I’ve filmed and edited 98 weddings in or near the upstate NY area. I live and breathe weddings. I go behind the scenes at weddings ALL. THE. TIME. When I got married I had only ever been in 2 weddings before. One was exactly 2 months before my own wedding and the other one when I was 8 years old. Those experiences didn’t necessarily provide me with a ton of intel on what I should be keeping in mind for my own wedding day. Here are 6 tips from an upstate NY wedding videographer who has seen almost 100 weddings from beginning to end, behind the scenes, from the highest highs to the lowest lows, and how to avoid those lows on your own wedding day.

#1 – EAT! It is hard to eat on your wedding day. And this comes from someone who LOVES to eat. I’m not someone who “forgets to eat.” That concept makes no sense to me. But with all the nerves and adrenaline, I barely ate anything on my wedding day. It’s also a great thing to have food available for your wedding party while you are getting ready throughout the day. Just imagine a wedding party who has been drinking all

morning but hasn’t had any food and how hard that may be to wrangle them when it comes times to take photos later! Your wedding party is doing a lot for you on your wedding day – have food for them!

#2 – GET PERSONAL! You’re about to commit to spending the rest of your life with this person. This is a big deal. Don’t take this lightly. I encourage you to get really personal and authentic with the promises that you make to your partner. (Yes! I’m talking about personal vows!) Now, I KNOW that’s not the most comfortable thing for people to do and some of you may even run screaming in the opposite direction just thinking about that. Some other options would be to write a touching letter to your partner for them to read privately or for the wedding video before the ceremony. Another way to make this wedding unique to you would be to have your officiant incorporate some anecdotes about your relationship. Choose a special reading or poem to be shared at the ceremony. There are lots of ways to

make your wedding ceremony personal and unique without having to cry through your vows in front of everyone (but I promise, we all love that anyway!).

#3 – NICE PAPER. If you’re writing a letter to each other before the ceremony or if you’re choosing to write your own vows, get some nice paper to write them on. Plan ahead a little bit here so you’re not left to write them on a piece of hotel stationary. Even go so far as getting a nice, sleek notebook. This will show up great for photos and videos and it’s also a great keepsake to look back on for many years to come to remember those special words you shared on your wedding day.

#4 – NATURAL LIGHT. When choosing a place to get ready, choose a place that has WINDOWS, if possible! And get ready near that window! Lamps and overhead lighting do not translate as well on video and the natural light from the window will actually make you look the best for both your photos and video. In fact, I’ll probably be turning off lights when I can to get you the best lighting that you can for your video. Window light will show off your skin tone most closely to the real tone, rather than a yellow-y, warm color that you can get from a lot of lightbulbs. Talk to your makeup artist and hair stylist about this to see if they can position you near a window when they set up!

#5 – INVEST in WHAT’S IMPORTANT. This is going to look different for everyone, but you most likely have a limited budget for your wedding. Decide to spend the money on the things most important to you. If decor and flowers and centerpieces are most important to you, then put a lot of money towards a planner and/or florist. If you want a complete stunner of a gown and you don’t care how much it costs to get that PERFECT dress, make you sure get that dress first so you know how much money is left over. If your story and capturing the memories of you and your spouse surrounded by your friends and family is the most important to you, spend the money on a wedding videographer and photographer! And invest some time in your wedding day to make sure you are able to capture the photos and videos that will be most important to you. You may not be able to get it ALL. But decide what’s more important – the flowers on the table or capturing grandma on the dance floor? The super elegant cake or hearing your best friend’s toast at the reception? Spend your money where it matters TO YOU.

#6 – BE TOGETHER. Most of the day you will NOT be with your spouse. All morning you’ll be separate while you each get ready. You won’t be able to see each other until your first look or when you walk down the aisle. After that point, BE WITH THEM!! Spend as much time next to them as possible. Hold their

hand, hug them, kiss them, dance with them! PDA IS OKAY! (and encouraged!) This is your big day so enjoy it with your new bride or groom by your side – plus this only HELPS when it comes to getting great photos and video of the wedding day!

Bonus tip! If there are any traditions that you don’t really like or don’t understand, don’t do them! Don’t do a tradition just because it’s “supposed” to be done. You don’t HAVE to throw the bouquet or take off the garter. You don’t HAVE to cut the cake. Of course if you love these and want to do them, DO THEM! But don’t just blindly follow traditions that don’t really fit you or your personality.

There you have it folks! Six tips to help you plan your wedding and get the most out of your big day! Please check out my YouTube channel for more wedding and marriage advice along with some awesome wedding videos to inspire you for your big day!