so what is it? I did one this year that had 28 people. the processional at the ceremony was SO LONG! and the photo shoot was brutal to organize. ...And everyone got a speech...2 hours of that.

What about you guys? Did you find it difficult to shoot? Personally I like small parties, its more intimate and I can focus on each of them more.

Just 2 weeks ago. Bridal entourage plus 12 sets of Principal sponsors.

The groom's speech is the 2nd longest speech I recorded at 35 minutes. No wonder they limited the other speeches to 5 minutes each.

Guest wise the largest I did was 450 guest for an Indian wedding that was 2 years ago.

about 2 months ago, we had the biggest wedding party ever. i believe it was 32 (multiple bestmen, maid of honors, many bridemaids/groomsmen, and junior bridesmaid/groomsmen). this isn't counting sponsors, b&g's parents, flower girls, ring bearers. it definitely was a long procession but at least only a few had a speech. it made for some crazy/fun party though.

Earlier this year we had one with 15 couples, plus the bride and groom. Thankfully they booked just ceremony coverage, so no well-wishes from the wedding party...that would have been a nightmare trying to rally up 30 people to do that.

I do one or two each year with 12 on each side, but 6-10 per side is common. Larger doesn't really mean much to me, it's just the same as a small one, just bigger. It looks cool for video. I like the large groups, they are usually a lot more fun.

I guess I'm tied so far at 28 for the bridal party....I had a reception in Cleveland that had 732 guests(Serbian wedding....I think they invited every Serb in Ohio!)......that was crazy!
OOOPPPs just read the 32....tied for 3rd!
Mark

What the hell is a sponsor????? Never heard of that....

Mark

Here in Hawaii, sponsors are still common in Filipino weddings. Back in the day, many families were so poor that they couldn't afford a lavish party. When an auspicious event such as a wedding came around, sponsors chipped in and helped the couple financially, to offset the high expenses. Therefore, sponsors are recognized as very special honored guests.

The largest bridal party I did so far was a Filipino wedding with 24 adults, plus 12 junior bridesmaids, ushers, flower girls, and ring bearers. On top of that, they also had sponsors, but I forgot how many there were. For the procession at the church, getting all these people to the front took 14 minutes! The head table at the reception was 2 tiers deep.

The largest guest count I had so far was a Samoan wedding, 1,200 people. For that we had to set up 2 big screens on opposite sides of the ballroom so the audience could see what we were switching live, as well as the SDE. It was very stressful and a logistical nightmare. Luckily everything turned out fine.

Filipino and Spanish wedding are the predominate weddings that have sponsors. They basically pay for the wedding. One or two may buy the rings, another the couples Bible, another pays for the dress etc etc.

The largest I ever had was a filipino wedding I did about 3 or 4 years ago. Luckily I shoot the recepeption entrance on a tripod. There were (count them) ONE HUNDRED and FOUR people that walked thru the door. The families of course, bridal party primary and secondary sponsors. Luckily I had just put in a brand new tape and the DJ was pretty quick with the intros but that alone took over 30 minutes. Here's the kicker. They had credits for the video. I ran that hollywood style on black with a piece of their music they had chosen. Now for the best part. Not one misspelling. I spent a good protion of the day doing them and then double and triple checking the spellings then had my wife check them then had my dog check them just to be safe. I hope I never get anything like that again.

Wow Don thats insane! I would hate to do something that big. I feel the larger it is the less it really means anything. My wedding is 3 on either side.

As far as shooting goes, the long speeches are a drain, but it works out for the better in final delivery.

If you're locked down during the processional, what i do is a long cross fade on the entrance and exit of the shot.
It lets you know they've walked down the isle, but saves you from the agony of watching if for the next 15 seconds times 10 couples....

And just like Mark, i do primarily Serbian (ethnic) weddings.
It's one huge party, be ready for anything, up to 20 in the party, and expect 400 people at the reception...

I don't wanna veer off on the post, but small and large weddings have their own advantages and disadvantages...

Not one misspelling. I spent a good protion of the day doing them

Spent a good "protion" of time on the spelling did ya? LOL

Heh, yeah I used up all of my gud speling on that wedng!

O|O
\--/

What the hell is a sponsor????? Never heard of that....

Filipino and Spanish wedding are the predominate weddings that have sponsors. They basically pay for the wedding. One or two may buy the rings, another the couples Bible, another pays for the dress etc etc.

Just a quick FYI ,since i am a Filipino..In our culture sponsors are traditionally older couples that the B&G look up to for respect and seek marital advice if needed. They are basically a second set of parents.. they do not pay for the wedding or anything for that matter, however because of the title and respect bestowed on them, they tend to be more generous in providing a financial gift to the couple for the wedding. .

With that said getting back to the topic...the biggest wedding party we've filmed was 20 pairs of entourage +12 pairs of jr. entourage and 8 pairs of ring bearers, flower girls and such

They also had 700+ guests..that was really really hard not just for us but for the photographer as well...they had to rent a bus to transport everyone to the photoshoot location and hotel

Biggest wedding party was 14. Longest speech award goes to the father of the bride on August 24, 2010. I'll NEVER forget that wedding. Father's speech was 1 hour 14 minutes. All speeches total were 2 hours 10 minutes and they were all back to back and I was shooting handheld.

Wow, a 74 minute speach? I'd think of better calling it a lecture... or maybe encroaching on seminar.

They had credits for the video. I ran that hollywood style on black with a piece of their music they had chosen. Now for the best part. Not one misspelling. I spent a good protion of the day doing them and then double and triple checking the spellings then had my wife check them then had my dog check them just to be safe. I hope I never get anything like that again.

I've had requests for wedding credits. I always make them give me a list of names in word or notepad or something. No way I will type all that in and take a chance on a mis-spelling. I do the same thing for dance recitals as well.
You're a brave man Don!!!
Mark

I usually give them a form for the credits with a bold statement that we are not responsible for typo errors made in the document. If they write it with horrors... um... I mean errors, that is what it will be written in the credits, no changes afterwards.