3 Reasons Why Every Bride and Groom Should Exchange Letters

Whether you’re doing a first look on your wedding day or waiting until you walk down the aisle, there is something so special about exchanging letters the morning before your ceremony. Let me tell you about three great reasons why it is such a wonderful idea to do a letter exchange with your future spouse!

1. It calms your nerves!

There is no doubt that you will have A LOT of emotions on wedding day. Excited, nervous, thrilled, anxious, and giddy are all NORMAL things to feel on the biggest day of your life! Reading a letter from your best friend really helps lessen the nerves, calms you down, and makes you so much more excited to see them in just the few short hours following that letter reading.

2. It makes for great video! If you have chosen to get a wedding film done, the letter reading really drives an amazing film. There is true and passionate emotion that comes from reading a love letter. It is wonderful to watch your wedding film back and hear exactly how that letter reading made you feel.

Check out this film!

3. An intimate moment before the chaos When doing your letter reading, it is always a nice idea to take a moment to read this letter alone, without everyone around you watching. It gives you a moment in the day to take a deep breath and get a gentle reminder of the reason you are there….to marry your best friend!

Letter exchanges are a beautiful thing. There is so much love and emotion packed into those words on a card. (Or old receipt, or menu from take-out, we don’t have to be fancy up here with an actual card) If you’ve been contemplating doing a letter exchange on the day of your wedding, we are ALL for it! You will thank us later!

We know planning a wedding can become overwhelming. We try and help our couples think of all the little details so we can tell their love stories perfectly. If you're interested in finding out more about our wedding film packages and learning more about how we can capture and preserve your beautiful love story for a lifetime, please fill out our contact form below and we'll be in touch soon!

All Wedding Videographers Are Not Created Equally

The reality is not all Wedding Videographers are equal–in talent, style or as you may be finding out budget.  But when you find the right one you just know it.  After filming weddings for 5 years now and producing projects for some of television networks biggest programs I’ve learned a thing or two and boy has the journey been awesome! Below I talk a little about why it’s so important to not skimp on booking a wedding videographer for your big day!

The business of wedding filmmakers has blown up in the last couple years… Why you might ask? Because your average Joe walks into Best Buy. Buys a Canon Rebel with a kit lens and says, “I’m a wedding filmmaker”. This hurts… It truly does. Not necessarily us, but it hurts the overall outcome of the brides expectations. It’s almost every month we have couples emailing us asking to re-edit their wedding video or “Hey, can you make this less shaky, more in focus or enhance the Audio.”. Rarely ever is the footage salvageable. Are you looking for a “home video” like your parents filmed on Christmas morning or are you wanting a love story that presents its self beautifully with all the emotions to go along with it.

Choosing your wedding videographer is one of the most important decisions you will make during the planning process.  Your wedding day will pass in an emotional whirlwind, and the content captured that day will be precious reminders of the loved ones who shared it with you.

Professional wedding videographers are not cheap.  It will be one of the largest expenditures in your wedding budget, but it is also one of the only enduring purchase you will make.  Keep these things in mind when choosing your wedding filmmaker:

1. Your wedding is not an experiment.  This is not the time to allow your cousin, best friend or newbie to develop their budding videography business or to choose a part-time videographer.  Select a seasoned professional who is a full-time videographer  The role of second shooter is good training for someone looking to build experience or a portfolio. Not some one to put your trust in as a sole shooter.

2. Ask to see a complete wedding from beginning to end. Don’t rely only on the favorites Instagram teasers presented by a videographer (Trust me on this one).  You want to see how the videographer captures the day from beginning to end and how they tell your story. Do they shoot from different angles… wide, tight, aerial (drone footage. Are they even licensed to fly a drone? Yes, you have to be licensed to fly a drone at a wedding. It’s a requirement by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration). Maybe they are Licensed, but does it cost extra?

3. Beach videography is not church videography. filming a beach wedding is a unique challenge due to lighting and weather conditions.  If a videographer seems fantastic but they primarily only film church weddings or indoor venues, you should consider a videographer who has extensive experience with beach weddings.  Again, you don’t want your wedding to be the test case.

Finally, you should ask if your videographer what their turnaround time for delivery is? You don’t want to wait 6 months to get your highlight back!  Do they offer and copyright releases, drone footage, music licensing, ceremony films, full dance edits?  Just remember, don’t skimp on the budget for videography.  Your memories are too important – there are other areas where you can cut costs in order to afford quality professional . You don’t get a do over of your special day.

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Checkout what this recent bride had to say about her experience

If you’re planning a wedding for the 2021 wedding season we still have a few select dates available and would love to chat with you about being apart of your big day! Checkout Blue Ridge Film Productions for more info!

Drone Footage at Your Wedding

First off let me say we love drone footage. It provides a cinematic element to any film that brings it to the next level. However, we don’t live off drone footage. It has it’s place, but at Blue Ridge Film Productions we believe emotion is captured up close. With that bring said… Let talk drones!

Aerial drone coverage is becoming the latest, greatest craze sweeping the nation. There is no doubt that drones are capable of capturing spectacular panoramas that can’t be captured from the ground. This alone makes them a somewhat natural fit for weddings, when people are most likely to want one of the most special day of their lives showcased in a special and meaningful way. But it is important to understand that if not handled properly or done well, drone can actually mar your special day rather than enhance it, so here are five important things to keep in mind if you’re adding drone for your wedding.

Vet carefully

Many people have made the mistake of hiring a cut-rate wedding cinematographer – or not hiring one at all – to capture their wedding memories. The truth is, you spend thousands of dollars on this one event, so there are no do-overs. If you don’t get it right the first time, the moment is gone forever. Unlike regular cinematographers, however, drone photographers have to have two sets of skills. They have to be a knowledgeable and expert drone pilot as well as an expert cinematographers/photographer. They have to understand about lighting and perspective and how to get the best shots, or you may end up with a 20 minute video of the top of everyone’s head.

Outdoors is better

Keep in mind, a drone is a small helicopter. You probably wouldn’t want a giant helicopter crashing your wedding and a small one is not significantly better. While theoretically a drone can operate indoors given enough space and high enough ceilings, what you have to also take into account is the noise a drone creates. If you want to pause the ceremony to get one spectacular drone shot after the bride and groom are together at the altar or perhaps get just a shot of the bride and groom exiting after the nuptials are completed, then you can generally get it done without a huge interruption to the ceremony itself. Realistically, however, drone is best left outdoors to capture the spectacular beauty of your surroundings if you are getting married in a majestic locale.

Make sure you have all the proper licenses and permits and the operator is insured

Again, the key to remember here is that a drone is actually a small aircraft. Unlike a regular cinematographer and photographer that just has to take care of their own equipment, a drone has the potential to wander and even create damage. A drone can potentially get carried off by a gust of wind and smash into a guest’s car or even crash right into the assemblage of guests themselves. While it may be the drone operator’s responsibility to take out insurance, it is your responsibility to make sure they have it before hiring them. There is no doubt that drones can capture absolutely spectacular shots, but they can also potentially increase your liability. In addition to making sure the drone pilot/ photographer has all the proper insurance and releases they need, you also need to check with the venue itself to ensure you have clearance from them (hint: Blue Ridge Film Productions ensures that any drone operator it sends out for your wedding is FAA-licensed, and will double-check with the venue for restrictions!).

Drone photography and cinematography should be “in addition to” not “instead of”

No matter how spectacular or fun having drone footage may be, you don’t want it to replace a traditional cinematographer and photographer on the ground. Even a seasoned drone operator is only going to be able to get so close to your guests and only at specific times. Drones actually have a fairly short flight time as well, so it is important to maximize that time but make sure it’s not the only thing you take away from your wedding. 

Make the most of it

If you’re going to spend the additional money on drone, you want to make sure and take full advantage of it. In addition to getting beautiful shots of a breathtaking location, you can also get guests involved in the fun. You can have them line up to spell out words or even create a fun scene, such as running across an open field or having all the wedding guests line up to form a heart around the couple. Keep in mind, drone footage takes a much longer time to set up than regular ones, so make sure you allot the necessary time for any ideas you might have. Not only do you have to get all of the guests in place, but the operator needs to get their camera and equipment set up just right to get the perfect shot given certain lighting and weather conditions at the time.

Ready to explore your options of adding drone coverage to your wedding video footage? Schedule a call with Blue Ridge Film Productions today!