Often newlyweds ask Videographers how long their wedding film will be. There isn’t properly a rule of thumb on the duration of a wedding video since all weddings are pretty different from each other. And that’s why the answer is not so simple! Wedding videos don’t have a fixed duration, they will last as long as necessary to tell the the emotions of the event. In this article we’ll get to know what to consider about your wedding film length, and how to get what you want by choosing between the different types of films. 

Wedding video: the key elements  

• Rely on expert professionals Newlyweds put in a lot of time, resources and effort when planning for their wedding day. The choice of hiring or a professional wedding videographer will offer you the possibility to look back at your wedding day in a way that you won’t even believe it was actually yourself getting married in such a beautiful atmosphere! It’s well known that you’ll be very busy on your wedding day and there might be things that you’ll miss, but hiring a professional means that you won’t miss a thing!  He can show you everything that happened, or even can let you remember about the mood, the emotions, the tears and the smiles, …and all that truly matter on that special day. There is nothing like getting to hear your spouse’s vows again and again, a wedding film allows that!
• Look for the right backdrop to frame your vows Wedding ceremony backdrops are a fundamental styling element for your wedding day. If you’re hosting a laid-back outdoor wedding ceremony, you may opt for a romantic altar of flowers or a rustic wooden arch. Alternatively you can go for or a greenery or floral walls, or consider a wallpaper installation or a painting for more artsy mood. You can even reuse it as backdrop behind the head table at the reception. Whatever is your wedding style, there are quite unlimited materials to use for making your backdrop uniquely you. It goes without saying that an amazing natural scenario like a dramatic mountains, a beautiful coastline or a vast park is all it takes. Whether it’s a natural setting view, a floral display, a wood or  a set of antique doors, choose a ceremony backdrop that fits your wedding style.
• Choose appropriate music The right music in a video will seriously make the difference, since it helps people to connect with their emotions. Just think of some of the best movies you have seen and try to mentally remove the soundtrack used, it goes without saying that the emotional engagement will be completely different! Songs affect the emotions and bring your wedding videos to life, tying the entire day together. Professional videographers consider the setting and the mood of your celebration and are able to choose the appropriate soundtracks that best suit the couple’s personality and every particular moment, as well. For instance, music beds and underscores can be used as interludes between scenes, light symphonic arrangement or piano bed are ideal for those essential moments where the couple or guests are speaking. In addition, it’s important to consider  the emotional impact of the songs you choose, as well as the legal aspects. Since the couple will likely want to post their wedding video online, it’s necessary to own the rights to the music in your video or to get the  license from the song creator to avoid legal troubles.
• Personalize your wedding video message You may be having a traditional Church celebration with classic vows but it can be really amazing having personalised vows to read to each other, as a powerful story element that complete any wedding film. An idea is to plan a moment after the ceremony, maybe outdoors, and reading a poem or song  that you love to your partner, maybe including personalized letters or guest messages.

Wedding video duration

Some weddings are rather simple and short, like a micro wedding or an elopement, in which perhaps the choice is pretty easy, a highlights film or teaser, with a full ceremony film. If you have a huge celebration with numbers of guests, and a bunch of activities going on, opting for a longer video (and two shooters) to capture everything well, would be ideal. Then, consider where your wedding film will be seen: if you are planning to show your video on social media then it’s recommended opting for a short film (between 1 to a maximum of 5 minutes)  that will keep people’s attention up. There aren’t actually fixed rules to how long your wedding video should be, but longer isn’t always better, in fact you don’t want to risk being bored during your own wedding video. A wise choice can be having multiple version of a Wedding Video with different length.

Wedding Film Styles

Once you’ve decided whether to have a videographer on your day, the next step is to look at the filming style. There’s no right or wrong choice; it is just up to the couple! You’ll likely have heard  terms like “Portrait”, “Documentary”, “Highlight”, “Cinematic” and we know that it can be hard to choose between each of them or even understand what any of those words mean. Creating a good wedding film experience starts long before you get a finished film, by helping couples to understand the different wedding film styles available. Knowing the terms and understanding the differences between the styles of films gives you a useful starting point from which to compare packages and choose your wedding videographer. 

Cinematic wedding film

As its name suggests, cinematic wedding videography seems more like a movie, imitating its filters and transitions, capturing your wedding day in a more artistic way. Some of the features of cinematic wedding videos are powerful storytelling, voice overs, aerial shots of the wedding venue, and even the use of slow motion and other special effects in order to create a dramatic mood. Videographers who use this style aren’t so much concerned about following a linear timeline, instead are more focused on capturing the feelings and the details of your wedding day, such as the rings, the décor, the attire and any pre-wedding activities. Choosing a cinematic wedding videos means that, in years to come, you can enjoy looking back on your Special day, reliving it from your sofa with some popcorn!

Documentary wedding video

This style is very similar to the cinematic one, but has a more journalistic approach, rather than emotional feel. Documentary Videography in addition, use very limited filters and focus on recording events as they happen, in chronological order: from the getting ready to the exchanging of vows. The Documentary style is essentially the traditional approach to wedding videos with all of the important moments of the day pieced together from different cameras used to record the event. Aside from recording and editing the wedding ceremony, Documentary wedding videos are longer in length and can also incorporate interviews with the couple and their friends and family recorded before the event. The result is like a higher-quality home video edited to create a seamless flow.

Storytelling wedding video

Typically, this style it’s similar to cinematic videography for its editing approach, but instead of focusing on the cinematography techniques, a storytelling wedding video puts more emphasis on music and narration to tell the story of your wedding day. It may include who the bride and groom are, how they met, the time of their engagement, the day of their proposal, testimonies and dialogues should also be incorporated in the video, as well.

Wedding Video editings

Once you master the wedding film styles, you can choose the editing types that reflects the most your needs and personality. Editing is one of the most interesting and  creative parts of making a wedding film. It’s where the story actually comes together. Decide about which shots to use, how you link them together with sound, will make a big difference to your wedding video. 

• The Full Film It’s the original or “traditional” Feature Film that includes the full ceremony and reception and all the things in between, speeches and additional clips (for example, the arrival of guests and the bride and groom leaving). It’s generally around 30-60 minutes long but this does depend on the length of the ceremony. Given the specific video length, Full Film is usually intended just for the couple and close family members.
• The Highlight In simple words, wedding highlights can be seen as movie trailer which showcase the most stunning and upbeat moments on your wedding day. Highlights video is a 4-minutes-long video summary edited with the maximum creativity: transitional effects and love songs and can also be added, in order to make the video more fascinating. We like to think of the highlight as a music-video of your day. It’s the trendier form of wedding videos that have become more and more popular since they’re perfect for quickly sharing on social media for those who are unable to attend or with family and friends. 
• The Trailer In wedding videography, trailers don’t anticipate the main parts, as instead happens for movie trailers. The term is used to define a minute or less cinematic short story that perfectly matches music and highlights big moments as well as smaller details that reflect the essence of your special day.
• The teaser Is a video of a couple of minutes where some images and moments are anticipated in order to arouse curiosity to the viewers at the vision of the Full Film or highlights.

Wedding film costs

Let’s start by saying that the wedding video duration is not the right parameter on which its cost depends. Sometimes it’s more difficult to edit short videos than longer ones, since all the best moments and highlights must be edited in few minutes timeline. Making good wedding videos is a complex business that often needs days of skilled labour as well as expensive equipment. So, avoid thinking of “the shortest the video, the cheapest the price”, it doesn’t work with wedding film. We can’t give a specific price guide here because the average cost of a wedding videographer will largely depend on your location, the kind of package you select and how experienced the videographer is. Keep in mind that the average wedding videographer cost is just that: an average!

Conclusions

Since also memories of your Special Day are bound to fade over the years, having the moments on film is truly priceless, so investing in hiring professionals who will help preserve the memories from that day it’s essential! Look over different videographers until you find the one who perfectly matches your budget,  the wedding film style as well as the approach that you prefer. The professional relationship between the wedding videographer and couple is fundamental since you’ll need to trust and be confident that he or she will realize what you have in mind. Hire someone who is keen on his/her job and is focused on delivering a special keepsake of your day.