Daddy and I watched our wedding video the other day. I don't think we've watched it in 15+ years. Blame that on the invention of the DVD player, since we just haven't had a VCR hooked up in forever. But it sure was a walk down memory lane to watch the cassettes. Video is so real compared to silent photos. You see the personality of the people. But it was seeing faces I hadn't seen in years that brought tears to my eyes. When my Grandma Haas was introduced to Daddy's family, I wept. She was so vibrant and smily. It had been years since I'd seen her that way. And then to see my Grandparents Swain. Grandpa handed me his handkerchief to wipe away my tears as I was hugging friends and family in the receiving line. That was typical grandpa. My heart ached to hug these souls I missed so much. Uncle John Haas, Uncle Ted Rovinski, my choir director Mrs. Sutter, neighbors, several older ladies from our church ... in 28 years, people who were active members of my environment were gone. Yet here they were in my living room "visiting" with me. Even many who are alive, I rarely see. People I grew up with and loved, they live too far away for me to enjoy. It was a mixture of emotions in watching the video: heartbreaking for those who I've missed so much and a complete joy to get to relive such a priceless time.
But I tell you what it did teach me ... that you need a wedding video. Whether done professionally by a videographer or a family friend willing to shoot raw footage without editing it, it's important to have that as a remembrance. We have the technology, so to not have that very special moment captured for all time is a terrible missed opportunity. I think if you asked your grandparents if they wished they had a video of their weddings and receptions to go back and "visit" with family members long gone, you'd get a resounding yes. And I remember that first year of our marriage, when Daddy and I were on our own in Tennessee, watching that video a whole bunch of times.
So be sure to have someone with a video camera in hand catching those candid moments of the day. You will want to see what others are doing (especially your fiance prior to seeing the wedding day), since you will be pretty busy yourself. And make sure it's an outgoing someone, willing to step up to strangers and ask for marriage advice or messages for the bride and groom. Make sure it's someone who has operated a video camera prior to this day - you won't want to have missed precious memories because someone forgot to take the lens cap off, forgot to turn on the mike or couldn't tell when the camera was recording. Make sure it's not someone who will constantly talk over the action in the video. Make sure it's someone who takes direction well, but yet is spontaneous enough to catch something you may not have thought of. Make sure they have a good camera that does well in low light and has an amazing zoom. If you can get two different people shooting video, you'll have double the footage and twice the angles to edit together later. If they have a tripod, that will take the shake out of various events like the ceremony and dancing.
So if you haven't given much thought to this, take the time to do so. You'll never regret having it, but you will certainly regret it if you don't.
Discussion: Do you have a wedding videographer? What are specific things in the wedding you'll want to watch later? Have you ever watched others' wedding videos? What parts did you enjoy? What was a waste of film?
Prayer: Lord God, you have given us minds to keep sweet memories, and we thank you for the capability today to capture events as they happen to watch again later. Thank you for that chance to visit with people we love so much when they are no longer around. In Christ name, Amen.
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