The Ceremony + Reception Reels

Before delivering the ceremony + reception reels,

please double check the following:

  • 45-60 seconds of lively B-Roll is set to music at the beginning of each reel and the end of the reel.

    • Ceremony BROLL- guests entering/hugging/waving, decor, venue, couple having fun,etc…

    • Reception BROLL- cocktail hour fun, decor, venue, couple having fun, bridal party, kids being silly, people waving, dance floor, etc.

  • All camera angles/audio are aligned and the best audio source/camera angle are being used for each moment.

  • The ceremony (from processional to recessional) is included in full.

  • The reception (grand entrances, cake cutting, speeches, dances) are included in full.

  • Any “special” traditions like ketubah signing, the couple saying their private vows, or hora are included.

  • Only jump cuts, opacity fades (cross dissolves), are being used to transition between visuals.

  • The final shot is of the couple.

  • The videos are exported/edited in 1080 HD/ 23.976 fps.

  • The videos are named correctly.

Have questions? Check out the examples & my guide below!

Examples

Screenshot of a video editing timeline with multiple tracks of video clips, audio, and color-coded markers on a computer monitor.

Edit/Export Settings:

  • 1080 HD (not 4k)

  • H.264

  • 23.976 FPS

  • File naming:

    • “Ceremony Reel Couple Name”

      • Example: Ceremony Reel Jack + Jill

    • “Reception Reel Couple Name"”

      • Example: Reception Reel Jack + Jill

Choosing the right B-roll

When choosing B-ROLL for the beginning and end of the ceremony/reception videos, be sure to showcase both B-ROLL with people as well as B-ROLL without people.

B-ROLL of people: We want to prioritize footage of people having a good time. Please make sure to show guests/couple/bridal party- laughing, dancing, waving, cheersing, etc. If they are not having a good time, I don’t want to see it.

B-ROLL of things: If the footage is or the venue or decor or anything that is not a human, oddly enough, we still want people in the shot! Please prioritize shots of decor/venue that have movement. If they don’t have movement, beauty is second best. For instance, if the shot is of a church, I like cars going by in the foreground.

Men in suits at an outdoor gathering enjoying drinks and conversing, with a house and string lights in the background.
Two women are embracing and smiling at each other.
Four young boys dressed in formal suits sitting on red church pews, making playful faces during an event.
People at a lively party with many dressed in formal attire, some holding drinks, and a man in a tuxedo laughing while about to get hit by a cake."
A person holding a stack of paperback books titled "Pale Dawn" by Lorraine Sivinski with the author's name "Petra Jackson" visible on the cover.
Person in a white fringed shawl placing a guest book into a gold geometric box on a wedding reception table decorated with white and pink flowers and lit candles.
Sign reading 'The Brix on the Fox' mounted on a brick building front with the address number 258 below an arched window.
Wedding reception under a clear tent with string lights, floral centerpieces, waitstaff serving guests, seen through a curtain

Choosing A-ROLL:

As stated above, you’ll have multiple sources of video/audio for each moment.

  • Audio: We want to prioritize the clearest audio for each moment. Double check that there is no peaking/scratching. Often a bit of de-reverb or de-noise can be applied to make things sound better, but a little goes a long way and we want to avoid anything that sounds too distorted.

  • Video: We want to prioritize the camera angle that is best covering the action of each moment. For example: If someone is speaking, please use the best angle of the speaker. If the speaker then tells a joke and it causes laughter, please cut to another angle that shows people laughing. If it makes sense to stay on the speaker for multiple minutes at a time then so be it- I’d rather that, than switching back and forth between the cameras with no motivation.

Wedding reception with bride and groom seated at head table, surrounded by family and friends, guests giving speeches, decorated with candles and floral arrangements.
Groom and best man giving speech at wedding reception with bride and guests listening, decorated with candles and flowers.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • For the most part, this is okay. Vendors are part of the day- consider this a documentary. If they were there or it happened, keep it. If somebody steps into the background of the shot for a a few seconds that’s totally fine.

    On the other hand, if they step in front of the camera or are blocking the view of the action, please feel free to cut away to a better angle.

  • Notify me immediately and I will contact the videographer: wholeheartvideo@gmail.com

  • Processionals/recessionals and grand entrances should be treated as A-ROLL. Please deliver these in full, using the wedding audio from those moments.

  • For the visuals, use Opacity fades or Cross disolves. NOT fades/dip to black.

    For the Audio, fade out the music and fade in the wedding day audio.

    Please apply these principles to transitioning between A-ROLL moments as well. For example, In the Reception reel, fade out one speech and into the next. DO NOT fade to black between each important moment.

  • All ‘special’ traditions will be mentioned in the editor email.

  • No thanks. Sometimes, brides will ask me to re-edit or fix their videos. Downloaded transitions will make my job much harder. Jumpcuts are best. Opacity fades are fine too.