On Shopping Around For Your Videographer

Most photography and DJ companies offer video but very few actually do the work themselves. Instead they subcontract the work out to someone that you will not meet until the day of your wedding and who is probably working for less money.

When I first started video taping weddings I worked for a video company that did a lot of subcontract work for photographers and DJs. As a beginner I was only allowed to shoot the subcontracted jobs for the following two reasons; 1) these jobs paid too little to send out a more experienced  shooter.  2) my employer preferred that I made my rookie mistakes on the subcontracted jobs and not on his own. 

If the ABC Video company has eight jobs to cover on a given saturday and three of those are for a photography studio and one is for a DJ company ..... on which jobs will ABC Video send it's best shooters? On its own jobs of course! The subcontracted work almost always gets "the other guys!"

If you are going to spend the money on a wedding video anyway then I strongly recommend that you get the most for it. Get your photography from a photographer, your entertainment from a DJ or band, and get your video from a videographer. Remember, the best videographers shoot for video companies and not for photographers and DJs.

On Judging Video Picture Quality 

With every video presentation there will be a demo or a sample of the videographer's work. Many companies will present their demo on a professional video monitor or on a high definition plasma tv with a high definition DVD converter. Unless you have all of this expensive equipment at home the product you see in their office and the product you see when you take the DVDs  home will not be the same.

The only true way to gauge picture quality is to see the work on a system like the one you have at home. When you visit our showroom we will show you a sample of our work on a relatively inexpensive television with the DVD player built into the unit. At Blue Sky Video we don't have to mask the quality of our work. The clarity of our images will astound you!

While digital technology has replaced the old 3-chip Super VHS cameras there can still be a world of difference between one digital format and another. The MiniDv format is a less expensive consumer based format. The professional format is DVCAM. These tapes have a much higher resolution and only work in DVCAM cameras which have a starting price of at least $10,000 (nearly twice the price of professional MiniDV cameras). Why spend $2,000 or more on a basic video package taped in MiniDV when you can get a DVCAM based package from Blue Sky Video for less?

The Baby Photo Montage: The most popular songs for this category are still songs like "Through The Years", "Times Of Your Life", and "What A Wonderful World". Other possibilities include "Times To Remember" or "When You Wish Upon A Star" by Billy Joel, "The Rainbow Connection" by Kermit The Frog, "Only Time" by Enya, "Over The Rainbow/Wonderful World" from Meet Joe Black, or "I Hope You Dance" by LeAnne Womack.

The Cocktail Hour:  "The Way You Look Tonight" by Frank Sinatra, "From This Moment On" by Shania Twain, "The Best Is Yet To Come" by Tony Bennett, or "True Companion" by Marc Cohn.

The Recap Ending: "For My Wedding" by Don Henley, "You Are The Love Of My Life" or "Destiny" by Jim Brickman, "My Prayer" by Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion or "At Last" by Etta James.

When Should I Start Shopping For My Vendors?

At least sixteen months before your affair. Too many couples hold off until seven or eight months prior to the wedding. The usual result is that the people that they meet with and like are usually booked. Starting your search early has two big benefits: 1) The people that you meet with and really like will most likely be available for your date. 2) You can lock yourself in at the current prices before they go up for the following year. This also makes budgeting for your wedding easier since you will know well in advance how much you will need to set aside.

On Seating Arrangements At The Reception

Since it is nearly instinctual for guests to want to grab the best seats at the table it is almost inevitable that our parents will end up sitting with their backs to the dais and the dance floor. This happens because the parents are usually introduced into the reception just ahead of the bridal party. By this time all of the other guests have been ushered into the room and have already chosen their seats.

To avoid this you can do one of two things: 1) Buy toasting glasses for the parents and place them at the best seats at the head tables before the guests are allowed into the room or 2) Fill out extra seating cards and have someone place them on each dinner plate at the head tables before people are allowed into the room. Not only will this help guarantee that your parents get the best seats at the table but it will also help if their are people at the head table that you would like to separate.

Avoid Ending Up On America's Funniest Home Videos

If falling on your back-side in front of your entire collection of family and friends is not your idea of fun then we recommend the following; scrape the bottom of your shoes on the sidewalk or in the street before the day of the wedding. I've seen too many men and women slide across a wooden dance floor like they were walking on ice because their new shoes were exceptionally smooth and offered no traction.

For you men out there I strongly recommend that you purchase suspenders for your tuxedo. Just recently I video taped an usher escorting two young ladies down the isle at church when his pants suddenly fell around his ankles.

For Other Wedding Related Services And Vendors Please Visit

www.LIWeddingNetwork.com

You will not be asked to register or sign in. This is a hassle free website that is very easy to use.

 BILLYBSVP@aol.com