Will our wedding video include the vows and speeches in full?

Does every package include the full ceremony and speeches?

No, and the wording on packages can hide the difference. “Ceremony and speeches included” can mean included in full, or it can mean that 20 seconds of them appear in a highlight film. There are usually three variations:

• Highlights only: the best lines of the vows and speeches are woven into a short film with music.
• Full ceremony, partial speeches: the whole ceremony is delivered, but coverage ends before the speeches, or only the highlights of them are used.
• Everything in full: the complete ceremony and every speech, edited across the cameras, delivered as their own files alongside the main film.

Check the timing, not just the package name

Coverage hours matter as much as what's listed. If your package ends at 6 pm and the speeches are after dinner at 8.30 pm, they won't be filmed, however good the package sounds. Put your venue's running order next to the coverage hours before you book.

My full-day wedding package at €1,100 covers up to 10 hours and includes the ceremony and speeches in full, plus a 4–6 minute film and a 60-second teaser. If you only need the ceremony, ceremony-only coverage is €290, and the half day at €590 suits weddings where the speeches happen early.

How is the audio actually recorded?

The microphone on top of a camera is there for syncing, not for vows. It's too far away and it hears the whole room. Good wedding audio comes from sources placed close to the people speaking, and more than one of them, because a single recorder is a single point of failure:

• A small clip-on microphone on one of you or on the officiant, hidden under a lapel or collar, with a recorder in a pocket.
• A recorder at the lectern or altar, close to where the vows are spoken.
• A feed from the venue's sound system or the DJ's mixing desk, so speeches through the microphone are recorded directly.
• A backup recorder near the speaker's position at the reception, in case the feed has a fault.

Why is poor audio such a common regret?

In my experience it's the complaint that comes up most, because it's the part that can't be recreated. You can live with a slightly soft shot of your first kiss. You can't get back your dad's speech if all that was recorded was the room echo and a clattering tray.

The usual culprits are predictable: vows spoken quietly and facing each other, not the guests; wind at an outdoor ceremony; music left playing under the speeches; a speaker who wanders away from the microphone; and relying only on the sound through the venue speakers, which sounds hollow on a recording.

The fix is simple to ask about. Ask your videographer how many separate audio sources they use for the ceremony and for the speeches. The answer you want is at least two for each. I mix the sound myself, balancing voices against the room and levelling out loud and quiet speakers, and I'm used to running several cameras and sound sources on my own: when I filmed a full stage talk at BIMM on three cameras, a student, Emma, wrote: “He filmed everything solo using three different cameras and delivered premium footage from every angle.”

What should you tell the people giving speeches?

A two-minute message to your speakers a week before the wedding makes more difference than any microphone. Send them this:

• Hold the microphone close, about a fist's width from your mouth, and keep it there when you gesture or turn to the couple.
• Stand where the venue or MC puts you, so the camera has a clear view and there's no feedback from the speakers.
• Wait for the music to stop and the room to settle before you start.
• Aim for about three to five minutes. Longer speeches are fine for the full file, but they lose the room.
• Tell the couple or the MC the order of speeches, so the videographer knows who's next and where they'll stand.

How are the full-length files delivered?

Full-length ceremony and speech files are usually delivered with the main film, by download link. The ceremony typically comes as one file, the speeches either as one file or one per speaker, which makes it easy to send your best friend's speech to them on its own. They're edited between camera angles, with the sound mixed, but not cut down.

You may not watch them often. That's normal. They're the part you'll want in 20 years, and the part relatives who couldn't come will watch first. My article on highlight films versus full wedding films goes further into what each format is for, and if you're thinking about relying on guests' phones instead, read what guest footage usually misses.