Lessons of a Wedding Videographer – The Stuff They Don’t Teach You in School

Saturday marked opening season for Lovebird Productions. It was my first wedding! Hooray! Saturday morning I tripled checked my equipment and set off for Cherokee Village. As I was driving, the skies opened up and just in case Arkansas has not gotten enough rain God thought we needed a bit more. I kept praying for better weather for the wedding.

I arrived in Cherokee Village and headed to the house the ceremony was suppose to be at. The house was gorgeous. The back of the house had a large deck that was covered and looked out over the River. It was a stunning view even in the downpour. After meeting the lovely couple that owned the house I realized I was at the wrong house. (Side Note: They bought it a few years ago after the original owners passed away. The original owners were the groom’s grandparents. One of the family members asked the current owners if they could have the wedding on the back deck and the current owners happily agreed! How great!)

Lesson #1: Make sure you show up at the right location. I was suppose to meet at a different house. I was given 4 different addresses and showed up at the wrong one. No worries, I was early and still had a few spare moments. I hopped in the car and traveled a few miles away to the house where everyone was staying.

When I met the family, they were so kind. I couldn’t image a better family to be doing my first wedding with. I did have to try to get them to loosen up around the camera though.

Lesson #2: You will do SO much more than just film. I carried around the bride's train, helped with makeup decisions, kept everyone positive about the weather, drove all around Cherokee Village, Hardy and Highland plus much more. I loved helping though! I assume not every wedding will not be this way but I really got to know the bride and family this way. Did I mention how kind they were?

Lesson #3: Are you sure those are the shoes you want to wear? I did get a lot of compliments on my cute sandals but overall they may not have been the best support for my feet. I had to look cute though! Maybe I will go find a new pair to wear with added support for the wedding this weekend!

Lesson #4: Think one step ahead. With each wedding I want to capture the entire ceremony with little to no editing. For example, I set my camera up off to the side to get an overall view of the ceremony but I didn’t account for when everyone stands up. I quickly improvised with the camera on my shoulder and captured the ceremony until the guests were seated. Once they were seated my camera on the tripod picked up on the remaining part of the ceremony.

Lesson #5: Don’t be nervous! Have fun! The drive over was so nerve wracking. I was worrying about nothing but isn’t that life.

The day went wonderful. When I got home I went to sleep right away. That is my goal, to work until I crash! It was such a beautiful day. The rain disappeared; the sun came out and everyone celebrated Andy and Yuxuan. The lovely couple is off to Hawaii but didn’t ask me to go? I wonder why?