Wedding Day Overview: Part 3 - Ceremony

To quote Ron Burgundy, this part of the day is “kind of a big deal.” To say that there is a lot of anticipation for the ceremony is an understatement; I mean, this is literally when you are getting married. Do I really need to say more? The good news – as far as my job is concerned – is that there should be nothing further from your mind than what the wedding videographer is up to during this time. That’s how it should be. If done right, you should notice me and my second shooter only peripherally and not to any extent that leaves an impact. The only focus during this time should be on your future partner. So, we’re on the same page then? Good. Let’s get into it.

Bellwoods Brewery Ceremony in Toronto, Ontario. Photo by Emma Gladman via Emma Spring Photo

The Set-Up

I’ve already covered many of the advantages of having two shooters in my previous article, “Do we really need two Wedding Videographers?” but when it comes to the ceremony, I’ll quickly summarize what happens. Since there are two people who can monitor the cameras and ensure that good footage is always being taken, we can get a little bit riskier and try some shots we wouldn’t be able to do otherwise with just one shooter. What does this mean? Primarily this means that we can go from a 3-camera to a 4-camera shoot. I will mirror the same approach to the walk down the aisle as the above with one important distinction. My second shooter will be upfront with the groom/wedding party, getting the front-facing angles, and I’ll walk partway down the aisle with my gimbal, which gives a wonderful, almost point-of-view shot of the walk down the aisle. In addition, after this walk is done, one shooter will almost entirely focus on reaction shots while the other can focus solely on different angles and points of view of the bride and groom. This leads to a more diverse and interesting-to-watch final ceremony edit.

After the ceremony is over, I’ll track backward down the aisle with the bride and groom with my camera, which is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see up close and personal the emotion and happiness right after a couple is officially married.

That’s my basic set-up during the ceremony. The next segment will focus on another important part of the day: picture time with the photographer and myself. We’ll talk about how this is approached and give couples some tips for being as natural as possible so we can get the best possible footage. Adios until next time!