wedding, it takes experience to be able to multitask and think on your feet of what’s needed, often calculating the best way on the fly and sometimes having to prioritise certain things over others, usually based on the current couple’s expectations for their wedding video.

So any company or individual which offers wedding videography services has to be sufficiently experienced.

You have to look at how long they’ve been doing this, and how many weddings they have successfully provided videos for.

It may not be a wise idea to work with someone who’s only just gotten into the profession, especially if you absolutely need everything to be spot-on and perfect.

Always ask if you can see a few full weddings if unsure.

Costs/Budget

Weddings can be expensive. There are a lot of things to think about, and they all cost you quite a bit of money.

So, when thinking about a wedding videographer, and the services they provide, you have to take cost into consideration almost from the beginning.

Essentially, you have to be sure that you can afford the wedding videographer that you need. Every professional has a different price range.
Most companies will have different packages to suit a variety of budgets because they understand that every wedding is different.

So, what do we suggest at Amare Stories?

Well, what we suggest is that you sit down with your partner and look through to first find a videography style you both like.

Don’t overthink this part, you will be surprised how quickly you can be drawn into a style you like.

If you do find a potential videographer, the next step is to talk to them about your day and your expectations.
Find out what their price range is if they are available.

And then compare it to about 2 other videographers. Value for money really can be important, but don’t cut corners.

The main thing you should place value on is your memories.
– The video below is our promise to you that we will value your memories as much as we value our own.

Visual Style

The visual style of any wedding videographer is an important consideration for the potential customer.

Every professional has a different way of working.
They all consider different parts of the wedding to be more important than others, so they adjust the visual style to emphasise the characteristics they think the most critical.

What you tend to see is that a couple of weddings that are done by one particular company or individual will have a certain style.

Aesthetically, they may share similarities, like for example the emphasising of particular moments.
Some are set to show the party vibes or you may see some like ours that are story-based and contain lots of emotion which makes them very unique to each couple.

For you as the upcoming married couple, you have to make sure that you have taken this visual style into consideration.

It has to be part of what you use to make a judgement on the final choice for your videographer.
This will generally involve taking a look at some of the stuff they’ve done before because it will help you to get a proper look at how they record, and then edit the footage to represent your special day.

Generally speaking, the most successful weddings are the ones which have all of the hired help working in tandem.

This means that the venue staff, the event planners, the wedding photographer and the wedding videographer all have to come together in cooperation to make sure that the objective of the day is achieved.

We are all there for you two, and our ethos at Amare Stories is one of a “team approach”.

However, it’s entirely possible to hire a wedding videographer who does not play well with others.
Some professionals tend to operate as an entirely independent unit, or they arrive with their own team representing the company.

However, this does mean that they can get a little bit territorial and in some cases, although rare, quite standoffish with other professionals.

It’s sometimes just a case of rivalry between two very similar positions, and in some cases, it is simply a clash of personalities.

To try and circumvent this, it’s a pretty good idea to make sure your videographer and photographer have broadly matching styles or at least the same approach and mindset towards getting the best for you as a couple.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions about how they are going to collaborate with each other to make sure every moment is captured with minimal disruption to guests and family whilst still documenting properly.

Photo credit: Lima Conlon Photography

Personality and Manners

When you work with a videographer, you have to make sure that you can get on with them.

A conflict between a family member and a member of staff is manageable, but a clash of personalities between you and the videographer or photographer is a recipe for disaster.

Consequently, a big part of your considerations will be how well you get on with them from a personality perspective.

It will probably involve checking some testimonials.

Have a chat, get to know them, ask a couple of questions about what they do when they’re not working just to find out a bit more about what makes them tick.

You need to be able to have an easy rapport with them. Because when it comes down to it, they are documenting your wedding day.
So you have to have complete faith in them as a person.

Plus, if they’re not polite, it can be really difficult to work with them.

The impact of your videographer on your wedding memories

Selecting a wedding videographer is sometimes a case of searching for the company or individual that can provide a way for you and your families to be able to relive the wedding experience.

A video can have many different tones.
Each creation of a moving picture and edit has the potential to convey a different mood and a different atmosphere. Understandably, this will require you to know what kind of wedding video you want.

There is no point in choosing a videographer who will create a wedding video which is not what you’ve always dreamed of.

“Hi, Ronan, Just a quick message to say thanks for our beautiful wedding video. My Dad recently passed away and it’s just such a blessing you were there to capture his hearty spirit on the day. You’re absolutely right, memories do live forever… once they’re captured. Thank you so much.”

Lorraine

So how do you ensure the right experience?

Well, you’re going to want to make sure that you are working with a professional who’s got a vision that lines up with your own.

Make sure that their work matches the look and feel of the wedding you’ve always dreamed of. Ask them some important questions while you’re at it – do they use audio, and if so, how does it impact the final footage?

Do they simply document what they see, or do they instead use their creative freedom and instinct which comes from experience?

These are important questions to try and ask when you want to find out whether you will get the best wedding video, or whether you’ll be experiencing something completely different after your wedding.

A really big, important factor to think about when it comes to any wedding videography service is the travel time.

A lot of videographers are based in the big cities to try and appeal to as many people as possible.
However, this does mean that if you plan to have your wedding event in the countryside locale, or even in a traditional church in a village, you may have an issue with travel time.

The thing about this factor is that a lot of people do not consider it in their calculations.
They do not stop and think about things like how long it will take the professional to get to the venue, how much extra it will cost, what the traffic can be like.

Naturally, no one wants to experience lateness.
Turning up for your big day and having the videographer nowhere in sight can be an incredibly stressful ordeal that no bride wants to deal with.

That’s why it is important to make sure that you are being as realistic as possible with travel times and how they influence your big day.

At Amare Stories we just adjust our start time if there is some travel involved. We love travelling all over Ireland and even farther afield.

Are you having an indoor or outdoor wedding?

A really important consideration for any wedding is whether or not you are getting married outdoors or indoors.

You may not appreciate just how critical this is to make sure that you have the best possible wedding videographer, but it really does have quite a big bearing.

Outdoor ceremonies require a different approach to capturing sound due to the wind and other elements of nature.

Also, some videographers have different experiences in different situations. Some will prefer working outdoors, where the natural light and unpredictability of nature can be beneficial.

Whereas others will prefer the more controllable and artificial conditions of an indoor wedding.

Obviously, you may have a wedding that incorporates both elements. In which case, you will need to have a wedding videographer who has experience in both the indoor and outdoor.

Statistically, this isn’t a problem for most professionals.
However, some will express a preference for one over the other, so you should look at testimonials and videos for both of these options because this will help you to make a more informed decision.

We love small intimate ceremonies at Amare Stories, and if the weather is good enough we love an outdoor ceremony.

The video below is from a wedding where the couple decides to have an outdoor ceremony.
https://vimeo.com/364879887/2b67723996

What will your wedding videographer deliver?

Another important consideration for a couple who are thinking about hiring a wedding videographer is looking at what they actually deliver at the end.

Every professional company has a different package. Each package, as you scale up the pricing list, will include extra benefits and products.
For example, you may find that the very basic package is just your wedding video, in a documentary style which is the quickest to edit.

If your videographers style is like ours, which features a strong storytelling element to them, then they take a longer to edit and thus the cost may be higher to match the superior product.

You may also find that the more expensive packages offer you things like highlight reels or drone footage.
There may also be “instagram edits” or even expedited delivery options.

Understanding the deliverables that each company can provide is critical for finding a wedding videographer that will mesh properly with your needs and requirements as a customer.

You need to understand exactly what you’ll be getting from your time and money, and if that doesn’t suit you, then you have to find a videographer who can give you that level of service that you’ve been looking for.

Testimonials

Customer testimonials are a very important part of choosing any professional to work with.

They can promise you anything that you want. A wedding videographer can claim to be as capable as they feel you need, and can operate in whatever capacity you want them to.

But you have to remember that they are attempting to sell you a service.
They want you to hire them over the competition.

So their pitch to you as a professional will be enormously bias in favour of their own capabilities.

The honest reviews of people who have worked with them in the past are the best way to gauge whether or not they’re going to be the right choice for you.

These are real people who have worked closely with these individuals in a high-pressure event, and so they will have real experience of what they’ve been like to interact with, to communicate with, to rely on.

Obviously, this precious resource is something you need to take advantage of. So, go online and see if you can find any reviews about your chosen videographer.

Look for both good and bad ones.
Because not only do you want to know what the strengths of your considered professional are, but you also want to know what their weaknesses are, if any.

It helps you to cultivate a more balanced image of your videographer, and so this can be incredibly useful for determining whether they are the right choice, or the wrong one.

Professional reputation

It is one thing to get customer testimonial about a professional.
That sits at one end of the spectrum.

At the other end, you have a professional analysis of a videographer, which has been provided by another videographer or vendor within the industry.

You see, all of these freelancers, and companies all operate within an industry. So, even with in a fiercely competitive environment, there will be general consensus is about certain companies and certain individuals. This can be very helpful to you.

Once you look past the professional bias which exists within any industry, you start to see patterns developing about your chosen videographer.

Are they recommended by venues and/or photographers?

photo credit: David Maury

Have they been the videographer for many other wedding professionals? At Amare Stories we have shot lots of weddings for wedding planners, wedding photographers and musicians.

This is all crucial information to have during the research phase.
Don’t be afraid to ask.

You learn how well they are respected by their peers.
You want to make sure they don’t have a reputation for being unreliable and unprofessional?

Do their customers often speak about their inability to keep time? Do other professionals have a generally low opinion of their abilities?
-These should all set the alarm bells ringing.

You may initially disregard professional testimony as being unreliable.
After all, there will be a slight bias in every interpretation that lambasts and disparages every other professional to the benefit of one particular company or person.

However, a lot of professionals are capable of operating with objective criticism. They can make unbiased judgements based purely on their experiences, and their training, and then how their competition ranks in relation to them.

This is because every individual within an industry and every company within an industry has to look at the competition and identify their strengths and their weaknesses.

You have to know what your competition is doing correctly, and at the same time what is losing them customers and positive feedback. It means that you won’t make the same mistakes, so in that regard an official analysis from another vendor in the business can be a very useful tool for the average customer.

First impressions

At a very basic level, and coming full circle, the first impression that you cultivate of any professional is going to be an incredibly important feeling to hold onto.

As a species, we have operated on our gut instinct for centuries. It’s this innate sense of awareness, and this instinctive pull towards a particular path or a particular solution which has guided us to make some incredible advancements as a society.

When you find a videographer you want, you will “just get that feeling” from their work.

A lot of people disregard this now and prefer to use a more methodical, science-based approach.
But, in this instance, if you don’t have a good first impression of the person who is going to be responsible for your wedding video, then you have a potential issue on your hands.

If you can’t trust them, and you can’t get on well with them, they aren’t going to be the right choice for your big day.
You have to have absolute confidence in the person who is recording your wedding because otherwise it just won’t work.

So in this case, we do suggest listening to your gut. If a videographer strikes you as being rude or dismissive, or if they were being flippant and cocky, then you have to follow that.

You’ll know when you find the right person. From the moment contact them to talk to them about your needs and requirements, you will know if they are the correct choice for you.

Sometimes this is evident in their initial replies via email (or lack thereof)

Never underestimate the power of the gut instinct.
In more situations than not, it will steer you to success.

So, let’s tie all of this together.

As you can probably tell, there are a lot of different things that you should think about when it comes to choosing a wedding videographer.

They are a precious resource. No one is doubting the fact that they are vital for getting the most out of any situation.

You have to be trusting of the person who is going to take your wedding video and turn it into a precious memory.

It is okay to be sceptical.
It’s okay to be ruthless and to be intensely inquisitive of any potential candidate.
This is your wedding day.

Hopefully, you’re never going to do this again.
You are marrying the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, and so nothing can be left to chance.

You have to be sure.
You have to know with absolute certainty that the person you have chosen is the best available.

And to be honest, the right person will understand.
They will know that you are excited, nervous, apprehensive about your wedding, and desperate for it to go right.

So they will be patient with you. They will take the time to get to know you. They’ll answer your questions, they will help to dissuade your fears and doubts, and they’ll reassure you that you’re making the right choice.

We understand that this is a big moment.
It’s perhaps one of the biggest you’ll ever spend with your families.
It’s your wedding!

It will be fantastic and incredible and everything you ever wanted.
So you’ve got to get it right. We know that.

That’s why we try and help wherever we can.
We try and make sure that you know how to pick the best wedding videographer for you.

And remember, these aren’t the only criteria. It’s also down to what you think is important.
It’s about what you want as a happy couple, so ask all the questions you need.

Please use the comment section below to ask us any questions or you may send us a message through our contact page.

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