To Video or Not To Video...That Is the Question

When Eric and I first downloaded the wedding planning app and took a look at all its neat features, one of the coolest aspects of it was the budget calculator.  It allows us to enter the whole budget for the wedding and then it automatically allocates a sub-budget for each category based on average percentages spent on different aspects of the wedding, which we can then edit based on the plans for our wedding.

 

Budgets?  Spreadsheets?  Calculations?  LOVE.

 

So when we saw there was a line for “Videographer” we right away thought that it was a place we could save some money.  $1,500?  Pfff.  Try zero.  Thinking we were being super realistic, we thought when are we ever going to sit down with a bowl of popcorn and watch our wedding video?  Probably never.  So, BAM.  $1,500 extra into the shoe budget.  (I’m kidding, but I was so happy that shoes had their own line item in the budget on this app!)

 

 

WANT.  Wait, what was I talking about again?  Oh yes, videos.

 

So then, like the breezy, budget-savvy bride I like to pretend to be but everyone knows I’m not, I start bragging to my girlfriends about all this money we’re saving now that we’re cutting out super lame non-essentials like a videographer.  But then they start pointing out some interesting thoughts to me.  Tara, my MOH, told me she watched her wedding video a bunch of times after the wedding, and had people come over to hang and take a look at it, and it was a great way to remember the whole day because it flew by in such a breeze.  Then another one of my bridesmaids, Melissa, told me her friend that just got married was really happy that she got a videographer, because she was so nervous up at the altar that after the fact, she forgot what she said to her husband and what he said to her!  Ack!  So now I was conflicted, because the memories of the day are what are really important to us.

 

 

My thoughts exactly.

 

So continuing in my research as to whether or not we should include this in our day, I went to the Almighty Wedding Authority, theknot.com.  On the site I searched for articles about videographers, and found one that just featured testimonials from brides regarding whether or not they chose a videographer and how it turned out.  Here were some of the quotes:

 

"The only regret I have about our wedding is not having a videographer. The day goes by so quickly -- you really miss so much of it. I look back now and wish I would have spent the money for it."

"I just got married in June, and we had both a photographer and a videographer. I am so, so, so thankful that we ended up going with the video. It was something we almost cut to save money, but it was so worth it! When we got the pictures back, there were many guests and moments that were missed -- and thankfully were caught by the video. I hate being videotaped, but I never even noticed him throughout the day."

"DO IT!!!!! I promise you will not regret spending the money. You may not think you want to relive every minute, but after the day you have been meticulously planning for months flies by in what feels like seconds, you will be desperate for a way to remember it!"

 

So at this point, I am now really starting to think that a videographer is worth the money and that we should consider hiring one.  And then I saw this quote, that hit me right in the gut:

"I regret not having one. I thought that I'd never watch it and I'd have my pictures, but there's a lot of your wedding that, as the bride, you don't get to see. For example, I wish I could see what was going on inside my ceremony tent before I got there. I wish I could see my flower girl walk in.  I want to be able to see the look on my husband’s face as I was coming down the aisle again.  The whole thing went by so fast -- I'd kill to have more memories of it."

 

Oh, goodness.  Of everything in the world, there isn’t a faster way to my heart than these two:

 

 

This was when we were on our way to getting engaged!  Swoon.

 

 

 

Heart = melted.

 

From then on, I was sold.  This girl is totally right!  I’m going to miss out on seeing a lot of the ceremony.  When Eric walks in, when he seats his parents, when my brothers seat my mom, when my bridesmaids come in and when the ring bearer and flower girl come down the aisle, I’m going to be hidden in the back waiting for my turn, and trying to console my sobbing FOB (love you Daddy!) and I’m going to miss everything.  I want to be able to see that, especially if Aislin comes down the aisle like this.  HILARIOUS.

 

And two of the things that I’m looking forward to most about the day are the first look, when Eric sees me for the first time during pictures, and then seeing him again as I’m coming down the aisle.  And I have to agree with these brides, I don’t think pictures can always capture everything.  So, mind officially changed.  Eric and I found a reasonably priced videographer that has really nice sample videos online and has been endorsed by a friend of his, so we will be meeting with him to check out some more of his work tomorrow night!  Phewf.  I do believe it will be money well spent.  Besides, who doesn’t want a movie with themselves in the starring role?  ;)

 

Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!

 

~M

Color Me Indecisive

I have been thinking about the color palette of the wedding almost since the day we got engaged.  To me, this is a “bride” detail – you know, the details that you think are a huge deal and therefore everyone else will think are a huge deal but really nobody else cares.  Tons of brides everywhere put so much thought into their color palette.  This is why when a bride is asked what the colors are for her wedding, she doesn’t reply with a standard one-syllable color.  In fact, bridal colors MUST be at least a two to four word phrase.  It’s not blue, it’s “robin’s egg blue”.  It’s not green, it’s “slightly greyed jade”.  And if you're going to ask about the palette, you had better know that there is a huge difference between lilac, lavender, light plum, fig, fuchsia, violet, amethyst, indigo, and eggplant.  Especially if you are the groom.

 

Rainbow Brite:  You’re doing it wrong.

 

When I really break it down, nobody at the wedding is going to give a hoot whether the tablecloths are carnation pink or cerulean blue or burnt sienna or granny smith apple (oh Crayola).  But for some reason, I can’t stop obsessing about the colors.  And not just the plain old colors, but shades, schemes, brightness, and accents, and also where to put the colors and to what degree.  Flowers?  Bridesmaid dresses?  Centerpieces?  Napkins?  Invitations?  The possibilities are really endless.  And how do I incorporate the bling factor I love so much?  The last thing I want is for my wedding to look like a tacky, fluorescent, glittery mess.  AKA:  Ke$ha.

 

I found my bridesmaids’ outfits!

When thinking about colors it is easy to pick ones that look nice or that go well together or are simply your faves.  But for a wedding, it’s more complicated than that.  Sure, I love baby pink and peach, but is that really “us”?  Probably not.  I also love black and red, but for a wedding?  Bor-ring.  I also like yellow, but imagine that conversation with the bridesmaids.  “And our wedding colors are.....YELLOW!  You’re going to be wearing a yellow dress!!!  Yayyyyy!”  Cue fake smiles and nervous laughter.  So for me, it’s a big decision.  After a lot of thought, I pitched two palettes to Eric.

Pink, peach and purple pastels, with champagne and gold accents:

 

 

Royal purple, black and damask, with diamond accents:

 

 

 

And so, like I teased in my theme post, we are going to go with option 2, because we both like it and feel it is more “urban chic” which represents us well.  It's dramatic and will go well with our venue, and it's not an offensive bridesmaid dress color either.  Plus, I really want a color palette that I can incorporate diamond accents into because, well, I have a sparkle.  And I’m not going to let anyone take away my sparkle.

 

 

Yes.  That just happened.

 

Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!

 

~M

 

PS:  I reserve the right to change my mind 80 more times...