Capture the day on film: how to get the best out of wedding videos

Optional extra?
When it comes to budgeting for a wedding, bear in mind that a wedding video is every bit as important as the photographs. It will capture all the joy, tears and laughter of the big day, and be enjoyed by generations to come.

Perfectly professional
It's sensible to book a member of a professional association, such as the Association of Professional Videomakers to produce your wedding video.

Suits you, sir
When you're deciding what sort of wedding video to go for, ask for samples of the work of several different videomakers, to see the style of their wedding videos and the quality of the end result.

Ask around
Newly wed couples may recommend whoever made their wedding video, but make sure you watch it before you take up the recommendation, so you know exactly what you're getting.

Get organized
Think ahead through the wedding day and work out any special moments you want to have captured in the wedding video—the bride having her make-up done, the groom waiting anxiously at the church door, or the bride's grandparents up on the dancefloor. Make a list and talk the videomaker through it, so he or she can be clear about exactly what you want to include in the wedding video.

Guess who?
Don't expect the wedding videomaker to be psychic. Unless you tell them, they won't know who Great Aunty Vera is, or your best friend from nursery school. Ask an usher or bridesmaid to point out anyone you want featured in the wedding video to the videomaker on the big day.

Music to your ears
If you want to use your song as the soundtrack to the wedding video, do let the videomaker know. You're paying, after all!

The early bird...
Good wedding video makers do get booked up, so to get the wedding video of your dreams, find yours and put down a deposit as soon as possible.

Beat the budget
If you can't stretch to a professional wedding video, consider a spot of DIY. Ask a friend or relative with an interest in videomaking to record the big day. Hire or borrow a camcorder and give it to them a week or so before the wedding so they can experiment with how best to capture the wedding on film. Just make sure they have plenty of spare batteries and enough memory.

Great expectations
If you're opting for an amateur wedding video, be prepared for the fact that it won't be as slick and polished as a professional production. But remember—even the simplest wedding video will vividly capture all the excitement and sparkle of your own very special big day!