I've Been Bitten

... by the videography bug.

I've had a hard time writing this post because it means I have to come to grips with what has happened.

I wrote months ago about how Ryan and I had decided to not hire a videographer. We had discussed it up front, and our reasons pretty much boiled down to the following...

• We thought wedding videos were cheesy. I couldn't stand the thought of tacky transitions and horrible music ruining our beautiful day.
• If all you're left with is photographs, you can remember your wedding as perfectly as you'd like. But as soon as it's filmed, you realize just how terrible you sounded reading your vows, or how awkward you looked during your first dance.
• It's just one more unnecessary expense we'd have to work into the budget.
  

So the decision was made, and that was that.

... Until I started reading wedding blogs.

The first few times people posted their wedding teasers, and gushed about how fantastic they were, I intentionally avoided them. I don't want to see what I'm missing and regret our decision, I thought.

But one day I clicked that innocent little "play" button... and a whole new fabulous world was opened up before me.

Naked Opie, Julie Dots ... breathless from humanstory

To give you a little insight, I'll share with you that I do, in fact, shoot and edit video for a living. I edit video every single day at work.

But my video is blown out of the water by what these people can do.

Kim + Kyle // Wedding Highlights from Erika Rydell

And now I'm torn. A part of me is saying, Be sensible, Kelly... videography is a luxury, not a necessity. But the other half is screaming, I must have this! How else will I remember our wedding day?!

The hard part is, both sides are right. Videography is indeed unnecessary... but I've also heard that many people regret not having it once the wedding is over.

All Things Go. Video By BMP. from Video that rocks. The Weddings

Without a wedding video, you only get one chance to hear your husband recite his vows. You only get one chance to listen to your father give his toast.

You only get one chance. You either film it, or it's gone forever.

So what is "forever" worth to me?

(A few other fantastic companies that didn't have embed-able video (some of my absolute favorites!): LoudByte Cinematography, I Do Films, Delack Media Group)