It’s not uncommon to want a low key wedding. You’ve hired a wedding photographer but what about wedding video?

Is it worth hiring a wedding studio for such a small event? Would it be weird?

Yes, it’s worth it and no it’s not weird to have a small wedding filmed. It’s about what is important to you.

The trick is knowing if a wedding film is something that’s important to you or not.

Which in itself sounds like a trick question.

If you’ve spent any time in wedding forums you know that there can be a serious case of FOMO going on in there. And it’s 100% legitimate.

But are these things really for YOU?

For every, “OMG IT’S A MUST HAVE!” you’re gonna find someone with an equally enthusiastic POV of, “It’s a TOTAL waste of money! Save it for your honeymoon or put it toward a downpayment on a house!”

Who’s right? Well, they both are.

It’s about what’s important to each couple and what you want to take away from your wedding experience. Everyone has a different personality and a different take on it.

If you’re basing the value of your wedding film solely on the number of times a year you’ll watch it, then it’s probably not that important to you.

Why? Because you’re considering something for the number of uses verse the value to your soul.

There’s a big difference between “I don’t want it because I’ll watch it once and forget about it,” and “We watch it once a year and it’s pure magic. It takes us back to our wedding every single time.”

Art is not something that has inherent value.

Art adds value to your life. And your wedding video is art.

“I’ll only watch this once or twice,” is a common declaration from people who don’t want a wedding video. And that’s totally legit. It doesn’t sound like something you’re going to regret if it comes out with shaky footage or bad audio because it wasn’t professional quality. So either don’t get one or don’t put it in the “must spend a lot of money” category.

But for the people who are going to feel like they missed out on their wedding, those are the people who should consider making a wedding video one of the highest priorities (like picking your wedding photographer-type of high priority).

Still not sure if this is you?

These tend to be the kind of people who to rewatch their favorite movies no matter how many times they’ve seen them (like me). Maybe they grew up with family videos (like Sean). Or they want a keepsake they’re going to feel amazing about (like all of our past couples).

They also know they’re not going to remember much of anything about their wedding. It’s such an incredibly intense day filled with adrenaline. And when you’re that pumped on adrenaline, you don’t remember the entire experience.

You can’t. Don’t believe me?

Some of these brides found their wedding day to be so intense they don’t remember their wedding night… (ahem, if you know what I mean).

Think you’ll remember every word of those vows if the chances of remember if you had sex that night are that low?

We’ve filmed many small and intimate weddings for couples

We’ve filmed many small weddings, some that were just immediate family members getting together for a short ceremony and the rest of the day was about having fun—without a formal reception.

For these small wedding couples, it was about capturing a moment they never want to forget. A glorious day of fun and togetherness that they will always share.

Reliving your wedding day through video, regardless of the size and grandiosity of your wedding, is a powerful reminder of your bond with family and friends, and how much they enjoy each others company and hijinks.

A small gathering wedding video is beautiful, simple and epic all rolled into one.

A well-made wedding video provides you with visceral memories that will remain just seconds away from your fingertips any time you want to relive them. It doesn’t matter how big or small the size of your wedding is.

Our minds get hazy and our memories soften with age.

Getting a wedding video can be down-right magical when it comes to refreshing old memories, it’s different than photos. Video captures every bit of the scene as it happens which allows you to re-experience your wedding in a powerful way.

Is wedding video a priority for you?

This is an area where I’m going to say “Go big or go home.” When you purchase something that’s “good enough” just to cover your bases… you tend not to love it and loving it means the difference between a wedding film you have on near endless repeat and something you watch once or twice and then kind of forget about.

If your priority is about having a fun wedding video that gives you all of the feels—one you’re going to cherish and watching it on repeat endlessly—then book your wedding date with a good videographer as soon as possible. I always tell couples that it doesn’t have to be me—this isn’t a sales pitch. But for the love of all things you cherish, get the best quality that you can afford without compromising.

How a great pair of jeans makes you feel sexy relates to how great wedding video will make your life and memories feel amazing.

Have you ever bought a pile of jeans that you thought was a good deal because you wanted to stretch your money and get more for less?

I know I have. I was literally just doing that with boots the other day. “But this one’s a better deaaalllll. If I get size 9 they’re $20 less than the size 8 that’s probably going to fit better.”

Uh huh. And you know how many times I’d wear that better-fitting size 8 than those $20-cheaper size 9s? Right. (Honest to god, I said those words to my husband and my whining is not being exaggerated. That happened too. Which thankfully is what made me stop in my tracks.)

And I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done this with jeans, too!

How many times I should’ve just gotten the $150 jeans I wanted instead of 3 pair of $50 jeans? The $50 jeans that I don’t wear because the fit isn’t quite right and they don’t give me the same feeling as the pair I really wanted.

And how often would I have worn the $150 jeans?

I know the answer. I would wear them until the seamstress refused to repair them anymore because I’ve had them so long and worn them to shreds. Because I have. And why haven’t I learned? (I don’t really have an answer for this, it’s just a cautionary tale.)

It’s the exact same thing that happens when couples get an “OK” wedding video.

Your wedding video shouldn’t be “good enough” for you, it should be GREAT.

“Good enough” is going to get a couple of plays and then be forgotten. But a great wedding video will become an heirloom that increases in value with every passing day. You’ll watch it obsessively. Your kids will watch it obsessively.

Common worries about wedding videography

“I worry that a wedding videographer be invasive to the guests at my small wedding.”

History hasn’t been kind to the field of videography. It’s gotten a bad rap because our predecessors were invasive. Filming techniques and expectations were different back then.

These days good videographers are unobtrusive (keyword here is: good). We know how to blend into the background capturing all of your important moments while keeping our distance and keeping out of the way of other vendors, staff, and your guests.

There still are some bad apples out there that like to feel like they’re a big time movie producer who will jam their cameras and lights all up in your face and get in the way of your wedding photographer.

Generally, you’ll find this kind of behavior comes from inexperienced videographers.

Quality studios know how to film like ninjas. Harborview Studios couples can tell you no one noticed our crew there at all—in fact, some said they genuinely missed the opportunity to interact with us more!

If you’re worried that because that your guests will feel uncomfortable having a camera crew around, hire an experienced wedding film studio.

We’re an inconspicuous bunch that your guests and photographer will appreciate.

“I don’t want people to think I’m being precocious for getting a video for my small wedding.”

If it’s about being judged by people because you hired wedding videographers and photographers for your small, big day… haters gonna hate. You’ve gotta do what’s important to you.

You can’t let the presumption of what someone else thinks of you ruin the fun experience you’re going to have when you open that box, snuggle up with your new spouse, dig in to a bucket of popcorn and watch some of the best times you and your guests have had in your entire life.

You can’t worry about someone judging your choices. Life is short, no one has time for that.