Catie & Scott, a D.C. Wedding from humanstory on Vimeo.

Why would you suggest to a bride and groom that they should hire a videographer in addition to, or instead of, a photographer?

I would never recommend a videographer instead of a photographer. Photography and videography are two of the most important parts of your wedding. Your wedding is a once in a lifetime experience, and after your special day is over, all you have to remember it by, is your wedding video and photographs.

An hour after your wedding you won’t remember what the best man or maid of honor said during their speech or the look you gave your new husband/wife during your vows. You will only have this moment once…you will never be here again. When we are finished with your wedding video it will dance, laugh, smile and cry.

What packages do you offer, and how do you advise a couple as to what is best for their wedding?

We offer everything from a pre-filmed love story, to rehearsal dinner coverage, and/or full or partial wedding day coverage. We customize every package to be as unique as our bride and groom are.  We will work with the client to find a package that will fulfill their needs.

During our consultation, we can determine exactly the amount of hours of coverage they will need. All of our bridal couples receive a long version video that faithfully reflects all of the fun and excitement of their wedding day.

What aspect of the whole process of videography do you enjoy the most?

In short, I enjoy capturing and telling the story of the day. When I capture Dad seeing his daughter for the first time in her wedding dress, or when the groom’s face lights up seeing his bride walking down the isle….these moments define why I’m a wedding videographer.  I look at myself as the historian for this new family. I love knowing that the video I create will be with this family forever and one day will be seen by their kids and grandkids.

How much control does a bride and groom have over the finished product- can they be involved in the editing process?

The bride and groom become involved in the process beginning with the first consultation. Some bridal couples give us creative freedom and others want to make sure everything is captured in a particular way. Every bridal couple is unique, so every video that we produce has to be unique to the personality and style of the couple.

What are some of the more creative and technical approaches that can you incorporate into your videos?

The wedding videography industry has made huge strides over the past few years and a lot of the advancement has come with from new technology and ideas. The first question we ask ourselves when shooting is, “how are we going to tell this story.” We want the story to be creative, yet faithful to the events of the day.

Newer techniques being used include timeshifting, where the days events occur in a non linear format. So, we may start your movie with the groom’s vows then go into the getting ready shots. New equipment that we are now using includes HD DSLR cameras, Steadicams, BluRay Discs and improved audio.

We also offer a “Same Day Edit” where we would shoot and edit the bride and groom getting ready, their ceremony and their first dance and have the finished highlight projected during the reception. It’s been a huge hit and it’s a complete surprise to all of the guests. It’s the “wow factor” for the wedding.

So not to worry! Surround and immerse yourself with love and fun on your wedding day, and with Suburban Video you can freeze, rewind, and replay every moment whenever you want.

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[Memory is] a man’s real possession…In nothing else is he rich, in nothing else is he poor. Alexander Smith (1830 – 1867)

Truth be told, I wasn’t going to do video – I only wanted a photographer.  I felt if you have a great photographer, then you don’t have to worry about missing any aspect of your day.  Because I had expressed remote interest in video, I searched the internet and found companies whose work I liked.  The work that resonated with me was from Martin Andrews of Blue Sky Films.  Aimee set up an appointment to see if this was something I wanted to pursue.

Meeting Martin was great; he was really easy to talk to and I left with a package of information and a demo reel to review.   I let my parents know that I had taken an appointment with Blue Sky and that while I was still thinking about video, I probably wouldn’t have one.  I never realized that something as a (seemingly) insignificant choice of not wanting a videographer would affect my parents (pardon me, parent) as much as it did.

Dad – the gregarious, philosophical, thinker of the family turned into someone I didn’t recognize – sullen and put out because I didn’t want video.  My mom – negotiator, listener, and former teacher revisited her teaching days to get us to understand each other’s position.  After days of Mom hearing my father lament the point, she asked me to talk with him.  During my next visit, he requested 10 minutes of my time to talk.  The morning of my departure, I approached dad and let him know I was ready to talk when he was.  He asked me to go in the library and wait for him.

Arriving in the library, I noticed his Bell and Howell projector was set up along with a chair.  I went in, took a seat, and waited.  About a minute later dad walked in, turned off the light and turned the projector on.  I couldn’t believe what I saw.  Images of me running across the yard as a toddler – 1972, then me running toward my dog Bianca circa 1974, and wait, there’s me again riding my bike minus training wheels in 1977.

I couldn’t believe he still had all of these home movies capturing me at various stages of my life.  He looked at me and said, “Photos capture a moment in time; film documents your life story.”  Okay, he had me there.  Clearly I wasn’t old enough to remember myself at this age, but the moment was forever captured for me to re-live and remember.

I finally got it.  The videographer wasn’t for me, but for him.  He wanted to add this to the collection of memories he had been collecting for the past 39 years and store them away with all the others. I’ll gladly give the man who has given me everything the gift of another memory.  I wonder if Martin is still available on October 16^th.

Videographers:  William Gaff  and May Lee, humanstory films

Photographers: Don and Lindsay Mears, Don Mears Photography

Danielle scouts new stories, organizes past and future features, and constantly communicates with D.C.’s best vendors and venues. Starting today, she is sharing her conversations with these local experts. Every Thursday, she’ll be bringing you insider advice from D.C.’s best. I’m SO excited about what she has in store.

Today, she has tracked down the VERY busy Martin Andrews, owner of Blue Sky Films. I’ll let her take it from here…

Here’s Danielle…

Today, I am so excited to share with you amazing insight from Blue Sky Films on the many benefits of hiring a videographer to capture your special day! This interview will take you from the selection process of finding a videographer to ensuring that they capture all your weddings details in an artistic yet comfortable manner. Without further ado, I give you, Martin Andrews…

What are the advantages of hiring a videographer in addition to a photographer?

While great wedding photographs are absolutely essential, a well produced, artistic, and personalized film of the day is a perfect complement to a couple’s wedding day pictures. Think about your parents’ wedding, or better yet your grandparents’ wedding, 40, 50, 60 years ago. What would you pay today, to be able to hear their vows, their toasts, to see your grandmother and grandfather dancing – and to hear the music – that’s where the value is. It’s not just a wedding video, it’s an investment in your family history. It will be watched, both today and tomorrow.

At Blue Sky, we offer base packages which clients can build on. The base package includes coverage and editing with the final film mastered to DVD/Blu-Ray. We then offer a number of options which the couple can choose from to customize their production. These options include things like HD, Super 8mm movie film, online streaming, raw footage on DVD, and rehearsal dinner coverage. Everything we do is custom, and that starts with the package.

What should a couple look for when meeting with (and eventually deciding on) a videographer?

First and foremost, I think personality. Not just the personality of the filmmaker, but the personality of their work. Does the work speak to you stylistically, does it have charisma and charm? There’s a host of textbook questions one could ask, do you bring backup equipment, do you have references, but ultimately any established videographer is going to have great answers to those questions. Watch the work. Take the time to get to know the artist – and ask yourself: Do I want this person at my wedding, following us around, and capturing our day? Lastly, I would insist to see end products of that videographer’s work – not just demos.

At Blue Sky, we book our top filmmakers first, so the longer the lead time, the better the chance that one of our best people are available. All of our people are fantastic individuals, both behind the camera and in dealing with the client, but obviously some have more experience than others. Typically 3-6 months out is normal, but for big days in the summer and fall 9-12 months out is not unheard of.

How do you prepare prior to the event in order to be sure that you are capturing all of the key players involved?

We spend a great deal of time reaching out and working with the client prior to the event, as well as after and during the editing process. You don’t hire Blue Sky to show up, shoot the wedding and mail you a DVD. Clients choose Blue Sky because they are looking for personalized one-on-one service, and an end product that will wow their friends. The client is involved in the process every step of the way. Our number one goal is that the client walks away saying Blue Sky was the best vendor experience they had–period.

When a couple includes a videographer in their special day, what sort of presence does the videographer have at the event?

For us, low profile is key. In fact, I think it’s one of the main reasons so many event professionals and past clients refer us. We are not going to use bright lights, big tripods with wheels, extension cords; we don’t go table to table interviewing your guests–basically all the things that freak brides out into not wanting a videographer. We shoot with small cameras, we wear all black professional attire, we capture the moments using telephoto lenses, we stay out sight and out of the way. I can say confidently that we have never had a client complain that we distracted from the intimacy of the day.

Remember Jessalynn & Diego’s wedding from Real Weddings Week? Check out Blue Sky’s ridiculously amazing video that documents their big day (grab a tissue)…

Thank you SO much to Martin and Blue Sky Films for taking the time to share this expert information! I hope that you find this interview as helpful as I do — and see how wonderful it is to have a videographer capture your big day!