Are prenup photos and videos necessary?
We dreaded being in front of the camera. We cringed at the thought of doing all those “cheesy” poses as we called them like stare at each other’s eyes while holding the other’s face. We were also unsure about where to use the pictures and video so felt it was an unnecessary cost. But in the end, we did the shoot anyway. And if you’re still giving this some careful consideration, we hope to share a few tips on how to make this worth your time and investment.
Make the materials useful. Most people use this as their save-the-date photo/video – something they share before they send out their actual invitations. Some print them on their wedding collaterals like gift cards and souvenirs. Ours were used as entrance video and photos that played at dinner. After the wedding, and when all the hype dies, maybe you can still post them as profile pictures. Find as many use for them as you possibly can.
Create Your Own Story. In order to make this memorable, create a storyboard that is meaningful for you and your partner and not just one that looks pretty. Because we are based in Dubai, we showcased activities we enjoy doing and iconic places we love taking our visitors to. In a way, it was giving our guests a glimpse of our second home, where our love story continues to take place. To complete this, we also spent some time looking for the song that fits the overall mood of the video. You can find a good selection from Song Freedom. This is where we bought ours too.
Stick to your budget. As mentioned earlier, this is not a priority for us. So when our friend Jam, who owns Iris Motion and Stills, offered to help we couldn’t pass up the opportunity. But that’s not all to consider. Your hair and make-up, clothes and styling, and cost of activities, transportation, and props should be accounted for. If you’re on a strict budget, there’s always a way to minimize expenses. To make it simple for example, we started by agreeing on the blue-gray palette for our clothes. Then, we gathered items that are already on our wardrobe and home from our panda onesies, outfits never worn before, foldable bikes, baby bear “Cheekie” to (almost withering) flowers on our vase. Borrow props from your friends if needed and do your own hair and make-up using the wealth of how-to videos online.
Be yourself and have fun. Don’t force yourselves to do things that are unnatural and uncomfortable. If you follow a storyboard that is familiar to you, this should come easy. We saw a lot of our friends’ dramatic engagement shoots and we were tempted to do the same because they look gorgeous. But goofing around is how we roll, so we kept everything light and happy. Do You, have fun and know that after the shoot, you can always edit the outputs to suit your liking.
If you ask us if we think prenup photos and videos are necessary, we still say no. They are not integral parts of your wedding, but they are really nice to have. Get a prenup photo and video shoot because you have good use for them and you strongly feel they’re a valuable addition to your overall wedding experience. Our video, no matter how many times we’ve played it, still makes us smile and brings back great behind-the-scenes memories. But like anything else, don’t jump on the bandwagon just because everyone is doing it.
Thanks to the team behind Iris Motion & Stills for making this such a fun shoot!