If you spend any time on the many wedding forums you will certainly come across a thread asking for opinions on whether or not to hire a pro videographer.  Usually the advice from other brides is very good, especially those who have already gotten married.  To help you with your decision as well as to save you time combing through forums, here are some things to consider.

You don’t get a do-over.

If you decide against having your wedding taped the decision is final.  You aren’t going to be able to go back in time and fix your ‘mistake’.  Some times you can re-shoot some photographs, but with video there is no chance.  As someone who decided against having a pro videographer I can tell from painful experience how much I wish I had that footage.  You might not think you’ll care, but a few years down the road when you have kids or are celebrating your anniversary you’ll wish you had it.

The day will be a blur.

Even though your wedding day may seem like it will be the longest of your life, it will be over in a flash.  Many couples feel as if they don’t remember anything that happened.  Besides, there are so many things happening during the day and you are going to miss most of it since you’ll be focused on specific events.

Pro equipment isn’t cheap.

Hiring a pro doesn’t guarantee great results and you need to do your homework before signing any contract.  The one thing you can almost always count on is a pro is going to have equipment that will end up with good quality footage.  A $5000 camera is going to run circles around your cell phone.

Photos aren’t video.

Many couples think that having good photos will be enough to capture the memories.  While good photography is very important and may be your favorite method of remembering your wedding, still photos cannot recreate the sounds, visuals, and emotions of video.  A video of your grandmother dancing to YMCA will be much more enjoyable, since there’s a good chance you were talking with table 15 or at the bar when it happened.

Alternatives to a pro.

Some couples just can’t afford to hire a pro or do not want to deal with another vendor.  That doesn’t mean you should just give up on capturing footage from your wedding.  At a minimum ask an acquaintance (friends and family prefer to enjoy the day) to shoot some video.  You’ll at least have the footage and can have it edited later by a company like Storymix Media or do it yourself at home.  Another option is to rent Flip cameras and give them to your bridal party, friends, and family to capture the intimate and personal moments.  In fact, this is a great idea even if you hire a pro they’ll be mainly focused on the bride and groom.

Hopefully these tips will convince you of the importance of recording your wedding day.  In a future post we’ll discuss what’s important before hiring  a pro or what’s needed to make sure your uncle gets the important shots on his camcorder.