When Britni and Jeremy Girard watch their wedding video nearly two decades later, they laugh at the cheesy transitions. They have a discerning eye: The Girards are usually the ones behind the camera.
But the video is still priceless to them because it preserved the joy, tears and promises they made to each other all those years ago.
“Life gets crazy and marriage gets hard,” Britni says. “When you can sit down with a glass of wine on your anniversary and watch your film and laugh together and cry and reconnect, that creates opportunities to keep your marriage strong.”
The husband-and-wife team owns Girard Photography & Films and won the wedding videography category in this year’s Best of NOCO contest. They also placed top three in the wedding photographer category.
To them, audio is what makes wedding videos special. It pulls you back into the moment and allows you to feel the things you experienced on that day. You don’t get that with photography.
“We want to highlight the most important parts of their day but also bring them right there emotionally,” Jeremy says.
The Girards say more couples are hiring a videographer in addition to a photographer to document their wedding. Britni thinks social media has a lot to do with that.
“This generation that’s getting married now wants to have that time capsule, but they also want to share it with the world,” she says.
Many of those couples have the Girards video their entire wedding weekend, including the rehearsal dinner and afterparty when everyone is more relaxed. Jeremy says the best footage happens when couples stay in the present and trust their videographer to capture all the right moments.
“We came from a theater and production background before we did this professionally, so we like storyboarding out the day,” Britni says. “We spend a lot of time working together and collaborating on the timeline.”
For example, the Girards sprinkle posed portraits throughout the day so the couple can spend more time with their guests. Complex shots, like sunset portraits on top of a mountain, require more time away from the party and might be better taken another day, Britni says. That’s why she and Jeremy offer “adventure sessions” the day after the wedding.
“Ask yourself, ‘What kind of film do I want?’” she says. “Then ask yourself if you want the day it requires.”
Of course, a planner can help with the logistics. Stacie Carver, owner of Carver Coordination and top three winner in the wedding planner category of the Best of NOCO contest, says one of her main roles is working with photo and video teams on the wedding timeline.
“We make sure to build in enough time to get photo and video coverage of the first look, family photos and all those pivotal moments throughout the day,” she says.
Carver and the Girards recommend researching different styles of wedding videography ahead of time to figure out which you prefer. Cinematic videographers focus on epic staircase descensions and other movie-like scenes, whereas documentary-style videographers capture more candid moments.
One of the Girards’ favorite moments is when the couple does a last dance after the party clears out. The room is empty and there’s trash on the tables, and then there’s the couple soaking it all in.
“That’s when you get to look around the room and see evidence of a really amazing day,” Britni says. “Now it’s just the two of you. Life begins here.”
