Last summer she was walking through the garden and taking photos for her portfolio, and he serendipitously fell into the path of her camera lens. He was on a skateboard in a park. Upon seeing the beautiful young girl, he drove up on his board.
And that’s how my friends Mike and Sara met. They told me, well, they showed me this story a few weeks ago at their wedding.
They created an entire video based on this initial meeting. A trend on the rise, we’re seeing more and more young people take this opportunity to share the way in which they met, the night of their first kiss, or the moment they knew they had fallen in love, with their family and friends. They do this by creating a visual piece to actually play at their wedding.
What’s amazing about this addition to the event is the fact that the happy couple will have this piece of their history for the rest of their lives – passing it onto their kids and the next generation. It becomes a tangible piece of history.
And today we’re sharing some secrets on how to create your own “love story” video to feature on your big day:
Let’s first understand what a love story is. It can be a story about how you met or any other integral piece of your history as a couple. Here are some examples:
1. The Early Years
This is your dating story. The video is based on your first meeting and the progression you took from there. Remember how you first saw each other? What feelings did you have then? What did you think about your partner?
Create a video based on the same emotions. Maybe you can explain some of those inside jokes you’ve been keeping secret from everyone!
2. Movie Magic
If your story as a couple looked like a movie – which would it be like? Take the plot of a popular film that you feel reflects your relationship the best and then tweak it a little to make it your own!
3. A Day in the Life
Instead of going with the literal version of your story, create something that’s authentic to you as a couple now. Think of this as “A Day in the Life” of the two of you. Give us a sneak peek into your daily routine, how you bicker at the coffee machine in the morning or fight over which cereal to buy at the grocery store.
Once you finish choosing which route to go, you may want to add some music to the mix. Here’s a quick tip: find a FLAC formatted song or album and download an easy tool to convert high-quality FLAC files into high-quality MP3 files. Then all you have to do is add your pics in the Freemake Video Converter and save your photos from the shoot into a slideshow with music or over the film you’ve saved. Then you can easily play it for the wedding on nearly any kind of device.
Once you know the theme, here’s the shooting process that you can follow to help with the planning process:
1. Write out your scenario
This is the summary of the story that you want to make. If you have a script in your head, write it in your words. The will help fine-tune your ideas and scenes you want to make sure to capture.
2. Create a storyboard
Creating a storyboard will help you decide exactly on what you want your “love story” to look like. A storyboard is a detailed, visual description of the scenes or shots you want to get. They’re arranged on a board and you can bring it on the day of filming/shooting as to not to forget anything.
This also helps to plans any props or outfits you need to prep for.
3. Planning the time
Get ready to dedicate at least one day on the shooting. A video of the two of your making coffee together in the morning may only take up a couple of seconds on screen, a couple of minutes in real life, but shooting it on film in any capacity will take three times as long.
4. Preparation for shooting
Don’t forget your props! Obviously, these pieces should coordinate with the theme and whatever you decided you need to spruce the shot. Do you need blankets and hay bales, or do you need to spruce up your own kitchen and add some jazzier coffee mugs to the counter? Do you need to arrange some beautiful floral centerpieces, rent a retro car, or blow up 100 balloons? Do it ahead of time and double check your list the day before.
Don’t forget your ensembles for the day either. Give yourself time to find the right outfits and have them fitting appropriately. You may even want to do some test shooting to make sure you feel confident – at all angles in your chosen pieces. And don’t worry, you don’t have to splurge on an entirely new wardrobe. Instead, you can even rent a dress.
Don’t forget to prepare the location of the shoot. Whether it’s a rented space or your own home – make sure it’s camera-ready. Also, have a backup plan. If you’re shooting outside, make sure you know what to do and where to go in case of inclement weather.
