I've been creating high-quality wedding highlights in St. Louis, Mo for the past three years. One of the most common comments I get from the family and friends of my clients is, “I wish I had invested in wedding videography on my big day," or "my biggest regret is not having a video made for my special day." 

I really feel for these couples who wish they could go back in time and arrange for a wedding videographer. So as your wedding planning starts, before dismissing wedding cinematography, please consider these four reasons to hire a videographer.

#1 - Video is a snapshot of the Bride and Groom and their unique love story.

Photos are absolutely stunning. They freeze moments in time that you won’t be able to get back. You can hang them on your wall and print them in heirloom albums to look back on for decades to come.

Video does not replace that.

But your wedding film tells your story in a different way. Your highlight film will take you through the entire scene, adding the extra dimension of what happens before and after those incredible moments. 

You can laugh as you watch your guests tear up the dance floor. You can cry as you listen to your groom’s vows. You can relive the entire experience of walking down the aisle, being given away, and committing to one another for a lifetime. You can even revisit those first dances and remember what it felt like to be held and spun around for all of your guests to see.

And not only can you relive all of your wedding day memories, but you can share what it is that makes you a unique couple with your friends and family. The way you look at each other, the mannerisms you use, and even how you interact with your bridal party tell a powerful story about who you are.  

#2 - Your vows and speeches will be recorded so that you can relive those moments easily forgotten.

It’s not just the way tears fill your dad’s eyes that make his reception speech so emotional. It’s the way his voice cracks and wobbles a bit that brings you to tears. 

And what was that tender, but the funny thing the best man said when he was giving his speech?

Your wedding videographer will be there, capturing each detail that will feel like a blur when your wedding day is over. You’ll remember standing at the altar, looking into your groom’s eyes, but will you remember exactly what his voice sounded like as he vowed to honor and cherish you, for better or worse? With professional video production, You can revisit your vows as husband and wife every year on your anniversary.

Video gives you the audio as well as the visual. It brings the day to life in a way that no other medium can, and you’ll never regret being able to hear, as well as see, the emotions of the day. 

#3 - Video captures candid moments of your friends and family throughout your wedding day.

One of the hardest things for a bride and groom on their wedding day is the fact that they simply cannot be everywhere at once. For many couples, the day is a bit of blur when it’s all over. 

Your videographer will document not only what you experience throughout the day, but also what your guests were up to. Getting to see your grandparents twirling each other around the dance floor, or the way your nieces looked as they dropped flower petals up down the aisle are some of the most precious moments, especially as everyone grows older. 

You simply never know how long each loved has on earth, and you will never regret having those tender looks, sweet interactions, and funny moments forever documented in your wedding video. 

One of my brides sent me this message the other day:

"My grandfather suffers from Alzheimer’s and has recently taken a turn for the worse and it’s been really hard on all of us, but especially my grandma. Seeing this ( video of grandparents dancing together) in our video brought my mother and me to tears. ...I could never thank you enough."

#4 - Video preserves the memories of your wedding day that your children and grandchildren will LOVE looking back on in the future.

Who doesn’t love watching old family videos and laughing at the hairstyles and crying with nostalgia? 

Video captures the essence of people that simply cannot be captured any other way. 

It’s the exact way people move, speak, and look at each other. It’s that watching those videos takes you straight back to that moment in time and allows you to crawl inside it and relive it again. It’s that even if you weren’t there, you are transported by video and get to imagine that you actually lived it yourself.

Your own children and grandchildren will love having the opportunity to see what you looked like in your wedding dress, to chuckle about the bygone styles, and to marvel at the long-standing traditions. 

Final Thoughts on Why You Should Hire a Wedding Videographer

Film is a powerful, uniting, and engaging medium that will outlast the flowers, the cake, and even the dress. It’s enduring and it’s emotionally gripping.  And it’s something that you really shouldn’t pass up!

I'm so excited to discuss this further! Let me know if you're ready to talk about wedding videography in Saint Louis and the surrounding area! Contact me!

Let me tell you about this amazing couple in Springfield!

Courtney reached out after hearing about Silver Autumn Media from Allison, one of my favorite brides from 2018. From our very first conversation, I knew that Courtney would be a lot of fun to work with, and she did not disappoint! I loved hearing her and Matt’s story, and I especially appreciated how important it was to them to have their entire family captured on film.

Courtney and Matt were married at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Springfield, Illinois and held their wedding reception at the Abraham Lincoln Springfield DoubleTree Hotel downtown. Just watching Courtney and Matt together throughout the day was really special. They so clearly love each other and getting to document that moment when Matt saw Courtney for the first time when she walked down the aisle was priceless.

They were such a delightful couple to spend the day with. They had a large, tight-knit bridal party that adored them and wanted to be there to love and support them on their wedding day. Sometimes larger bridal parties can be more of a hindrance to the couple, but not this one! They were incredibly helpful and attentive, and they gave some really personal speeches that demonstrated how well they know and love Courtney and Matt.

Courtney and Matt also have some fun shared interests - such as the Backstreet Boys. Not only did one of their bridesmaids incorporate a fun, Backstreet Boys reference in her speech, but Courtney and Matt actually had a surprise for their guests. They had a lovely, romantic first dance that suddenly broke into a choreographed dance to a Backstreet Boys song. It is always so fun when a couple not only weaves their personalities into their wedding day but also gets to surprise everyone in the process!

There were so many things that made this wedding really special to be a part of, but probably the most prominent thing was that her dad was there to walk her down the aisle. Last year, they almost lost Courtney’s dad. So having him present, walking her down the aisle, dancing with his daughter at the reception made the day extra special and memorable.

Their story is actually one of the reasons I advocate for hiring a wedding videographer. Weddings are one of the rare occasions when the whole family is there to celebrate. It’s hard to regret having these moments with loved ones documented on film and in photographs. These times are priceless!

Thank you so much, Courtney and Matt, for allowing me the honor of being your wedding videographer! It was a beautiful wedding full of lovely touches. It was also one of those events that reminds you to treasure each and every loved one in our lives, for our days are shorter than we could ever hope.

I wish you both the very best in your future!

And a huge shout out to Ethan, my awesome assistant for the day!

If you’re a bride in Springfield, Illinois still needing a wedding videographer for your big day, I’d love to talk with you about the details! Send me a quick message to get started .

There is a flurry of activity during the wedding preparation. So its good to stop and take a moment to remember why you’re getting married. A lot of the time, a bride and groom will schedule a ‘first look’ which is a private moment when they see each other for the first time that day before the ceremony.

But sometimes the bride and groom will want to have that amazing moment when they see each other for the first time down the aisle. I love these weddings! You can get an incredible reaction from the groom - from happy laughter to tears of joy.

In this case, I’ve found that a pre-ceremony gift or personalized letter really brings a unique intimate touch before getting to the church. Sam and Steve opted to do this. We collaborated prior to the ceremony to get the letter reading recorded on audio and read by the correct person. This way, Samantha read her own words in her voice and Steve did the same.

I’m so happy that Sam and Steve chose to work with me before their day to create such a unique moment in their wedding highlight.

You can also have the bride and groom read the letters aloud . I tend to avoid this option since the bride will be reading the groom’s letter and the voice over won’t be in the correct voice. You can still make this work! It really depends on the couple.

Finally, if the bride and groom may want to keep their letters private. In which case, you can just grab a moment or two of them silently reading it on film. This can also have a wonderfully personal effect on the overall video.

March is the month for weddings! My 2019 wedding schedule started on March 9th and didn’t let up till April. My first wedding was with Kelsey and Tommy! Kelsey and Tommy were such a lovely couple who were there to have a fantastic day! You can see the fun they’re having with their wedding party and with each other by the way Kelsey and her bridesmaids jump on beds, and with Tommy’s joyful laughter caught in the ceremony audio.

Kelsey and Tommy’s ceremony was held at The Conservatory in St. Charles, Missouri. Venues like The Conservatory are great because they have that outdoor wedding feel but still have a roof over your head in case the rain wants to show up unannounced to your big day. During Kelsey and Tommy’s day, it was fortunate that they chose this venue since it was raining off and on all morning.

Another similar ‘outdoor wedding venue’ in St. Louis is the Jewel Box in Forest Park. The combination of glass and greenery makes the venue seem almost tropical! I’ve shot weddings at both locations and they’re ideal for those brides who want an outdoor wedding— even if Missouri weather doesn’t cooperate.

We got some amazing photos and video taken in downtown St. Charles before ending the day at the Lake St. Louis Ballroom. The venue overlooked a beautiful lake that, again, brought a nice touch of the outdoors to Kelsey and Tommy’s wedding!

Big thank you to Kelsey and Tommy for allowing my team to come and capture such a beautiful wedding! Here’s some kind words from Kelsey:

“Holly was so great to work with! From the initial phone call to discussing details the week before she made sure she had everything covered. She got the video back to me in great time, and it is perfect! If you are considering video service at all definitely do it and let Holly help!!” - Kelsey

There tends to be less weddings in the January and February months. But Jeanie and Alejandro's January vintage inspired weddings was truly beautiful! The couple planned a small and intimate wedding at the Jewel Box in Forest Park. So while it may have been winter outside the wedding was surrounded by lovely blooms and deep greens.

Having some sort of wedding exit is another rare event at modern weddings. I was thrilled to catch this sparkler moment! To watch this moment press play on the video to the left!

Jeanie's wedding had small vintage style touches here and there that gave an old-fashioned and romantic feel to the entire day. The bride let me know that a particular 1940's classic crooner song was the inspiration for their love story. I wanted to incorporate that into their final video love story. Thank you to Jeanie and Alejandro for allowing me to be a small part of their day! For full highlight video click below.