Weddings

Bride on a Budget: Making a Movie

To hire a videographer or not? That is the question.

A big part of planning a wedding is deciding how to preserve your memories of the day. Matt and I agreed to give high priority to choosing a photographer because it’s important to us to have wonderful photos from our wedding. But we couldn’t agree on a videographer: Matt was against it, I was for it. Hearing from friends and family how quickly the day goes, I argued that it’d be nice to have a video to relive the special moments. Matt very practically pointed out that it was unlikely that we’d ever watch the video more than once, so it didn’t seem worth the investment.

After a couple of discussions on the topic, we finally compromised on doing the videography ourselves. We’d ask a responsible friend to use a camcorder and record the day. We just needed to find a camcorder and a responsible friend—minor details. We figured buying a camcorder wouldn’t break the bank, but we worried about asking a friend to take on such a large responsibility because he or she wouldn’t be able to enjoy the party. Plus, per my DIY rule, I still had to test whether the DIY route would be cheaper than hiring a professional.

While browsing Craigslist one day, I came across Susanne Bard’s ad for affordable videography services for Washington brides and grooms. Intrigued, I set up a face-to-face visit. I really enjoyed meeting with Susanne; she’s sweet, professional, and experienced. Better yet, her rates for raw footage are phenomenally good—less than $500 for a full day’s coverage. She charges more for editing, but we can decide after our wedding whether we want to try our hand at splicing the footage or pay a professional to do it.

So hiring Susanne turned out to be a no-brainer; Matt and I agreed it was the best compromise. We wouldn’t have to buy a camcorder or ask a friend, and we’d have a video of the whole day at a bargain rate. Win-win-win.

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