In the wedding video, Tom the MC describes Tu as the most humble and generous person he knows, which I think is a fitting description of both of them.

When Dee first saw the film, she told me that we had created taonga for their family, which is probably the highest honour that I could achieve as a wedding filmmaker and is the ultimate goal when making a record of such an important occasion.

On that note, you’re probably itching to see the film which highlights their truly memorable wedding.

Their wedding highlight film is the sweetest little reflection of the love & laughter that was shared on that day. Both Bobby & Whetu are talented, creative and unique and their family loves them dearly. I hope all of that comes through in their wedding video.

Why you should video your wedding

There is a fundamental shift in the way that Kiwi couples are choosing to remember their wedding day.  A new breed of wedding cinematographer is learning from the best wedding filmmakers overseas and applying those lessons here.

I predict in coming years the trend will continue, as the quality of films continues to rise, with more couples investing in a quality wedding film in addition to just having photos.

Here are my top 5 reasons:

• Sometimes it’s just too hard to get everyone you love to your wedding, especially if they’re overseas. It’s a common reason why people want me to capture their big day on film. My lovely wife Jen’s Granddad suffered a stroke in Chile just 10 days before our wedding earlier this year and was unable to travel. When he recovered, we were delighted to send him our film so he could share in our day.

• The quality of wedding filmmakers in New Zealand is improving rapidly. The films we are producing are cinematic, compelling and getting better every year.

• Either you’re in the ‘wedding day is a blur’ category or the ‘I can remember it all clearly’ category. For a lot of us, including me, it’s over in a flash. I had a ball at my wedding but before I knew it the band was playing their final song of the night and I was heading home in the taxi with my new wife. A film can help you remember all the little details, preserve the big moments and experience some of the things you didn’t see the first time.

• As a bride, you’ll never wear your wedding dress again. You’ve spent countless hours planning, preparing, anticipating and spending money to make your big day perfect. You deserve to have the best way to remember it.

• There is a reason the film industry is worth billions of dollars. It’s because films move people. Your favourite film can inspire you, provoke you or move you to tears. Why not capture your wedding this way?

Moving images and sound create lasting impressions on people; they engage your senses on a deeper level than a still photo.

Years from now imagine sitting down with your children and grandchildren and sharing your wedding film with them.

Imagine if you could watch your own parents’, grandparents’ or even great-grandparents’ wedding film in cinematic quality?

Can you even put a price on memories like that?

If you’re looking for more reasons to witness the powerful storytelling of film have a look at this short 3 minute video called “Find Your Understanding”. It’s a story of a father describing his daughters wedding day and his struggle with her decision (I don’t want to spoil it for you). It’s hard to believe that this is an ad, given how personal it is. So far it’s had over 2.3 Million views on Youtube. The story telling is masterful, I doubt that photos of this same wedding would be half as compelling to watch.

That brings me to my latest little idea, of late I’ve had several couples enquire about having their wedding filmed and one of the more interesting recurring themes is that someone very important to the couple can’t be there to attend. Either someone in their family is ill or can’t travel to be at the wedding. So in order for the missing family member to really sense, see and hear what happened on the day they are looking at video to capture the memories even though they are already having photos taken.

When I think about it, I couldn’t agree more.

Having a wedding film created of your day doesn’t make your photography any less important but all of a sudden your memory of the day is grounded in motion pictures instead of several photographs. I don’t think the wedding photography industry is going away anytime soon but I’m excited about the changes ahead. Already overseas in Canada, USA, Philippines and closer to home in Australia there has been a major shift and quality wedding films are now very common at weddings.

Will there come a time when people will opt for a wedding video over having a photographer? I think that’s quite a rare scenario but one that could happen in the next few years in Wellington.

I’m currently working on editing two recent wedding films and can’t wait to finish them so I can show the couples.