What’s Involved? My Complete Guide To Wedding Videography In Ireland
Wedding videos allow you to relive one of the most amazing days of your life with an unmatched level of depth and vibrancy. While it’s true that wedding photos make wonderful keepsakes, they can only capture fleeting moments in time. All the energy and excitement, everyone’s awesome (or awesomely awkward) dance moves, the heartfelt and hilarious toasts, and every other romantic moment — a wedding videographer can capture it all! So, if you’re considering hiring a wedding videographer in Ireland but don’t know where to start, I’ve got you covered! Here’s my complete guide to wedding videography in Ireland!
What To Consider When Choosing A Wedding Videographer In Dublin
1. Their Style & Edits
First, what are the different styles and what do they mean?
Cinematic: Cinematic wedding videography emulates the style that you would see in a Hollywood film trailer. Think dramatic sweeps and close-ups, editorial movement and artful angles that create an elegantly curated story of your day.
Documentary: On the opposite end of the style spectrum, we have documentary videography. Just as it sounds, this style captures your wedding as if it were a documentary. Often set to little or no music, this is a very candid style that aims to capture your day exactly as it unfolds with minimal direction or intervention from the videographer.
Music-video highlights: Usually around 3-12 minutes in length, a music video highlight reel picks the best moments from your day and stitches them together in a way that matches a soundtrack – just like a music video!
Alternative: Imagine if your wedding film was a Sundance Film entrant. There are really no limits as to what this can look like and the end result will depend on the vision and creativity of your videographer. This is not your traditional wedding film.
Traditional: Your wedding, from start to finish. Often around 2-3 hours in length with minimal editing – this was the most popular style for a long time but has since been dethroned by more skilled editing techniques as well as the use of gentle direction and cinematic framing to create films with a more enjoyable viewing experience.
Secondly, what type of edits do you want to be included in your package? These can be 60-second trailers, short cinematic highlights films, documentary edits, individual ceremony and speech edits, raw footage and more. For a look at what is included in a wedding videography package with Dear Oliver, get in touch and I’ll send you more info!
2. Solo Shooter Vs Videography Team
One big thing to consider when booking your wedding videographer is how big your wedding is going to be … If it’s a small, intimate wedding or elopement then a solo videographer is probably a good choice. However, once your guest lists boost over the 75-person mark, or you’ve decided you’d like multiple angles on the day, then a second shooter or even an entire videography team could be required. The pros and cons here are pretty obvious - solo is cheaper and often less intrusive but more limited in what they can capture. A second shooter or a team is more expensive but they’ll be able to cover a lot more footage, angles, styles, hidden moments, etc.
3. Do They Take A Hands-Off Or Hands-On Approach To Filming?
Some wedding videographers have a relaxed attitude. They like to let events play out naturally and capture candid, unexpected moments as they happen. Others meticulously stage their shots. Both styles can produce elegant wedding videography! Dublin has plenty of great artists from both camps, so go with a videography whose style speaks to you!
4. Does Their Style Complement Your Photographer’s Style?
You’ll want to find a wedding videographer whose style and sensibilities match well with your photographer’s. Check if your videographer and photographer have worked together on weddings in the past since that can be a great indication that they’re good collaborators who bring out the best in each other!
5. Will They Be Willing To Collaborate With Your Photographer And Other Vendors?
A wedding has tons of moving parts and requires so many people to work together to make sure everything goes smoothly. That’s why you’ll want to make sure you hire a wedding videographer who can work cooperatively with the other vendors at your wedding. Make sure they’ll be able to work alongside the photographers, caterers and musical acts in a way that’s collaborative rather than competitive.
6. What’s Their Personality?
A good relationship between a couple and their wedding videographer is essential to making sure you end up with footage that tells the story of your wedding the way you want it to be told, so make sure that you and the videographer are compatible and work well together before making your selection!
Nuts And Bolts: Some Technical Considerations
Take it from someone who’s been at this a long time — a lot goes into making a great wedding video, and you should be prepared to make a few technical considerations to guarantee a truly great video.
1. Aerial/Drone Footage
Many wedding videographers offer couples the option of using a drone to capture aerial footage of their wedding. Drone footage can lend an epic, cinematic flair to your wedding video with panoramic shots of your ceremony, reception and other events throughout the day. It can look awesome, but keep in mind that capturing aerial footage is weather dependent, takes a lot of time and might require hiring an additional videographer or drone pilot.
2. Audio
Wedding videos are 50% audio, so it’s very important to make sure this element isn’t neglected! Sound in a video provides another dimension for remembering your wedding. Not only will you be able to revisit how everything looked, but you’ll also be able to remember all the sounds of the event — the laughter, the music, the speeches and more!
3. Editing
Editing is what makes or breaks your wedding video. The videographer takes all the raw footage and assembles it into a narrative that tells the story of your wedding day. It’s a delicate process that can take 2-3 times longer than photo editing, but if it’s done correctly, your wedding video will end up as the perfect encapsulation of your wedding day. Any professional wedding videographer worthy of the name will have excellent video editing skills.
4. Music
Hand-selected licensed music to perfectly match the tone and editing style of your wedding video. I love Taylor Swift as much as the next guy, but if we used “Love Story” as the soundtrack to your wedding video, you might have to answer to her record company’s legal team! Instead, we use licensed music so that you can share your video far and wide on social media without running into problems with copyright law.
How Much Does A Videographer Cost For A Wedding In Ireland?
Is videography for a wedding worth it? There is a range of prices for a wedding videographer. On the lower end, a videographer might cost around €2,000, but it’s always a good idea to consider quality along with cost when searching for elegant wedding videography. Most skilled professional wedding videographers cost a little bit more than the surveys linked above — for example, my wedding videography packages start at €3,500.
Finding a videographer with a technical mastery of shot composition, audio, and editing is essential for producing an excellent wedding video. Remember, you’re not just paying for the wedding video itself, you’re also paying for an amazing experience with a professional who knows how to document the magic of your wedding. Many of the best wedding videographers in Ireland, the ones that others in the industry respect and admire, are highly sought after and have limited availability, so they might be a little bit more expensive. In my opinion, no matter which videographer you choose, it’s always worth it to pay a little more for memories that will last a lifetime.
Your Friends Should Be Your Wedding Guests, Not Your Wedding Videographer
Because wedding videography requires so much experience and so many different skills, it’s important to leave this important part of your wedding day to a professional who knows what they’re doing! When you hire a professional videographer, not only will they have the expertise necessary to create timeless wedding videography, but they’ll also conduct themselves with professionalism. You’ll always know what to expect and they’ll be able to make the process as simple as possible.
Let a professional videographer document your wedding, and let your friends relax and cut loose on the dance floor!
Where To Find A Wedding Videographer
A lot of awesome videographers share their work on platforms like Instagram or Pinterest and are often tagged on those sites, so you’ll be able to get a sense of their style in advance.
Recently married friends, your wedding planner, your photographer and other wedding videographers are also great sources for referrals. They know the industry well and are eager to share the names of videographers whose work they admire!
Always Speak With A Potential Videographer Before Booking!
I always encourage people to speak with a potential wedding videographer before booking so that you can determine whether their style and personality mesh well with yours. This also gives you a chance to find out about their previous experience and methods. Have they shot at your venue before? Does their approach gel with your vision for how your wedding day will unfold? Only book after you’ve gotten to know the artist and their work!
Trust The Vision. Trust The Process.
One last thing to remember is that a truly great wedding videographer will work tirelessly to ensure that the wedding video you end up with is a perfect reminder of one of the most important days of your life. When you book a great wedding videographer, you’ll be able to just relax and focus on enjoying your wedding while the videographer captures all the magic and beauty of the event! Trust them to tell your story. You’ll be too busy living it!
Hi there - I’m Matthew, the face behind it all here at Dear Oliver. I’m a storytelling wedding videographer based in Dublin who’s documented weddings all over the beautiful island of Ireland and right across Europe!
My style is a blend of Cinematic and Documentary. I bring a relaxed approach to a wedding day aiming to document all the little moments that unfold naturally allowing you to stay in the moment and interject my cinematic storytelling style to create an heirloom of your wedding day that tells the story of you and all that happened on the day. My modern wedding films will often feel like a movie and often brings tears and laughter to anyone watching.
Typically I work as a solo shooter and am comfortable capturing a wedding day without needing any assistance, however, will also recommend a second shooter if it is a larger wedding, has a lot of moving parts to the day, or when I know it will be necessary to capture the day in all of its fullness.
After the day is when the real work begins. Editing is the stage where it is make or break so I am meticulous when it comes to achieving my style of wedding films. From piecing together the narrative to curating the perfect soundtrack that fits with your wedding to adding the finishing touches in colour grading. Each step of the process is equally as important to tell your story.
If you haven’t already, check out some of my recent work to get a sense of my style, and if you’re interested in booking a wedding videographer in Dublin and beyond, then get in touch! I can’t wait to meet you and to hear about your plans. Together, we’ll make a wedding video that you’ll be able to treasure for years to come!