Does filming wedding weddings affect you emotionally?

[Chris Bryan]

I cry at most weddings I shoot as well. I also find that often my best/favorite footage is a really tight shot of the couple sharing a moment. We can be shooting with the Empire State Building in the background and 9 times out of 10 the most interesting shot to me will be a really emotional close up vs anything else. Granted the couple need to share natural and emotional moments. I do shoot some couples and find myself wondering why they are getting married and if they even like each other!

[Buba Kastorski]

Originally Posted by Patrick Janka

have you ever felt a bit resentful of the institution or perhaps gotten teary-eyed during shooting?

I lost my mom eleven years ago, so yeah, during mother son dance i often get emotional , I don't cry, but it's hard to focus sometimes, good that I have four cameras shooting :)

Originally Posted by Patrick Janka

Did any of you get into the business because you love marriage and relationships, or was strictly a financial decision?

14 years ago I started as an assistant just because I needed money, today I can't live without shooting and editing; weddings are live events and that makes it different and challenging, and I like that, but I wouldn’t say that weddings are my favourite subject to film:)

[Noel Lising]

Not the ceremony itself but I do get teary eyed when the groom addresses his parents and how they have become a positive influence in his life, when my 3 sons gets married in the future, I somehow would like to hear them say that we somehow became a positive influence in their lives.

[Kren Barnes]

When the bride's father speaks at the reception and share stories about " daddy's little girl" only then i realize that, God willing, the time will come when i have to give away my baby girl..I probably won't be able to speak..

Cheers!

Kren
Vertical Video Works* Winnipeg Wedding Videography

[Michael Simons]

When the bride was 4 years old, her Dad sang "Daddy's Little Girl" to her and he recorded it. 25 years later it was played during the Father/Daughter dance. I got teary eyed at that one.

[Paul Mailath]

what a great thread!

Sometimes it's hard to remain objective and I've certainly become emotionally involved with particular speeches. Of course there are those that bore you shitless!

Best Man: so I got on the internet ...........

It's the father daughter bit that usually get me - only because I don't think my daughter would want me there.

[Chris Davis]

Originally Posted by Chris Harding

That could also be due to the crazy hours we have to work!! If you have a wife who likes to party on a Saturday night then she really won't be too happy with your occupation...essentially wives are left alone on the weekend until the early hours of the morning without ever being able to go out and join another couple for a BBQ. It does mess up the social side of your life as you are working while others are relaxing!!

Well my wife isn't into parties, but absolutely hated when I worked as a wedding DJ for 12 years. Of course, she didn't tell me how much she hated it until I quit... When I shot weedings it was a little better (I'd at least be home by 10 PM) but she still resented me being gone every Saturday. Life is better now that I simply work regular daytime hours.

[Mark Von Lanken]

Hi Patrick,

Everyone is different. When we were first starting our business 15 years ago, my wife and I knew we wanted to shoot together, but we also had three small children, so we knew we did not want every weekend to take over our family life. We also knew that we did not want to spend 12-14 hours away from our children on the wedding day. This is what we did.

We built a business that only required us to shoot about 25-30 weddings a year, that way we were home about half the weekends a year. That meant we had to charge enough to make that happen. We also based our price on how much time we were booked on the wedding day, basically eliminating all inclusive shooting. They can book us for 12-14 hours, but most do not have the budget for that. We average about 7 hours on the wedding day and our average price is about $5000. We start at $3800, which is what we went out for last weekend, but the weekend before that, the booking was $8800.

I bring up price because I see a lot of people who do not charge enough, which means they have to shoot 50-75 weddings a year. On the flip side, I have friends who do charge a fair amount, but choose to have multiple teams and do 75-100 weddings a year. It all comes down to personal preference.

We are glad we chose the route we did. We have not gotten burned out on doing weddings for the last 15 years. We absolutely love what we do and we love the fact that we get to work together. We have been married for 27 years.

Sure, it's wonderful to shoot a wedding when the couple are open about the feelings and you can see how in love they are. Many of our couples are like that, but some are not. Hearing great toats at the rehearsal dinner or reception are wonderful as well. We also realize the value that we bring to the table, not only today, be for generations to come. Julie Conroe recently told me that she sees herself as the eyes and ears of the most important uninvited guests...their children who will one day watch their parents commit their lives to each other.

So by now you can see that I am an emotional sap, but I can't help it. Many times when I get home from a wedding I am still on a high. There are just so many great moments that happen between people on the wedding day that it takes some time to come down from the high.

Yes, I make Chick Flicks for a living, and I am proud to do so!

[Glen Elliott]

I wouldn't think shooting weddings would affect anyone's personal decision to get married. Maybe, however, it could affect the way you plan or should I say "spend" on your own wedding. Being around weddings practically every weekend I get to see what works, what doesn't, what investments are worth it and which aren't. PS Don't go cheap on the reception lighting! :)

[Dean Morris]

Originally Posted by Paul Mailath

what a great thread!

Sometimes it's hard to remain objective and I've certainly become emotionally involved with particular speeches. Of course there are those that bore you shitless!

Best Man: so I got on the internet ...........

It's the father daughter bit that usually get me - only because I don't think my daughter would want me there.

lol - Paul...you made me laugh :)