A bride is inherently blindsided and exponentially more inclined to love her wedding video. So I'll start by sharing some exact quotes of unbiased reactions when I shared our video:
“That video was amazing! I almost cried at work.”
“Omg so be...autiful made me cry!!! So many happy beautiful faces!!!!!” (2.5 hours later) “I can’t stop watching it!!!”
“I watched the video so many times, and it keeps getting more beautiful!!!”
“Omg this is gorgeous!”
“Your video is amaaazing!!!”
“Love this!!!”
Wow absolutely gorgeous!!”
“Such a beautiful video!!!”
“This is beautiful! I hope your life together will be just like this – magical and so so happy.”
“I mean, you can tell you hired someone who’s, like, the best. It’s very obvious”
To backtrack... I heard from friends that it was definitely worth it to get a videographer. Most of the wedding videos I saw, while lovely (because I love the people in it), felt a bit similar, almost scripted. When I stumbled upon Luke, his videos (of total and complete strangers) seemed more ethereal and magical, and I was immediately drawn to his style.
Corresponding with him was such a pleasure. Unlike many of the other vendors I spoke to and worked with, his responses were fast and thorough. My mother was nervous that he didn't have enough experience shooting Jewish weddings, and I was having a very traditional orthodox Jewish wedding. Different customs were taking place in different rooms, and some of our dancing was separate for men and women. I was also told by some people to hire the photographer and videographer from the same company, because they'll work better together. If they are coming from different vendors, they often compete to get the prime spot for the best shot (my photographer brought this up as well). But I went with my gut, hired Luke, and wrote him out a list of our particular traditions and where to be/when.
And he was absolutely brilliant.
He took drone shots of the venue, and they look gorgeous. He was somehow everywhere and nowhere- I don't think I noticed him at all throughout the day, but he still captured the best moments. He wasn't in anyone's way. We hired a second videographer to shoot the separate dancing, and the additional price was very reasonable.
The highlight reel was overwhelmingly spectacular. We didn't want any voiceover, like we saw in many of his videos, and we wanted to choose the music. Luke also wasn't there while we were getting ready, so most of the footage was from the event itself (unlike other videos, where a full 2 minutes involves awkwardly smiling while someone is yanking your hair into curling barrels). Yet it still felt like a cohesive, abundantly joyous narrative of the day. The happiness and energy was palpable. I got the video clips and highlight reel about two days ago, and we can't get enough of it. The wedding day itself went by so quickly, and being able to relive it over and over and see everyone else's reactions (and your own!) is priceless.
If you're looking for a stress-free, responsive videographer who won't box out your photographer, cost a fortune, or spit out a generic highlight reel, talk to Luke. He's absolutely magnificent.