How far in advance should you hire your videographer?

Many brides wonder when they should start looking for a videographer. There really is no right or wrong time, but typically the longer you wait, the less chance a videographer you like will still have your date available.

I have been booked as far as two years in advance and as last minute as the day before the wedding, so there definitely is no exact science to the process. I have had dates in which 10 people call me (August 18 this year!) while the weekend before (August 11 this year!) no one calls. I find that most brides start looking for video 3-6 months out from their wedding day unless they get a direct referral, which means bookings 1 to 2 years in advance.

I was motivated to write this post because of two clients who booked with Tim Alan Studios last week. Katy and Paul are getting married June 21, 2008 at Wave Hill in Riverdale while Lucia and Massimo are having their wedding June 22, 2007 at Old St. Patrick's Cathedral in SoHo and The W Union Square. Not only are they getting married almost one year a part to the day, but they have also both hired the same photographer, Belathee, based in Manhattan and recently written up in Daily Candy.

Katy and Paul came to me through a referral from a wedding I shot in July of 2005 (Katie and Brad), making them the sixth wedding I have booked through referrals from Katie and Brad. They currently live in London and are booking most of their vendors from phone interviews and referrals. By booking 14 months in advance, Katy & Paul are getting a lot of the stressful planning done, but they are also saving money. Many wedding vendors raise their prices every 3-6 months, so booking so far in advance can really increase your savings. If you are using the vendor-hiring time table in your favorite wedding magazine, you may not only lose out on some savings, but the vendor you fall in love with may also be booked when you start looking.

Booking at the last minute is not always bad, though. Some vendors will give you a price-break if they are still available and others might throw in some extras to sweeten the deal. Lucia and Massimo, who found me through a recommendation in the New York Magazine Weddings issue, were very excited about the possibility of having vintage super 8mm footage on their video. Since their wedding was less then two months away and I wanted to have a wide screen Super 8 demo to show other brides later this wedding season, I incorporated it in their package at a price below its normal cost!

The Boston Marathon Wedding: Finish Line NYC

I have been thinking about starting a blog about some of the great events that I cover with Tim Alan Studios throughout the year, but have not found the time. However, last Saturday's wedding of Pattiann and Aaron in NYC gave me the impetus needed. In what surely was one of the most unique weddings I have been a part of, Pattiann and Aaron, both avid runners, exchanged vows the previous Monday on Heartbreak Hill during the Boston Marathon. After exchanging vows amidst a horde of media, family, runners and randoms; Pattiann and Aaron celebrated that evening with a small reception in Boston.
The couple received much national press including the write-up above in the New York Times Weddings section and on the right as the New York Post Wedding of the Week. Their photos in Boston were shot by Jared Charney, who also shot my wedding in August of 2005, and with whom I now work with often.

While I was not in Boston, I was fortunate enough to document their second wedding of the week on Saturday in NYC along with WPJA phtographer Rich Janniello of Ciro Photography in NYC. Pattiann and Aaron started the day off by getting ready at the Ritz Carlton Battery Park before making the short walk to historic St. Elizabeth Ann Seton where they exchanged vows once again amongst their closest family and friends. Pattiann, Aaron and their 200 guests headed for two water taxis that took them on a 90 minute cruise up and down the east river before landing at the South Street Seaport, where an evening of revelry at Bridgewater's followed.

Stay tuned for a full highlight of the wedding experience that I will be putting together with clips from NYC and Boston as we have been pre-selected to be featured on Knottv.com.