The Videographer... do you really need one?

This was originally a no we don't need one decision but the more I read about it in blogs, wedding magazines and websites, it became more apparent, that no we didn't need one but it would be nice if we did. 

Stephanie & Jarrod from Matt Porter Videography on Vimeo.

The main reasons being so we could look back on it and show family and friends who are unable to make it to the wedding. And it would also capture the things that we didn't get to see, like when the groom is looking at the bride walking down the aisle, no one gets to see the grooms face when he first sees his bride as they're all looking at the bride. I think that's an awesome moment to capture, and the guests at the reception, the emotions, expressions, private moments, all important images. So I decided that a few overtime shifts at work would cover the price of the videographer. Any ways, what's a few days of no play and more work really in the long run of having something nice to look back on...

So hence I started my search for a videographer that fell under the $2000 price range. And boy did I fire off some emails on this one. It was almost as bad as searching for a photographer. Here's a good link outlining what you should look for when booking a videographer 

I narrowed it down to:

• Pomo Wedding Productions
• Untitled Film Works
• Matt Porter Videography

Credit to Advanced Video

We met with Matt from Matt Porter Videography and I was taken by his easy manner and beautiful film production. He showed us a recent wedding that he'd shot on his Ipad (was so scared of breaking the thing that I made FH hold it) and we watched about ten minutes of it, and I was sold. 

He ended up spending an hour or so with us after driving from paramatta or nearby there which was a bit of a mish as we live in Caringbah. Just sitting on the couch, chilling, chatting and watching TV. I had to change the channel in the end and we sat watching The Renovators on Channel 10, my favourite tv program at that time, so hope it comes back on again. Love it!

He totally didn't mind and it was great to get to know him. After our meeting, I said to FH, what did you think, should we book him in. And the answer was yes! I fired off an email to him that evening saying that we'd love to have his company on our big day and he booked us in, we paid our deposit and they will be filming our wedding day. So can't wait!!!

Our package includes:

Pack Two - $2600

(2012 prices) - we got it on last years prices for $1800 as we booked him late last year and he gave us a 5% discount as well. So it does pay to book things in early if you are able to, as you can get some good discounts. So stoked!

Credit to What it costs

• 10 hours coverage - Matt said that he would cover the whole day as there is not many hours left over at the end, we loved this and it was one of the main reasons for booking him in.
  
  • Bride & Groom Preparation
  • Ceremony
  • Location Shoot
  • Part - Reception
  • Speeches
• Feature Film & Highlights
• x2 Videographers
• Feature Film received on x3 DVDs
  
  • x1 Blu-ray
  • x1 Format Optimized for iPod/iPhone
• The choice of your own music for Feature Film

So needless to say we didn't meet with the other two film companies but I can say that they were a pleasure to deal with over the phone and via email. Their packages were affordable as well, just slightly over the two grand mark, but still good. 

I've liked Matt's facebook page  so I get to see the videos that he does and I'm so happy that we booked him. Here's his very own wedding video shot last year by his team, still impressive without him behind the camera.

Matt & Tay from Matt Porter Videography on Vimeo.