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Thoughts for picking a wedding date

Posted by Terry Wall on February 4, 2014
Posted in: Event Videography, Uncategorized, Videography, Wedding Videography, Weddings. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

calendar

Picking a wedding date can have its unfair share of challenges. When The Fetching Mrs. Wall and I got married (20 years ago!), we chose February 19th. No particular reason, but over time, we noticed how snug it was to Valentine’s Day. Not bad, mind you, but we’d exchange cards for Valentine’s Day, only to turn right around and do it again for our anniversary! This got me to thinking about the impact of booking weddings on or near holidays, which is relevant since we’re in the early part of the year.

Holiday weekend weddings have ups and downs. Yes, you’ve got an extra day for the celebrations (and recovery!). Also, a Sunday wedding is often less expensive than one on a Saturday. However, costs of travel and hotels may be higher. And remember what I said about Valentine’s Day! Be mindful of your floral bill, especially if your choices are centered on red roses — they’ll likely be more expensive than at any other time of the year. In the case of reception locations, trying to book a venue for New Year’s will—no doubt—command a premium. Lastly, think of the impact of a holiday wedding on your guests—especially those farther than driving distance away (see earlier comment). Air travel and hotel accommodations will be more expensive and availability may not be as abundant. And as a practical matter, some families may just have standing plans or traditions that they’d prefer not to miss.

That said, here are a few holidays to think about. If you want to find the exact date(s) for a holiday, simply “Google” it. Thanks also to “Reverend Joe” of Savannah Georgia, for the comprehensive list. And may your wedding—whenever you plan it—be everything you want it to be…and more!

Martin Luther King Jr. Day (always a Monday)

Presidents’ Day (always a Monday)

Mother’s Day (always a Sunday)
Observation: Make sure your moms are okay sharing this weekend with your wedding. And ask yourself, do you want your anniversary to fall the same weekend as Mother’s Day when (or if) you become a mom? Also, flowers are very expensive that weekend.

Memorial Day (always a Monday)

Father’s Day (always a Sunday)
Observation: Like you would with your moms, check with your dads about doubling up on this day. And grooms, make sure you’re okay with celebrating your anniversary the same weekend as Father’s Day if you decide to have kids.

Independence Day

Labor Day (always a Monday)

Columbus Day (always a Monday)

Halloween
Observation: Avoid it if you’re terrified that someone might actually show up in costume (OR…embrace it if you want them to!).

Thanksgiving (always a Thursday)

New Year’s Eve

Religious and Cultural Holidays
Be mindful of religious and cultural holidays (your own and those of your guests) when planning your wedding. There may even be restrictions at your house of worship as to whether you’re allowed to marry at these times.

Palm Sunday

Easter Sunday

Passover (begins at sunset the night before)

Tisha B’Av (begins at sunset the night before)

Rosh Hashanah (begins at sunset the night before)

Yom Kippur (begins at sunset the night before)

Hanukkah (begins at sunset)

Christmas

Kwanzaa

Eid al-Fitr (dates may vary based on how each family observes)

Eid al-Adha (dates may vary based on how each family observes)

Major Sporting Events
If you’re die-hard sports fans — or if you’re worried your guests might have a hard time choosing between your wedding and the big game — avoid getting married during popular sporting events. And if a lot of your guests come from the same alma mater, watch out for homecoming weekends and bowl games that might conflict.

Unlucky Dates
If you’re superstitious, you might want to watch out for these historically inauspicious dates from across several cultures.

The Ides of March
For ancient Romans, an “ides” was simply a date that marked the middle of the month — until Julius Caesar was assassinated on March 15 in 44 B.C. Since then, “Beware the Ides of March” has become the mantra of this superstitiously unlucky date, though it must not have been a problem for my mom and dad, since this was their anniversary date!!!

Friday the 13th
The unluckiest date of the year has questionable origins. Some historians say it comes from the 13 diners who were present at the last supper, but the famous Code of Hammurabi doesn’t include a 13th law, which suggests this superstition is as many as 3 millennia old. And it wasn’t until a successful novel titled Friday the Thirteenth was published in the early 1900s that Friday became part of the unlucky equation.

Leap Years
Greeks and Romans thought that starting any new life event — from getting married to baptizing a child — in a leap year would bring bad luck.

A message to brides who have elected NOT to include video in their wedding plans

Posted by Terry Wall on April 6, 2013
Posted in: Event Videography, Videography, Wedding Videography, Weddings. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

I have read reports that suggest that about 70 percent of brides-to-be have decided to not have a video produced for their weddings. My advice: you will regret it! In my March 27 post, I cited several reasons why brides (and grooms)-to-be should use a professional videographer rather than a friend or relative. But what I want to say today to the fairly large numbers of you out there who may think it’s OK not to have your wedding videotaped at all, there are so many things that you are about to miss…

  • tears streaming down the faces of loved ones in the audience
  • the walk down the aisle
  • the exchange of rings
  • a sudden eruption of laughter during the ceremony
  • actions of the flower girl/ring bearer that are often funny (we edit out things that aren’t amusing or may be inappropriate)
  • expressions are not static! You want to see that emerging smile on your (and the groom’s) face
  • toasts, dances, cake cutting, bouquet and garter tosses
  • and lots of other actions!
  • sounds and music
  • the ability to share the event with people that weren’t able to attend

My wife, a writer, occasionally edits my blog posts for me and when we discussed the value of having a video of the wedding, she put it succinctly, “That whole day was a blur! With so much going on, I remembered very little of what was said, who was there, what we did (other than get married!), and without a video, I wouldn’t have remembered half of what took place that day!”

Now, let’s address the “gorilla in the room,” the price. My “deliverables” can be tailored to meet virtually any budget, so don’t let your wedding video get away for the wrong reason! Hint: this is why I avoid “package” rates…I’d much rather build a rate around exactly what you need. And as for that 70% I mentioned at the beginning of this post: most of them said—afterwards—that it was a bad decision not to include a video!

Don’t let that be you.  98% of newlyweds recommend that couples have their weddings videotaped, which means there are a lot people who wished they’d decided otherwise.  Give a call and let’s see how we can make it happen for you—and add to the memories of this special day!

Sources: The Knot, WEVA International, MSN

Why You Should Hire a Professional Wedding Videographer (Instead of Asking a Guest to Tape Your Wedding)

Posted by Terry Wall on March 27, 2013
Posted in: Videography. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

OMG!! The proposal just happened, and you are to be congratulated on the wonderful event that will now take place in the not-too-distant future, as you express your mutual desires to spend the rest of your lives together! Now the work begins in earnest planning the wedding day. It may be a short engagement or a longer one, but you’ve probably envisioned it many times. Invitations must now be sent out and you’ll invite as many friends and family members as your budget will permit. Despite the fact that you may select a wedding planner, you will immediately start getting input from everyone regarding every (and I mean, every!) aspect of this special day. Flowers, music, food, location and so many others, you’ll get opinions that reflect age, backgrounds, experience, musical tastes…you name it.

Sooner or later, the question will arise regarding how you will remember the day. For sure, you will have beautiful photographic representation of the wedding, but what about motion? Voices? Music? So much of this can be faithfully captured in video, and cannot in still photography. Consider the walk down the aisle…the exchange of vows…the first and last dance…the best man’s/maid of honor’s toasts, and so many more nuances of your wedding, that just can’t be captured in a photograph. Full disclosure: This is not a “dis” to photographers! I work with them and hold their skills in the highest regard, but it would be wrong to ignore the true value of video as an essential part of the “memories stash.”

Just as important: while it might be tempting to simply have a friend shoot some of the more relevant parts of your wedding to save money, beware! These are lifetime memories being captured and do you really want to put that kind of pressure on a friend who is there to enjoy the event? What if, because they are having a little too much fun with other guests, they miss a crucial part of the ceremony or reception? For the same reason that you entrust lifelong memories to a still photographer, you should be equally willing to commit that same trust to a videographer.

A professional videographer is there to not only record the events of the day; he or she is also charged with editing all the footage together into a well-constructed “movie,” so that years later, watching the video will bring back all the cherished memories, laughs, tears and emotions of your celebration. To enable this, the professional will have top level cameras, tripods, audio equipment, lighting (where appropriate) and computers for compiling and editing the raw footage and sound.

Think back to a special time that you had in the past and ask yourself if you wish you’d had a video to help re-live it. This is one time you can plan on future memories, for one of the most important occasions in the life of the couple-to-be. Keep professional video in your wedding day plans, and enjoy those beautiful memories…forever!