There’s so much going on during your wedding that you don’t want to miss. The engagement, the invitations, the reception, and the vows themselves—to preserve those memories as they happened or share them with others, video is a must.
That’s why we put together our comprehensive guide to all things wedding video. Whether you’re looking for a DIY video for you budget wedding or want to hire a professional wedding videographer, we’ve got tips to help make sure you end up with a beautiful video celebrating your wedding day.
Click through the table of contents to jump directly to a specific section or read our entire guide to get an in-depth look into the world of wedding videos.
Table of Contents:
Video can be a part of your entire wedding process, letting you create a beautiful way to document your journey towards marriage. And because video is so easy to share, it offers you a way to involve loved ones who live far away. Take a look at a few of the ways you can incorporate video into your wedding, then visit our post on wedding video ideas for even more inspiration.
Proposal video
About to pop the question? If you’re looking for a proposal idea that’ll take their breath away, propose with a video. Even if you don’t go with a video proposal, you can still turn to video to document the moment. Ask a friend or a photographer to capture your proposal. Then share an engagement slideshow or proposal recap to announce your engagement. If you’re using Animoto, you can start with our Engagement Slideshow video template and then customize your video however you like.
Wedding invitation video
Video invitations are gaining popularity, and it’s easy to see why. They’re versatile, paperfree, and wedding guests can’t lose them! To get started on your video wedding invitations, try our Save the Date video template, shown below. Then customize your video to match your wedding colors and theme. Check out our post on wedding video invitation ideas to find a video that works with your wedding theme.
Story of us video
Before the wedding, you may want to tell friends and family a little bit about your relationship. Out-of-town relatives and old high school buddies might not know you both or have details about how you fell in love. A video that tells your story is a great addition to a wedding website or Facebook group. It’s also a fun way to get loved ones excited at a rehearsal dinner or engagement party. If you are planning to share your video at an event, look over our wedding rehearsal video checklist to find out how you can create and prep your video for your venue.
Wedding ceremony slideshow
It only takes a few minutes to grab ceremony photos and turn them into a slideshow for your reception. Make sure you have a screen and projector or large TV ready. Then upload your photos onto a laptop. Add them to Animoto and in a few minutes you can have a beautiful slideshow ready for your reception. You can get more detail into how to watch your video on a screen in this blog post.
Video booth
Make the wedding photo booth even more fun by adding a video component. Let guests share their well wishes for the new couple or just get silly with props. You can even create a DIY video booth with a mounted tablet.
Even if you’re sticking to a photo booth, you can share your favorites in a quick video you can share on social media after the wedding.
Wedding favors
Video can make a sweet wedding favor or thank you gift for bridesmaids and groomsmen. Take a look at a few of the ways you can package a wedding video as a gift. Give a general thank you to attendees or a personalized message, letting them know how much their love and support means to you. Then share your video in an elegant way. For instance, you could gift your video in a USB box like the one below from Same Day Flash.
Honeymoon video recap
Turn your honeymoon photos and video clips into a video album you can come back to for years to come. Or just give loved ones a post-wedding update on your honeymoon with a video you share on social media. Either way, get our tips for recapping your honeymoon with video.
Anniversary slideshow
Whether it’s your first anniversary or your 25th, a video is a thoughtful way to show you’re still head over heels in love. Check out our post on making an anniversary video gift to get tips for creating your own anniversary video. A video slideshow can also be a way to celebrate a big anniversary milestone, say if you’re throwing a party for a couple’s 50th anniversary. If you are presenting your video at a party, take a look at a few ways you can show your video on a TV or through a projector.
Need a budget-friendly alternative to hiring a videographer? An inexpensive wedding video doesn’t have to look cheap. Check out a few ways you can make a reasonable, DIY wedding video that looks great and helps you preserve all the big moments on your special day.
You’ll be busy getting married on your wedding day, so if you go for a DIY wedding video, make sure you plan out who’ll be in charge. Designate one or more attendees as the videographer and get them any equipment they might need on your wedding day. Here are some options to consider when deciding on how your video will be shot:
Before the wedding, make sure you have everything you need to get all the footage you want for your wedding videos.
The camera
One of the most important considerations is how you’ll shoot your video. Here are a few options. You can choose just one, or mix and match to get a variety of footage.
Other equipment
Besides the camera, there are only a few must-have items. We’ve put together a list of some of the biggest ones:
Once you’ve got all your wedding footage, it’s time to put it together. Look for an easy wedding video editor that will still let your wedding video look its best. Of course we prefer Animoto, which is easy to learn and lets you drag and drop photos and video clips right into your video. We also like that it lets you trim and mute video footage in just a few clicks and customize colors, fonts, music, and more.
Regardless of whether your Aunt Gertrude is shooting your footage or you’ve hired the best videographer in the biz, it’s important to put together a shot list of moments you’d like your video person to capture. Here are a few basic shots to remember:
Professional wedding videography can ensure that every movement on your wedding day gets preserved in a beautiful, well-crafted video. But if you’re looking to hire a pro, there are a few things to consider.
There are a lot of videographers, and when it comes to selecting one for your wedding, it pays to do research before you decide on one.
When you’re interviewing potential wedding videographers, make sure you know exactly what they offer. Here are a few questions you can ask before saying “I do” to your videographer.
Like many aspects of a wedding, there is a lot of variety in wedding videography pricing. Before you settle on a videographer, here are a few cost-related things to think about:
If you’re not creating a video, but instead looking to make a beautiful wedding slideshow, we’ve still got you covered. Read over a few ways to ensure you have great photos for your DIY wedding slideshow video.
Little changes can have a huge impact on how you look in your wedding-day photos. Here are a few things to keep in mind. For more tips, read our post featuring posing advice from professional wedding photographers.
Unless you’re hosting a no-phone wedding, guests are going to be snapping away on your big day. To help them take the best photos they can, check out photographer Raymond Hatfield’s tips for taking better wedding photos with your phone.
And once they’ve taken all those photos and video clips, be sure to collect them! Take a look at all the different ways you can collect content from your guests. For instance, the video below was created using images saved in an app called Eversnap.
If you’re photographing a wedding for the first time, there’s a lot to keep in mind. Here are a few tips to help you keep calm and shoot on.
If you’re using your smartphone to record all the action, see if your camera app has features that can help elevate your photography. Your existing camera app letting you down? Download a camera app or a photo editing app to up your game.
When you’re choosing wedding video music, there keep in mind where you plan to share it. If you’re just watching it at home, that’s one thing. But if you plan to share all or part of your video online, you’ll need licensed music. A wedding video song that has a music license won’t get muted or taken down by social sites.
If you’ve never used licensed wedding songs before, you can find dozens in our music library. But to narrow down your choices even further, check out our posts on songs for wedding videos and songs for anniversary videos.
We hope this guide has helped take some of the stress out of planning video for your wedding Now, it's time to start making videos—and we're here to make it easy.
An Animoto subscription gives you everything you need to drag and drop your way to powerful and professional social videos. With customizable video templates, designed with success in mind, you can create your own videos in minutes. With over a decade in the industry and partnerships with YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, Animoto is used by millions of people worldwide to preserve and share life’s important moments.
Sign up for a free account today or learn more about using Animoto to make wedding videos. Happy video making!
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