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

"We want our wedding to be filmed but we have so many questions to ask..."

We visit lots of couples regularly to discuss having their wedding filmed. We tend to talk about their wedding plans, what we can offer as a filming service and how they would like their day to be covered.

Common questions that we are asked are;

How long is the average wedding DVD?

This varies depending on the length of the ceremony and speeches – typically it would be an hour to and hour and a half. The film would have an interactive menu with chapters so you can skip through when need be.

Can you supply an NTSC copy for our family in the States?

Yes this is no problem.

We might have trouble picking our songs to be used in the film, do you have any suggestions?

We have a list of songs that work well with wedding video footage and can give you a copy to help you decide.

How many copies of our film will we receive?

You will receive 3 copies in personally designed DVD cases.

If our wedding plans go over schedule, do you charge extra?

No, we will stay until agreed and when we are happy that we have enough footage.

Will there be any hidden costs?

No, the price we quote includes everything from travel costs, expenses, tape stock, filming and post production. But please do check if you need to purchase a wedding filming license (www.wrl.co.uk)

Do you have any back up equipment in the event of camera failure?

Yes we carry two of everything.

For more information visit our FAQ’s page or contact us.

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!

Just one regret...

I caught up with an old friend on Facebook yesterday, and we had the usual chit chat about, friends, family and jobs. She was amazed to hear that I was a wedding videographer and then made a few points about how fabulous her day was but had just one regret. This particular part of her message really stood out to me and I wish I could make all bride's & groom's-to-be aware of this:

"I had my wedding a few weeks ago, and LOVED every minute of it. It was an amazing, beautiful day beyond my wildest dreams. So much fun and so love-filled. My biggest regret, however, is not getting professional videography. I planned every detail so carefully, and really splurged on photography, but I am really kicking myself now for not getting pro video. I really considered videography for awhile but given that our budget had ballooned, decided to abandon it. I did have a cousin shoot some moments of the ceremony, and speeches at the reception - watching these, however, made me crave for pro videography.

There were a lot of missed moments in the amateur wedding DVD. I am grateful I had something at all, but really wished I had invested in video."

It made me think, how many other people have experienced this? Anyone else regret not having videography? Do you know anyone who didn't regret not having videography?

Let me know your thoughts at info@annekairelandvideography.co.uk