Cali is a videographer who currently lives in Pensacola Florida. She has some really great insight to share with aspiring wedding planners. Her helpful suggestions make for a stronger wedding team on the day of a wedding.
Videographers Role When Planning
Name: Cali Hlavac
Name of Business: Silver Shade Studios
Website: www.silvershadestudios.com
Favorite inspirational quote?
“You’re only one decision away from a totally different life.”
What brides think you do:
Film their day
What wedding vendors think you do:
Videography
What you actually do:
I capture everything that happens on the wedding day, but in moving form vs still images!
How do you feel about working with a planner?
Personally, having a wedding planner as a point person prior to and on the wedding day is a huge bonus. It’s refreshing to know that if something happens or if I need something, there is one point of contact to help. The bride gets to fully enjoy her day without the worry of last minute changes.
How do you know you’re working with a Newbie wedding planner? Any tells?
Absolutely. An established planner knows and trusts her vendors, works with them to make sure the timeline is reflective of their needs on the wedding day, and allows the vendor to contact the bride directly. I notice with newbie planners they try to be involved in every step of the planning and don’t want the vendor to communicate with the bride unless they’re involved. That can be super stressful on the vendor, as there are times when we need direct communication with the bride and it shouldn’t effect the planner’s job.
What do you want a planner to know about your industry?
Videographers operate very similar to photographers, and it may help to pad just a tiny bit of extra time during the photo session for us videographers to get what we need as well.
How can a planner assist you more in preparing for a wedding and at a wedding?
A detailed timeline with addresses and vendors is SUPER helpful. I like to know who I’m working with on the day of, and it also gives me a central spot to find all the vendors when I blog the wedding or post on social media, because I like to tag everyone involved in making the day a success.
Regarding wedding day timelines, what do you want them to know or keep in mind?
The more detailed, the better. Don’t leave out information just because you don’t think we’d need it – I can never have too much info on the day of!
Any other comments you like to add or questions I should be asking?
Planners definitely make our job a lot easier, and I enjoy having them on the wedding day. One other thing I often think about is parking — When we shoot at venues, we are often the last to arrive alongside the couple and the photographer as we are taking photos. While the bride and groom are dropped at the front door, I still have to find parking, unload gear, and unpack/set up again before the bride and groom can enter. Video is tougher than photography because we need to set up audio recorders and constant lights since we can’t operate with flash. If reserved parking was an option at a specific venue, that would make our lives SO MUCH easier!
