Arizona - Bella Vita Videography - Wedding and Event Videographer

I have filmed many weddings and have noticed that the following tips can make a positive impact on your wedding day success! These tips will greatly help your videographer and photographer obtain the best possible shots of your special day!

Let your videographer and photographer know what you expect of them and what shots you want most.

Create an itinerary of your day. This will let the vendors know where you will be, how much time we can spend with you, and when important events are going to happen.

Always smile even if you feel stressed. Great pictures and video come from brides and grooms enjoying their wedding day.

Limit the amount of talking you do during photo and video sessions because it makes it more difficult to get good pictures and video.

Always have people who are supposed to be in pictures informed that they are to stay nearby until finished. It makes it difficult to take photos and video when somebody is missing and can't be found.

Consider having the majority of your pictures/video completed before the wedding ceremony. Most people will look their best at this time. Also, later on, your guests will not have to wait so long between your ceremony and reception.

If possible make sure the strongest point of lighting is on the bridal party during the ceremony. I filmed in a church with a strongly back-lit wall that made it very difficult to film the bride and the groom because it made them seem like they were in a shadowed part of the church. Candle lighting looks nice, but if it is on high posts down the aisle, it will limit the amount of shots a photographer and videographer can do during a ceremony.

It is a good idea to have your bridal party stand closer together rather than farther apart during the ceremony. This helps the videographer and photographer get a wide angle shot of your entire bridal party rather than just part of the bridal party.

If your facility for your ceremony does not allow your photographer or videographer to move around during the ceremony, don't be afraid to stage the shots after the ceremony. This is why it is also beneficial to choose a video company that can provide multiple camera angles.

It is a good idea to thank your guests for coming to your wedding at your reception by walking around to the tables together. This is not only a considerate thing to do, but it gives the photographer and videographer a chance to follow both the bride and the groom around to get pictures of them with family and friends.

If you choose to feed your videographer and photographer at your reception, (most vendors require this in their contracts), make sure they are able to eat soon after the bride and groom. This will allow us to be ready to follow the bride and groom again when they continue to interact with their guests. Usually, the bride and groom are close to being done eating by the time the last tables are served or released for a buffet.

If you want something specific or special to be captured on film, let us know. We work for you!

Try to avoid putting your wedding cake on a table pushed up against a wall. Pull your cake out from the wall or put it somewhere more accessible. If you cut your cake with your back turned to your guests then nobody will see you cut your cake. Also, you can have your DJ make an announcement to let your photographer and videographer have precedence so we can get beautiful photos and video of you.

Gauge the time your guests will spend at your reception. It is a good idea to do the most important events fairly quickly and do open dancing later on. Sometimes if you wait too long for the bouquet and garter toss, you may not have a lot of people left at your reception to catch the bouquet or garter. Also, wait for the count down or instructions from the DJ before throwing the bouquet or garter. This allows the photographer and videographer time to expect when you are going to release the item for the best picture. Some photographers ask you to hold the garter or bouquet in the air so they can have a good shot just in case the real shot blurs or is thrown unsuspectingly.

Sometimes too much colored lighting at your reception can cause problems with the white balance of still cameras and video cameras. Use normal lighting with accent lights around it.

It is considerate to the guests and vendors to have the DJ announce when an activity is going to begin. For example, "After this song, we will be cutting the cake!" This helps the video and camera crew make it to our places so we can get the best angles for the shots. Unfortunately, I was at a wedding where the father of the bride left the reception briefly only to miss his daughter cut the cake, because no previous announcement was made.

If you do not wish to have us film to the end of the reception, we can always film a quick, staged ending of the bride and groom leaving the reception. This will give us a closing shot and allow you to return to have fun for the rest of the evening with your guests.