Dream Image Club
Videographer
Do we need a wedding video if we already have a photographer?
Short answer
Not every couple needs one, but video keeps what photos cannot: sound and movement — the elders' blessings, the tone of a speech, friends' laughter and the real atmosphere of the day. If your parents or grandparents are elderly, or someone important travelled far to be there, many couples in wedding-planning groups say they were glad they hired video. On a tight budget, one team shooting both stills and video, or filming only the most important moments, keeps costs under control.
Photos and video do different jobs
Photos are what you frame, put in an album and post; one good picture sums up a whole moment. Video is what you replay on anniversaries and show to people who could not come. It keeps what a still cannot: a hand trembling during the water-pouring, the words an elder says while tying the blessing string, a friend who cannot finish a speech for crying.
So one does not replace the other. Ask yourselves what you will want to revisit from this day in ten years. If it is how everyone looked, photos answer that. If it is someone's voice, video answers it better.
Couples who are usually glad they had video
- Those with elderly relatives whose voices and gestures they want to keep.
- Those with someone important who cannot attend — abroad, for instance — who should see the whole ceremony.
- Those whose ceremony follows traditions the family holds dear, and want every step kept.
- Those who want a short film to share with friends or play at the reception.
- Small or minimal weddings without a big reception, where the day should still be remembered as a story.
On a tight budget, you can still have both
First, use one team that shoots stills and video on the same day — no second team's travel to pay, and no two crews to coordinate on the day. In my work, pre-wedding stills start at 20,000 THB and video with stills at 27,000 THB, travel included (southern Thailand +5,000).
Second, keep only the most important moments — half a day covering the morning ceremony instead of the whole day — then choose a 3–5 minute film to share, the full ceremony for your parents to rewatch, or both. Tell me the budget plainly and I will help you choose.
Pre-wedding film versus wedding-day film
A pre-wedding film is shot before the day; you can choose the place, the time and the light, and tell the two of you as a story — ideal if you want a short film for the reception or to share. A wedding-day film records what really happens: uncontrolled and once only, which is exactly its value.
If the budget allows only one, ask which one cannot be recovered later. A pre-wedding shoot can still happen after the wedding; the elders' voices on the ceremony day happen only once.
We do not want a cheesy, old-fashioned wedding video
Most of the cheesiness comes from posed shots, effects and music that has nothing to do with the couple. I do not pose anyone and you never need to look at the camera; you do what you actually do together, and I film it like a movie, so it looks like you.
A favourite of mine is a couple who had to postpone because of Covid and went travelling together instead; I wove it into a pre-wedding film. Another tells the story of two different people, far apart, who found each other again — a long film that covers the whole wedding day.
Still unsure? Here is what to do
Message me the date, the venue and a rough budget — no decision needed yet. I will tell you what that budget covers with video and without, so you can compare before choosing.
It also helps to ask your parents which moments they want kept. Often the moments elders value — the monks' blessing or the water-pouring — are exactly why couples decide on video.
