Where does Valley Videography fit in to my Wedding Budget?

Preserving Wedding Memories

Planning your wedding?

Your Dress is Like No Other.
Your Rings were Custom Designed.
and Your Love is One of a Kind.

Why settle for anything less from the one memento of your Wedding Day that will let you relive the first day of your lives together?

"...The video is perfect, the editing is flawless, the music fits right in. We have had so many friends and family comment on not just a fantastic video you produced, but also how professional and unobtrusive you were at our wedding!! Thank you so much for creating such a beautiful video that we can watch for anniversaries to come!!!! " -Tara and Kris

"I love how you combine silly with sentimental, romantic with fun. They are so artistic and classy.
I am hearing rave reviews from our friends and family as well!" - Cori and Paul

After spending countless hours on all the preparations for your wedding day, what will you have left documenting everything that took place?

Wouldn't it be great to be able to go back and relive that day: hear the vocalist fill the church with her voice, listen to your vows, and relive the great music that all the guests were dancing to at the reception?

Years from now, don't you think your children might even enjoy watching your wedding day, instead of just looking through an album?

Read some quotes from actual brides regarding Wedding Video, and why it was so important to them.

Questions you may have (and more information about Valley Videography's services)...

What makes Valley Videography a better choice than having a friend or relative videotape my wedding?

I arrive an hour or two before your ceremony to set up and take pre-ceremony clips. Every wedding ceremony is covered with two professional digital video cameras. Typically, one camera is mounted stationary to provide a wide angle shot of the proceedings, and the other is manned and mounted on a fluid head tripod or monopod, to provide close-ups and other interesting angles. During editing, the footage from the two cameras is pieced together into a final presentation that you will enjoy watching for years to come.

Your reception can be covered by your choice of one or two cameras. One camera is all that is required to capture all the events, speeches, and dances. However, having a second camera rolling will allow the main camera more freedom, such as the ability to pan to guest reactions during speeches, and the opportunity to experiment with more creative shots and movements during dances.

Also, throughout the editing process I will post select clips of your wedding day online for you to view and share with your friends and family. This means you won't have to wait until your DVD's are ready to view some excerpts from your wedding day!

"You were very professional and we didn't even notice you were there!" -Amy & Curt

I will capture events and emotions of the day as it unfolds, and hopefully you and your guests will hardly notice my presence. (As a testament to this, please read some of the feedback letters I have received from past clients.)

I find that most brides want the ceremony shown in its entirety, and therefore I will not cut out any significant portions of your ceremony. The cameras will roll non-stop from the seating of the grandparents through the recessional. The reception will include all the formal events, plus segments of dancing throughout the night cut together with careful attention to the transition between clips. The final DVD will last between one and two hours.

For couples who also want a shortened version for showing friends, there is a "Short-Form" wedding video add-on available for any package, which will cut down your ceremony and reception to approximately 45 minutes.

I prefer not use any supplemental lighting. I feel this calls too much attention to the fact that guests are being videotaped, which makes many people uncomfortable. Additionally, video lights can be distracting and blinding. Why use extra lights when the reception hall can simply turn their lights slightly brighter?

The video cameras I use during the reception are the best in their class for capturing quality footage in low light conditions. However, as with any video cameras, the lower the ambient lighting, the less "colorful" and "saturated" the footage will be. It is important for you to discuss lighting levels with your reception hall so a compromise can be achieved between the lighting level and the quality of the video.

If the house lighting is too low, I may use a low-wattage, diffused on-camera light as necessary at the reception for certain dances and events.

Audio is just as important in a quality wedding production as the video. The fact is many churches just don't have good acoustics, especially large ones. Therefore, in addition to the on-camera microphones (which only work well for picking up ambient sounds) I will use two or three digital audio recorders. One is typically worn by the groom to ensure your vows are heard clearly on the video. I may also place an additional digital audio recorder and microphone discreetly on the altar and/or podium to ensure the officiant is heard clearly.

Will you chase my guests around the reception hall with a microphone begging them to say something to the camera?

Absolutely not. I do have an add-on option for guest interviews, or "special messages" during the cocktail hour or dinner hour. If you request this, I will place a card on each table prior to the dinner hour stating that YOU have requested your guests to share a special memory on your video. Then I will simply go from table to table, asking the guests if anyone would care to offer their wishes, at your request.. If they do, great! If they don't, I move on. If this is important to you, it really helps to have your bridal party members let guests know ahead of time that you have requested this.

My typical turn-around time is 10-12 weeks, however this may be longer depending on the number of weddings I have booked that month. (The first weddings booked will be given priority). I will be able to give you a better estimate before I send out your contract. Typically I spend about 6-8 weeks editing each wedding, but perfection can't be rushed!

I do offer additional discs as an option, and have priced these to simply cover my time and costs of making the disc, printing its face design, and packaging it in a personalized case for you. However, feel free to make copies of your DVD's on your personal computer.

Many couples do not realize the time and investment that goes into a well-produced wedding video.

On the wedding day, I arrive at the church one to two hours prior to the ceremony start time. After leaving the reception at the end of the night, there has already been approximately 12 hours of time put into your video. Capturing the footage to the computer, editing, rendering the footage, designing the custom DVD inserts and disc faces, and finalizing the discs typically takes another 40 hours of work.

But in the end, the expense will be worth it to you, because your wedding video will become your most cherished memoir of your special day! In fact, many past clients have told me that they were more excited to receive their video than their pictures.

You may find other videographers, or even Photographers and DJs offering video coverage for less money. Be cautious of the skill level of these vendors, and the skill level of the contractors they hire to film and edit your event. Ask to see samples of their work. Determine if they will provide the same attention to detail Valley Videography provides.

With Valley Videography producing your wedding video, you won't get a "cookie cutter" video. I don't book several weddings each weekend (and then hire subcontractors to film them). Only one wedding is booked per weekend and I personally shoot and edit each in its entirity. Every video is edited from a blank slate. Generic buy-out graphics for transitions and backgrounds are not used. Your video will be as unique as you are!

Wedding highlights filmed on true 8mm Film...
ask about this new offering from Valley Videography!