Can I tell you guys what one of my favorite things is? It’s crossing tasks off my to-do list. Sometimes, I even write down things I’ve already done just so that I can have the satisfaction of crossing them off.
Anyway, by now, we’ve booked most of our major vendors, and as I’ve crossed them off my list (I have this book, which I bought when I got engaged and only really use for all the lists), I keep getting smacked with reminders that we haven’t booked a videographer. In fact, I don’t even know if we’re going to book one at all. But I want to figure it out, if for no other reason than for me to experience the sweet feeling of crossing all video-related tasks off my to-do list.
Like pretty much all things wedding-related, a good videographer is seriously expensive. When I think about how much I could spend on a videographer, and what else I could do with that chunk of change, it seems silly to blow it all on a video. I could take that money and add some awesome extras into our reception that all our guests could enjoy, whereas a video would be solely for our benefit.
Plus, I can pretty much guarantee that I wouldn’t watch it. I mean, maybe once just to see how it turned out, but I don’t anticipate many future viewings. We weren’t really a home movies sort of family, so it’s not something I’m used to doing. And I’d feel super awkward watching it anyway – I imagine it would be like hearing your phone voice times a million. (Does anyone else have a really weird, annoying phone voice, or is it just me?)
And yet, the sentimental side of me can’t let it go. As far as milestones go, this will be a pretty big one. It will be one of the few times in my life when all our friends and family will be together. Wouldn’t it be nice to have it recorded for posterity? Are photos enough to capture everything from the day? Everyone tells me that the wedding will fly by; what better way to relive it and savor each moment than by watching it on video?
My parents don’t have a wedding video, but I wish they did – I’d love to watch it. Same for the older generations of my family. This is going to sound so morbid, but my loved ones won’t be around forever; to have everyone captured on video could mean so much to me a few years down the line. Maybe it’s something my future progeny would enjoy watching.
And then there’s the age-old excuse that I’m only getting married once, so I’d better do it lest I regret it. I feel like regret is the cornerstone of the wedding industrial complex – you’d better spring for _________, or you’ll feel nothing but regret for the REST OF YOUR LIFE. That’s an awfully long time to be kicking myself in the ass for foregoing a wedding video. I’m not sure I’d ever be able to move on from it. (Do I adequately convey sarcasm, or should I keep throwing in parenthetical asides?)
When done right, a wedding video can be absolutely incredible. Just check out Mrs. Wallaby’s; hers is one of my favorites. I’m just not sure if, in the grand scheme of my budget, I can make it a priority. And if I can’t do it properly and hire a videographer worth every penny, I’d rather not do it at all.
What do you think, Bees? To video or not to video? Am I really going to regret not going for this?
sparkle friday 