Pre-Wedding video for guests? Novelty video?

[Jason McDonald]

Just wondering if some of the people in the business put together videos with the groom and bride, something fun or serious, their love-story or an over-exaggeration of it, that guests perhaps watch just before the event starts, a kind of pick-me-up for the day to come? Or something that you put together for entertainment purposes while the guests are waiting for the groom and bride to enter the banquet hall, again fun or serious, something that you and the couple did so that your guests could have a laugh or a cry as the banquet was getting underway?

[Philip Howells]

Jason, I like your thinking - it's in line with our offer of DVD wedding invitations which we added to our package (we have only one - truly comprehensive). This has the merit of:

novelty - I know of no other company offering them and we've got inches and inches of PR comment;
money saving - reduction in the print bill;
convenient timing - usually needs recording and production at a time when we're less busy;
cost effective - because we already own the on-camera prompter (ex Autocue) and a seven-deck duplication station it adds big value without big cost.

However, may I add one word of caution to your suggestion - it adds more gear you have to take a long to the wedding day shoot and that's something I'd seriously try and avoid or limit anyway.

We used to show our 3D shoot of the wedding (basic single-camera recording of the vows, exchange of rings etc) at the reception. This meant little additional gear to shoot but much more to show. We still do the recording (with a later version camera) but we've dropped the reception showing - we show the clients at the first showing of their main purchase - the wedding videos on DVD and Blu-ray- and archive the two streams for the future.

I congratulate you on your creative marketing - you deserve to succeed.

[Aaron Mayberry]

We literally just did this last weekend!

We did a video before the bridal party came down, and then another one right before their first dance (which we added a same day edit to)

It went off great!

You can check out the videos at: Meet the Amons | Presented by Forever Cherished Productions