Why An Amateur Wedding Video is Not Always Cheerful

Why an Amateur Wedding Video is Not Always Cheerful

Janet Fenton
By Janet Fenton, Managing Director, Graham Fenton Experience

For most women, the day we finally walk down the aisle, hand in hand with the man of our dreams, is without doubt one of the most keenly anticipated days in our lives, and choosing to have those soon-to-be treasured memories preserved forever on a wedding video has become an increasingly popular choice for many modern brides.

Planning and preparing for the dream day though, as those of us who have been there can attest, can often rapidly turn into something of a nightmare! Between sorting out the invitations, the venues, the flowers, the catering, the photographer and the entertainment, and with both time and money often a pressing concern, it can sometimes be easy to neglect your wedding video.

With over 300,000 people tying the knot each year, the UK wedding industry has become a huge undertaking, with even supermarkets now starting to stock cut-price bridal gowns, and numerous untrained amateurs with cheap off-the-shelf camcorders offering video services. Whilst all want our wedding day to be a special, magical and personal event, and as a result many of us would be inclined to respectfully turn down the offer of the £60 wedding dress now on sale at a well known supermarket, some still wrongly think of their wedding film as an area in which cutting corners on the budget will not have a massive impact on it’s quality.

We’ve all been there! Settling down on the sofa to watch your recently hitched best-friend’s wedding video, only to find your feelings of envy at her post-honeymoon tan quickly fade into sympathy over the main feature! Looking back, it was never a great idea to put Uncle Harry on camera! As if missing the vows wasn’t enough, the muffled audio, murky visuals and date and time stamped throughout can all easily tarnish the memory of what was otherwise a magical day.

As a woman, and as a former bride myself, I understand personally what a seminal event your wedding day is in your life, and how precious those memories are, and how important it is to keep them fresh and alive, and to preserve them professionally for yourself and for future generations, in a vibrant, dynamic format that simple photography cannot replicate. It is with this personal guiding philosophy that I now direct my own company.

In my line of work I get the opportunity to talk to women all the time who are surprised to know that such a professional service exists and heavily regret not having a wedding DVD of their own when they see what can be achieved. Possibly due to the large amount of amateurs that used to populate the industry, there can exist a certain amount of scepticism about the quality of wedding films.

The best analogy between amateur wedding videos and professional wedding films I always make is to compare the results of investing in a highly trained, top quality photographer, with cutting edge equipment and an enviable reputation, to the cheap, inexpensive disposable camera shots that your guests take. I know which I would rather have in my wedding album, and I’m sure you do too, and the best-kept secret in the wedding world, is that this level of quality is now available in film form, for those in the know who are willing to invest in quality, at prices, surprisingly, often lower than some leading photographers.

What I do find constantly saddening though, is how many couples are still willing to spend so much on a professional photographer, yet unknowingly neglect their wedding DVD, a document that I, and many other brides, found to be far more vibrant that evoked far richer memories than a set of photographs, capturing all the sights, and importantly sounds, of the most special day of our life.

Caroline Beech was one woman who was glad she chose to invest in a professional film for her day, writing to me “There was no soft Vaseline images of the bride and groom, there was no fuzzy camera shake, and there was no lurching from face to face. Instead, my film is full of rich, romantic images produced in pin sharp digital quality. Not only that, but the absolutely brilliant editing of the rushes produced a wedding day which seemed even better than the original! These images will last as long as the most exquisite photograph, but also bring a magic, which a mere photograph can never give” - Caroline Beech

I also receive countless testimonials from very happy couples, who are extremely glad that they chose to spend, what was in retrospect for them, a small amount, for a part of their day that will last them forever. Carol Hood and her husband Steve wrote to me, exclaiming, “We have to say that we made exactly the right choice and every penny spent was worth it. Let’s face it, a wedding is an expensive day but why compromise on the most important part?" - Carol Hood

Lynda Robinson further elaborated, writing “I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for providing a simply superb reminder of our wedding day. Whenever we watch the film, it is like living the day again and all the memories come flooding back”

We all know that weddings can turn out to be a horrendously expensive business, but it’s a day that (hopefully!) you’ll only experience the once, and a day that we all want to be just perfect. Investing what may seem to you like a large sum at the time, will, in days to come, honestly seem like a small amount to pay for something that will last you a lifetime, still providing you with moments of joy long after the flowers have wilted, the cake eaten, and the photographs faded. Most women spend their whole lives looking forward to their wedding day, and when you finally exchange vows, trust me, it’s one that you’ll wish could last forever, yet with a modern, professional film, and a sensitive, creative, professionally trained crew, your day finally can last forever!

Janet Fenton is the Managing Director of the internationally award winning Graham Fenton Experience, established for over 20 years as one of the UK’s leading wedding and event film producers, and recently voted as one of the top 25 event filmmakers worldwide by Event DV magazine.

With thanks to Visual Bride.