As a wedding videographer, my day starts long before the first guest arrives. The alarm blares at 6:30 AM, and the mad panic kicks in. I run through my mental checklist, ensuring I have backup batteries, memory cards, and even a spare camera. You never know what might happen, and I always come prepared. Even then 5 minutes out the road I pull over to double check I have my main camera. Today I’m filming Sarah and Michael’s wedding, a day they’ve been planning for months.
I arrive at the Sarah's house at 10 AM, a full three hours before the ceremony. The place is already buzzing with activity. I introduce myself to everything and try to remain everyones name. (Have yet to master this skill but I usually have everyones name by the end of the day.)
As per usual the weather is looking iffy in February. Sarah lives in the North Cork country side so first thing I do is get some drone shots of her beautiful new home and the lovely surrounding area. I then head inside and start to focus on the detail shots. Dress, shoes, flowers, invites and jewellery. Once this is done I start filming Sarah, capturing those precious moments of anticipation - the final touches of makeup, the helping hands zipping up the wedding dress, the tearful hug from Sarah’s mum and finally a first look with her Dad. An emotional moment for everyone in the room. Sarah was the only one who did not tear up but she claims that she is trying to hold it in to preserve the incredible work of the MUA.
I leave Sarah's house at 12:30 for the ceremony to setup a couple of cameras on tripods as well as audio. I was hoping to get some drone footage of the church but unfortunately the weather as taken a twist and it is bucketing outside. As the music starts and Sarah appears through my viewfinder, I see Michael’s face light up as he sees his bride for the first time. These are the moments that make my job so special.
Throughout the ceremony, I’m constantly on the move, capturing different angles, making sure to get reactions from the parents, the best man’s grin, the flower girl’s fidgeting. It’s a delicate balance, especially as a solo shooter - being in the right place at the right time without being intrusive.
The weather somehow gets worse during the ceremony and as Sarah and Michael leave the church to massive applause the wise couple decide on the fly to cancel the greeting line and head straight for the wedding car.
The reception is in Fota Island Resort. The photos planned for Fota Gardens is a no go but thankfully Sarah and Michael had also rented Fota House for the shoots which is a beautiful indoor option on days like this.
Then back up to the hotel to capture candid shots of guests mingling, and stealing the newlyweds away for a few minutes of in the hotel.
The speeches are before dinner so I go setup the cameras and audio again. I am not going to lie...at some weddings the speeches can be a little drawn out or a little dull.. but honestly the speeches here were outstanding. It always helps to have all those great sound bites to use when editing the film after. There was unusually 6 speakers (Mother of the Groom, Father of the Bride, Bridesmaid and Groomsman plus the Michael and Sarah) but each speaker was only up for 5 minutes. Everything was from the heart (no chatGPT used).
After this I head off for some food. This is the hardest part of the day for me. Up to this point it is go go go but now I know I will have at least a 3 hour lull before the meal is over.
At around 10ish the outstanding Pat Fitz kicks off the music. I use a gimbal for the first dance and I always love this part of the film. Then the frantic call from the couple for back up to join them on the dance floor. This is hectic and tricky to film as I have to get right into the heart of the dancing and people are coming from all angles but it is always great fun plus the finish line is in sight. I film for 20 minutes usually but as the floor as rocking I ended up staying nearly 40 mins as I was getting some great footage. The Pat called a quick break and that was me done. I packed up the gear, loaded it into the car. Then went back to thank Sarah and Michael for being such a lovely couple to work with and skipped out of there.
Over the coming days I will spend hours in my editing suite, crafting all this raw footage into a beautiful story of Sarah and Michael’s day. It’s painstaking work, but when I finally deliver the finished film and click the send button I am hoping the they will love their film and have it as a keepsake of their special day for evermore.
Being a wedding videographer is more than just a job - it’s a passion. Yes, the days are long, and the work can be challenging, but I get to be part of one of the happiest days in people’s lives. I get to create something that they’ll treasure forever. And that, to me, is the greatest reward of all.
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