New Year Reflection

With the New Year fast approaching, we have begun reflecting on the previous year.

Anneka Ireland Videography has managed to double the amount of weddings we filmed compared to 2010 and are astonished by the level of interest for 2012. It seems that a wedding video is no longer a luxury but now a necessity, and the demand for a high quality wedding film has greatly increased.

We’ve learnt a lot over the previous year and have developed into a flexible and well-established business with many happy clients who regularly tell us about the number of times they’ve watch their film and recommending us to their friend’s. 

One thing that we pride ourselves on is to listen to our brides and grooms-to-be, to discuss their ideas and build their wedding video around their individual needs and expectations but at the same time giving professional advice or alternatives as to what can be done. We’re also keen to try out new and crazy ideas to make our clients wedding films just that bit different.

By totally immersing ourselves in the whole wedding industry, networking and working closely with other suppliers, we are able to recommend genuine and professional services to our clients, should they require.

Ultimately, we have one goal; to produce high quality wedding videos which will document our clients wedding days so they can cherish and re-live the memories forever.

www.annekairelandvideography.co.uk

Why the all-time low marriage statistics aren't necessarily all bad...

According to the 2009 marriage statistics, there has been an obvious decline in couples taking the plunge and tying the knot in comparison with the number of weddings in 1972, almost halving from 480,285 to 266,950(provisional). So, what does this mean for the wedding industry in 2011? Weddings are clearly still big business, with hotels continuing to take big bookings and bucking the recession trend. In addition, the upcoming wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton is creating a stir and churches hope that people will see the commitment and decide to do the same.

Couples get married for various reasons such as seeing it as the next step in their relationship or to show their devotion to one another. We filmed a wedding recently where the groom was adamant that he didn't ever want to get married, then he changed his mind due to the desire to unite as a family and adopt his partner's daughter. Cohabiting couples decide to live together for different reasons, and are not against marriage. Approximately two thirds of will eventually marry.

We spoke to a couple who got married in 1972 to get an idea of the changes in wedding costs over the years. Their wedding cost approximately £400, with their marriage license priced at 37.5p at the registry office, the cake was £5, clothes were £100 and food and drink came to £100. They didn't have a honeymoon as it wasn't financially viable, and were advised to have black and white photographs as they would stay better preserved.

Even though 30 years on statistics are showing an all time low in marriages, we don't see this negatively as priorities have changed. But those who do want to get married in the next few years should consider how they would like to remember their big day. Wedding photos and a video of the day is the perfect way to capture the memories forever.

References: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=322

The Wedding of Kerri & James - Saturday 5th February 2011

Wow! What a day it was at Kerri & James wedding at The Spa Hotel, Tunbridge Wells. Two of our cameraman covered all the days events unfolding perfectly.
Here are a couple of stills from the day. Highlights to follow shortly.....

Nick & Claire's Highlights from Gosfield Hall, Essex

Nick & Claire's Wedding Highlights at Gosfield Hall, Essex

How To Pick The Right Wedding Package

Your wedding photos and video will be with you for the rest of your married life. It is one of the things that will help you remind that romantic day when you said "I Do". It is treasured by many couples because it reminds them of their most romantic day when they exchange their vows. When everything seems to be hard, tough and difficult, all you have to do is sit down together, get that wedding DVD and watch it all over again. To make the wedding videography special, try these simple tips. It has to be done professionally, tastefully and in a manner suitable to your personality. It can say a lot of things about you and who you are.

Like all the other fancy details of a wedding - gown, tux, cake, function room, china and silver, make-up, flora, invitations, guests, banquet preparation and a lot more, the wedding photos and video should be given an identical amount of attention and planning. Because after all the planning and money spent, the only things you've got to show are your wedding videography and your rings. So don't hire anybody just yet! Consider the following points first before nodding to a videographer at random.

Budget

Plan ahead your budget. You need to have an estimate of how much you are prepared to spend on your wedding videography. Ask around and compare prices. Ask your friends and other family members who just got married about their wedding videography. Some would give out the actual price they paid so ask for the ball-park figure to be safe.

What you want

Picture on how you want the video to come out - panorama and the song. Do you want to begin it with romantic harmony or a dance perhaps? Romantic? Clear-cut? Just think of you and your partner as the basic cast in a romantic movie. It is very important that you and your partner determine the things that you want to include and how it is going to appear on film. Don't worry, your videographer will be more than happy to help you in making your wedding video distinctive.

Do research

This is absolutely important. Take time to research about the different styles and services offered by various videography companies. There are plenty of freebies nowadays to attract clients which add value to your money and quality to their services. But don't just take their word for it. Watch wedding videos of your friends and relatives so that you'll have a basic idea on what you are going to get. As a business strategy, many of these companies have video samples uploaded online for couples to have a better picture of what their services would look like.

Now for the Packages

As you research, you'll get a good picture of how these packages will look like and the amount that you'll probably spend. There are packages that are short and concise and there are packages which are long and detailed. Make sure to read each one, checking the most important things you want to be included. List them down. If there are some things that you want which are not on their choices, list them down as well and ask to have them included.

Just bear in mind that your video and photos are to be cherished as long as you both will live and for your future grandchildren to see. You'll never go wrong with classic styles - it can withstand the changing time and trend. It should be like a classical movie or song that doesn't fade away. In order to achieve this, you will need a super videographer who understands your needs.

Info taken from http://goarticles.com/article/How-To-Pick-The-Right-Wedding-Package/4118429/

Photo from http://www.nathanallenphotography.co.uk/wedding_package_prices.html

Guest messages

We filmed the wedding of Christy & James last December with Leo Ferenc from Perfect Day Studios. Here's a pic of me!

Wedding Video Checklist

Your wedding day is a day that you will remember for the rest of your life. Planning a wedding can be stressful at times but only because the couple wants to make it perfect. Often the bride and groom will hire a videographer to shoot a video of their wedding; a wedding video documents that special day, and the couple can look back on it anytime they like and relive some of their favorite moments. It is often less stressful if you book with a company who offer photography and videography packages in one.

Early Stages

It will be impossible to shoot the wedding video yourself since you will be one of the stars of the show. Entrusting the task to a friend is not recommended, unless he has experience shooting professional videos of this type. It would be best to hire a professional videographer and discuss details such as what kind of video packages are available.

Planning & Preparation

Once the videographer is hired, they will work very closely with the couple to ensure that all specifications are met. Couples may have unexpected plans to surprise the guests, and it is a good idea to inform the videographer of this so they can ensure they are in the right place at the right time. Also, let them know of any change in times, venues or even family situations.

The Big Day

The morning of the wedding is when everything should be finalised. A scheduled arrival and departure time for the videographer should be predetermined. The videographer and the bride and groom (or in some cases just the bride) will go over all the details one last time: what to film, how the overall video will look, etc. There are some moments that are essential to be captured on the video: the processional, ceremony itself, and recessional, the couples' first dance, and the cutting of the cake. Beyond that the footage that is shot is at the discretion of the bride and groom and the videographer. It is recommended that the videographer shoot as much footage as possible, getting ample footage and plenty of close ups of the bride and groom.

After The Wedding

Once the video is shot, the videographer will work on editing the video, and when he feels satisfied, he will show a rough edit to the bride and groom. Often they will all work together and decide if any footage needs to be removed or placed earlier/later in the film. Once finalised, the videographer will make a specific number of copies.

Why you could regret not having a wedding video...

Why? Well the solution is terribly straightforward, as a result you will kick yourself everyday if you don’t. Once you see you other brides having a lovely video of their wedding day, you’ll marvel why you didn’t. Video isn’t just a quaint little facet gimmick any more. Video is an art and a profession. Of course there are some unhealthy Videographers, and some inexperienced ones, however I suppose you’ve got enough common sense to weed those out. Lets target the Experienced, and Qualified Professionals.

During this day when people are capturing life on video with their mobiles, and I-pods and every different gadget, why would you let the most necessary moment of your life just slip by and not get it on quality video? “However I have an glorious Photographer and it’s already costing me an arm and a leg.” There are a few very vital variations between video and photography. The foremost obvious one is that they’re not the same. The next one is that one DVD may be a lot easier to hold around to a friends house, or send to a relative in some distant country, than your entire wedding album. But the best reason why you actually need a video of your wedding day is as a result of once you watch your video, it’s like being there everywhere again. When your spouse is far away and you miss them, when you want to hear yourselves taking your vows again, or when you would like to see yourself walking down the aisle, you’ll be able to see it because it actually happened. Video captures sound, pictures, emotion, mood, ambiance, tensions, fears, joys, happiness, sadness, all the emotions of the moment.

Photography and Videography have a useful and legitimate place in your wedding budget and on your wedding day, but going without video is like going without music at your reception, it’s OK, but it could are better. Do some searching around, examine some Demo videos, and I’m certain you’ll be convinced that it’s something you actually need for the long run, and you’ll get many years of enjoyment out of it.

Anneka Ireland Videography now offer photography and videography packages giving clients peace of mind and making everything a little less stressful. Contact us now for more information.