Today we are pleased to introduce an educational piece from one of our Wedding Supplier Members, White Dress Films. Over to you Richard…

I’m often asked what I think makes a great wedding videographer and I believe there can be many answers to that one simple sounding question.

If you want just one overall answer, it has to be the videographer should delight their customers with an everlasting memory of each unique wedding day; but there are many ways to do this. Below are my five most important points to look out for when booking a wedding videographer:

1.      Empathy
Every good videographer needs to have a good relationship with the wedding planner and the wedding couple. For such an important occasion everyone needs to feel comfortable and confident with the choice of videographer. That first communication by email, telephone or a 1:1 meeting will be the time when you’ll sense a good fit and that all important empathy.

2.      Good examples to show
A good videographer can adapt to any situation from the intimate wedding with close family and friends to the big wedding day celebration. Sharing video examples with prospective customers can offer and deliver tangible reassurance that this videographer can produce the film quality and create the unique memories each couple wants for their special day.

3.      Don’t be late!
Look for the signs like returning calls on time, making calls on time, arriving early for a meeting. It all sounds too simple but these actions all convey a sense of trust and interest, inspiring confidence that this person is reliable and will not disappoint on the big day itself.

4.       A wealth of recommendations from around the web
All good craftsmen depend on word of mouth recommendation; this is nothing new, but it is such a good way of gaining insight to help with the buying decision when selecting a wedding videographer. Virtual word of mouth is now easily found amongst social media networks and online reviews. Be sure to look at the following:

– The videographers Google+ page for reviews
– Their Facebook page – How many “Likes” do they have? What are people saying?

Also, take a look at their website as many will publish testimonials which may also provide insight.

5.      Be neither seen nor heard!
However important it is to have those treasured, filmed memories of the day it is equally vital that the videographer does not intrude on the day but discreetly mingles with the wedding couple and their guests capturing the day almost without anyone realising he’s there! This is a skill acquired through experience along with an understanding of what wedding couples want from their film.

A wedding day is a special day for two individuals but it’s the other people involved who can add that extra magic and delight the happy couple by providing everlasting and treasured memories – it’ a challenging task to choose the right videographer but hopefully those points above will help you make the right choice for you.

Thank you very much Richard.

Richard Knight is an experienced professional wedding videographer based in Hertfordshire creating bespoke wedding films of the highest quality in the UK and abroad. You can find Richard and his work at here.