5 Wedding Planning Tips From a Wedding Videographer (& Bride!)

Hi there! In case you don't know me, my name is Alexis and I'm the owner & videographer behind Green Attic Films. I'm also a bride - last May, I got married to the love of my life!

I have now filmed over 50 weddings and I survived planning a wedding (from across the country!) myself. If you are recently engaged, CONGRATS! There are so many fun things to look forward to in this planning process. It's incredibly overwhelming at first, so I wanted to give you some tips that I've learned both through shooting so many weddings as well as going through the process myself. I managed to narrow it down to 5 tips! So, here they are:

1) Pick vendors you LIKE.

The wonderful Jen Lee Light with Danielle & Kevin! We had so much fun shooting their wedding together.

Of course you should pick vendors whose work you absolutely love and who you trust to do an awesome job, BUT you should also make sure you're picking vendors you LIKE, as people! People you want to hang out with all day - because that's exactly what you'll be doing. Your photographers, videographers, and planners are the ones to walk with you to the first look, to tell you when something is in your teeth and to re-bustle your dress when you're halfway through the buffet line (these are all things I've done in the past 3 weeks).

2) Know that things will go wrong. 

Stephanie may or may not have forgotten her garter, so Graham threw a bow from one of their wedding gifts instead. Guess what? It was hilarious, and nobody cared.

Yep, something is bound to go wrong on your perfect day. Not something you want to hear, right? But it's best to go into the day knowing that not everything will go smoothly. Your flowers might not be exactly as you pictured them on your Pinterest board. You might forget your garter. One of your bridesmaids' dresses might be ever so slightly the wrong color. Or, your groom might go to the wrong first look location and be twenty minutes late... and you might step into an ant pile during your bridal portraits. Yep, those last two were me. And I lived to tell the tale! :)

The thing you have to remember if something goes wrong is that it doesn't matter. You have to consciously remind yourself of the significance of what you're doing. You're getting MARRIED! You're about to see your husband for the first time on your wedding day! You're vowing your life to the person you love. If you go through the day remembering that and focusing on that, none of the small details actually matter.

3) Make sure your VENUE has great photo spots.

This gorgeous backdrop was a quick 2 minute golf cart ride away from Taylor & Jesse's reception space [Cave B Winery & Resort in Quincy, WA]

Finding your wedding venue is one of the first big decisions you make while planning your wedding. You might not be thinking about photography and videography when you're in this part of the planning process, but you should be! Your wedding day will flow so much more smoothly if you pick a venue with some beautiful photo locations on site. You get to spend more quality time with your guests (and each other) instead of running around town trying to find parking at a separate location. Being able to step away from your venue for 5 minutes is infinitely easier than driving to an entirely different location.

4) Don't forget about audio!

It's easy to forget that HALF of a great wedding film is the audio. Whether it's your ceremony, toasts, or just the background noise while you get ready, it's extremely important for your wedding video. My advice to you is to hire an audio professional for both your ceremony AND your reception. Your videographer can coordinate with them and get the best audio possible (straight from the microphones instead of picking up all of the not-so-great background noise). Also, when you're planning your day, try to pick quiet spaces for important moments to happen (when you open gifts, do the first look, etc.). It's easy to forget, but try to be aware of it. Great audio can really make or break a video.

5) Focus on the THOUGHTFUL!

This is from my wedding, actually. I spent a ton of time hand crafting cards for each of my bridesmaids and writing them really long notes thanking them. Tears were shed, and I was so happy I spent the time doing it. It was a "DIY" touch that really paid off. [Courtney Ward Photography]

I have seen so many different types of weddings - weddings that are completely DIY and weddings that bring in a professional to do the decor. I love them both. However, sometimes it's easy to get caught up in how the wedding LOOKS instead of how it FEELS for the people involved. Instead of spending 11 hours (and pulling your hair out) pressing flowers for your invitations, spend that time doing something thoughtful for the wedding day. It will be more memorable and more appreciated. Hand make your parents a sweet gift. Write your groom a long, handwritten letter. Write a sweet "thank you" to include on your ceremony programs. These gestures will go a much longer way than pressed flowers. That being said, if you want to DIY the entire thing, more power to you! Just don't forget about the thoughtful details for the people you love.

Thank you for reading!

And don't forget to ENJOY this process!

- Alexis

My wedding day! [Courtney Ward Photography]