How Long Do You Need a Wedding Videographer For At your Northern Ireland Wedding?

As an engaged couple planning your Northern Ireland wedding, one of your most cherished investments might be booking a skilled wedding videographer to capture all the meaningful moments on your special day through film.

However, one common question arises around determining how many hours you should retain your chosen professional’s services.

I have filmed dozens of local weddings throughout Northern Ireland, building close ties with venues and suppliers across the country. In my experience, the optimal duration for couples to use a dedicated wedding videographer can vary based on how you envision utilizing their footage after your big day. Here are a few factors for brides and grooms to consider when deciding how long they may wish to book a Northern Ireland wedding videography service.

Ceremony-Only Coverage time for a shorter wedding film

Some engaged couples elect to keep budgets modest by solely having a videographer onsite for the most essential wedding event - the ceremony where they officially exchange vows and become married.

In this case, typically 1-2 hours of a videographer’s time is ample to capture all necessary angles and ensure complete footage of this pivotal occasion of your wedding date.

Having your wedding ceremony professionally filmed allows you to hear those meaningful vow exchanges again while seeing your reactions and those of your gathered loved ones. It encapsulates the cornerstone moment of commitment you’ll want to relive forever. Many videographers can then edit this consolidated ceremony footage into a cohesive 15-20 minute short film to share digitally or preserve on media formats like USB drives or on the cloud, without the added cost of extensive full day coverage - but the thing you miss the most as a videographer is the wedding party and the extra hours of coverage of moves on the dance floor.

If your Northern Ireland wedding venue requires vendors to clear out between the ceremony and reception events, then focusing the videography narrowly on the ceremony itself may be an ideal fit. The videographer can capture all critical happenings within a tightly scripted schedule. Just be aware any reception events like your first dance, parent dances, speeches or cake cutting won’t be included with only ceremony coverage.

This can be a blessing to your wedding budget and form an essential part of your wedding planning - where the key moments can still be captured.

Full Wedding Day Documentation

For Northern Ireland couples envisioning an expansive cinematic chronicle of every essential wedding moment from start to finish, hiring videography services for 8-12 continuous hours allows comprehensive documentation. Having your videographer arrive as you begin wedding day preparations until the final sparkler send-off enables complete filming to unfold organically.

A timeline of this length means your wedding video can highlight behind-the-scenes moments during hair and makeup with your bridal party. It allows shooting scenic footage of wedding photo sessions showcasing Northern Ireland’s idyllic natural beauty. Videographers can follow you throughout all ceremony proceedings then capture lively reception events like dances, speeches, cake cutting and more without interruption.

Booking 8+ hours of continuous wedding videography ensures the professionals have flexibility to document happenings as they occur, pivoting between planned shoots and spontaneous moments. You’ll treasure looking back on a visual journey of your entire once-in-a-lifetime Northern Ireland wedding experience for anniversaries and nostalgic evenings to come via a full day film. Just be prepared for additional shooting and extensive editing time costs compared to only booking ceremony coverage.

Customized Wedding Videography Durations

While ceremony-only and full day shooting encompass the two ends of the spectrum, many engaged couples opt for customized hour-long wedding videography services spanning portions of their special event. Common options include:

Getting Ready + Ceremony Coverage – Captures preparations beforehand then films the ceremony in its entirety. Allows focusing visual storytelling on the transition from anticipation before walking down the aisle through the emotional exchanging of vows.

Ceremony + Speeches – Provides ceremony documentation then videography of reception events like the couple’s grand entrance, first dance together and subsequent parent dances before spotlighting key speeches from the best man, maid of honor and perhaps both newlyweds expressing gratitude towards guests. This delivers footage of the formal events most integral to typical Northern Ireland wedding receptions.

Post-Ceremony Photo Shoot + Reception – For couples planning adventures away from their primary venue to capture portrait images across Northern Ireland’s picturesque countryside in between the ceremony and reception, having videography tag along allows showcasing remote dramatic backdrops. Coverage then picks back up as guests arrive for post-dinner reception moments.

First Look + Ceremony – Begins with a first look session of the couple capturing initial reactions seeing each other dressed for the big day before their ceremony. Volunteers to be present for any group photos then films the vow exchange itself. Perfect for couples wanting guest-free intimacy before going public.

The optimal duration depends entirely on your Northern Ireland wedding schedule and priorities around which portion holds the most meaning to immortalize on film. Discuss options with your shortlisted videographers, then decide what feels right for your needs and budget.

Condensed Shooting with Extended Editing Services

One alternative approach gaining popularity for budget-conscious couples planning Northern Ireland weddings is contracting videographers for only 4-6 hours shooting the ceremony and minimal supplementary reception footage. This condensed capture keeps costs lower.

However, couples then pay extra editing fees for the videographer to incorporate licensed stock video elements to stylize films expanding the runtime showcasing more festivities. These may encompass ornate animations transitioning between segments, sound stage crowd reaction clips interspersed during speeches, royalty-free drone videos hovering over venues and settings emulating diverse locations around the grounds and beyond.

While condensed on actual wedding day, videographers can craft engaging films running 10-25 minutes long post-production with these enhanced elements that still emotionally resonate for couples, family and friends as if more comprehensive live filming occurred. This allows choice options at lower base shooting rates.

The Importance Of Personality Matching

Regardless which duration best fits your Northern Ireland wedding videography needs, make sure to extensively interview potential cinematographers beyond pricing to ensure your personalities sync. You want someone who clicks with your values and style - thoughtful and easygoing or bold and daring. Meet if possible before officially booking to determine if you trust their vision aligns to authentically capture the essence of love and connection you envision conveying on film on your special day.

Ask extensive questions about equipment and backup plans to give you confidence videos will meet expectations even if events veer unexpected.

Share Pinterest inspiration to open creative conversations around artistry balancing portrait perfection with spirited fun, and take the opportunity to take a look at your wedding videographers portfolio and make sure that you highlight which style of wedding films that you prefer - this gives your videographer a great steer.

There are lots of talented wedding videographers across Northern Ireland.

Don’t leave compatibility up to chance - meet face-to-face via video chat at minimum to determine if personalities jive, ask for newlywed references to inquire about professionalism and creative executions.

An extra hour negotiating contract terms is trivial considering they’ll trail your steps all wedding day through perpetuity on screen.

So what's the bottom line?

Select wedding videography duration spanning the portions of your Northern Ireland celebrations carrying deepest symbolic significance to you as a couple. Prioritise filming key happenings volume or budget constraints prohibit documenting fully then résumé during receptions. Most importantly confirm that your videographer works with you and within your budget to tell your love story.

Thanks for reading!

For more information about our style of videography just check out our wedding films here. 

We cover wedding videos in Northern Ireland, various wedding styles in Ireland, and destination weddings across the friends, clients, and family globe.

For more information just get in touch today to check availability. I look forward to hearing from you. 

Thanks,

Adam White 

Award winning Wedding Cinematographer - Creative Director

Filming weddings since 2017