What to Do During Your Ceremony and Speeches to Get the Best Wedding Footage

Here's a secret most couples don't realise until it's too late. The little things you do during your ceremony and speeches make a massive difference to how good your wedding film turns out.

Not because you need to perform for the camera. The opposite, actually. The best footage comes from you being completely natural. But a few small things, planned in advance, can be the difference between a good film and one that gives you goosebumps every time.

We've filmed over 900 weddings, so we've learned exactly what helps. Here's everything we'd quietly tell you over a coffee before the big day.

Your ceremony

Slow everything down

The single best tip we can give you. Walk slower than feels natural. Pause at the top of the aisle. Take your time with everything.

Couples are always nervous and the instinct is to rush. But the slow, deliberate moments are the ones that look beautiful on film and give you time to actually feel it. Walk like you've got all the time in the world, because honestly, you do.

Project your voice during the vows

Your vows are one of the most precious bits of your whole film, so you want them heard clearly. We use discreet microphones to capture clean audio, but it still helps if you speak up rather than mumble. Say it like you mean it, and say it loud enough for the back row.

This is also why miking up matters so much. Phone footage from a guest will never capture your vows properly. Proper audio equipment will. It's one of the biggest reasons video beats relying on guests' phones.

Hold your moments

That first kiss? Hold it for a beat longer than feels comfortable. The hug after you're announced? Linger in it. A quick peck that's over in a flash is hard to capture well. A held moment looks cinematic and gives us the shot.

Let yourselves react

Don't hold back the emotion to "stay composed." The tears, the laughter, the shaky breath before you say "I do." That's the gold. Those genuine reactions are what make a wedding film feel real rather than staged. We shoot in a natural, story-led style precisely so we catch all of it, so just let it happen.

Your speeches

Tell your speakers to take their time too

Same rule as the aisle. Nervous speakers rush, and rushed speeches are harder to follow back on film. A quiet word beforehand to your best man, dad, or whoever's speaking, just asking them to slow down and pause for the laughs, makes a huge difference.

Pause for the reactions

The funniest part of any speech isn't always the joke. It's the bride crying with laughter, the groom's face dropping, the whole room erupting. When a speaker pauses after a big line, it gives us time to capture those reactions, and those reaction shots are often the best bit of the whole film.

Keep the mic close

If speeches are amplified, ask speakers to hold the microphone close and actually use it. Clear audio makes or breaks a speech on film. We capture high-quality sound, but a speaker holding the mic at arm's length doesn't help anyone.

Position matters

If you can, have your speakers stand somewhere with a bit of space around them, not crammed into a dark corner. It gives us room to capture both the speaker and the room reacting. If you're not sure about the layout, just ask us during planning and we'll help you think it through.

The bigger things that help

Have an unplugged ceremony

This is a big one. Consider asking guests to put their phones away during the ceremony. There's nothing worse than a beautiful shot of you walking down the aisle ruined by a sea of phones and iPads blocking faces and reactions.

An unplugged ceremony means guests are actually present, faces visible, emotions on show, and your film looks infinitely better for it. Your celebrant or coordinator can announce it at the start.

Think about your timings and light

The light during your ceremony and speeches affects how everything looks. If you've got any flexibility, a ceremony that isn't in the harshest midday sun, or speeches before the light fully drops, can help. This is where booking a videographer who knows your venue pays off. Because we work at so many Essex venues regularly, we already know how the light moves through the day and can guide you.

Tell us your must-have moments

The granddad who's travelled from abroad. The surprise song. The private vow exchange before the ceremony. If a moment matters to you, tell us in advance. We always ask couples for their must-have moments during planning so nothing important slips by. We can't capture what we don't know about, so loop us in.

The most important tip of all

Be yourselves.

Every single tip above is really just about giving us room to capture you naturally. You don't need to act, pose, or perform. The best wedding films come from couples who relax, feel everything, and let the day unfold. Our whole job is to stay out of the way and catch the real moments while you live them.

So slow down, soak it in, and let us handle the rest. You can see what that looks like in our real wedding films.

Want us to capture your day?

If you've got these tips in mind, you're already going to have a gorgeous film. The next step is having the right team behind the camera. Send us your date and venue and we'll confirm availability within 24 hours, then talk through your day, your must-have moments and exactly how to make your film unforgettable.

Have a look at our packages while you're at it, and see what other couples said over on our reviews page.