Every couple is different and everyone has different styles. Your wedding video should reflect your vision. The best way to see what you actually like is to see different films and get inspired.

In this post we will be sharing tips on how to fully customize your wedding video. We talk about length, song, voiceovers, and coloring. All of these details make up the wedding video of your dreams.

LENGTH

First, you need to decide how long you want video to be. CineStory Films offers short films (highlights of the wedding day) that are 3-6 minutes long. Prioritizing the quality over quantity. Creativity over basic coverage.

Some wedding videographers offer 10-15 minute edits that are slower and have less editing throughout.

CineStory Films also offers the option to have a Full Movie Edit. A Full Movie Edit of a wedding is a documentary style video that is 1-2 hours long. It’s a high quality film that chronicles your day in order, from all the prep, to the full ceremony, and even reception speeches. Unlike the short film, which is easier to share on Social Media, this is an edit mostly for you and close family.

What to remember:

Short film (aka Wedding highlights video)

• 3-6 minutes long

• Easy to share on social media

• Usually more creative!

Full movie edit

• 1-2 hours long

• It’s a full recap of the day, thus having a more documentary style

• Probably the video you will be showing your grandkids so they can see the entire wedding day

SONG

Music sets the mood of the film, the pace, and determines the length. A song with a lot of different “drops” or crescendos is great for storytelling and video making! Picking this kind of song allows the editor to add intensity to the wedding film, not making it monotone. It’s a great Idea to use a song without lyrics especially if you want to use your vows! A song with lyrics can potentially mask the vows. This doesn’t mean you can’t have that special song you and your fiance share if you have that one special song that has lyrics that represent what you and your significant other mean to each other. In this case you can use this song for the entire video since it already has very meaningful words in it. OR you can ask your wedding videography team (if they are editing your film) if they can include it at a specific time of your film.

What to remember:

• Songs set the mood of your wedding film

• A song with lots of tempo changes and crescendos are great for storytelling

• Lyrics or no Lyrics—it’s totally up to you on how you want to use that special song you share with your significant other

CEREMONY VOWS | LETTER READINGS

Including ceremony vows in your short film can really add to the storytelling of the film. Videography is not only about moving imagery, it’s about the story, and there is no better way to do that, than to add your voice. Personalized Ceremony Vows are not only a special touch to your actual wedding day but can also be a unique touch to your wedding film.

If you or your fiancé is shy, no problem! You can always do a pre-first look/pre-ceremony letter reading. That way it’s only going to be you and the camera. An advantage of doing this is that you can do multiple takes to get the best one.

What to remember:

• Voice-overs are great for storytelling

• They make your wedding video feel more personalized and unique

• Letter readings are a great alternative especially if you are shy or don’t have super personal vows but still want to include personal intimate words in your video

COLORING AND LIGHTING

Everybody has a different style!  Some people like colder-toned photos and videos, and some people like warmer tones. So let your videographer know what you like. If the videographers and editors are skilled enough, they can get the look you want.

Another characteristic that you might not think about, is the level of brightness in a video. It affects the mood of the film. Dark shadows and a higher contrast adds drama to the video. While brighter highlights and a lower contrast can make a more upbeat, fresh feel.

If you are wondering what our company, CineStory Films, shoots and edits like, here is a link to our films. We shoot with skin tones in mind but we do like to edit with cooler tones rather than very warm tones.

What to remember:

• Coloring and lighting are as much a part of your wedding video style as the song you choose!

• ALWAYS discuss coloring with your team beforehand if you are working with a team that regularly edits with a different style than what you prefer