The Wedding Video Business Needs More Challenges

Actually, the newest challenges have the potential to impact photographers, and other wedding professionals as well. Like so many interesting concepts, the business models I’ll discuss here started on the West Coast.

At least one video professional teamed up with roughly a dozen other wedding vendors to sponsor a DIY wedding video seminar. Their mission was to instruct engaged couples, and their friends, on how to shoot and edit their own wedding video. An afternoon of instruction would be followed by a “Meet the Professionals” segment, where the other vendors would be available.

While I know the person who coordinated this program, we have not yet discussed it, so I don’t know the motivation. According to the web site, the scheduled workshop was cancelled.

Places like Home Depot offer free classes because they know that they’ll sell enough product to justify the expense. Here, advance registration for the wedding video workshop was $49, and it was $69 at the door. Granted, that price did include a coffee break and a Wine and Hors d’Ouevres Reception. Regardless of whether the vendor partners made any financial contribution, this was going to be an expensive production. We haven’t seen something like this on the East Coast yet, but it looks like we could.

The other new concept impacts photography, along with video. There is a company offering to rent out digital still cameras, and those cameras are also capable of capturing video and audio. This is being touted as an environmentally-friendly improvement on the disposable cameras that have been so prevalent at weddings.

You can order packages of 10, 20, or even 30 of these digital cameras. They’re shipped to you just before the wedding, along with extra “eco-friendly” batteries. The company then hosts the photos and/or video on their web site, where anyone can access the files, and order copies. The claim is that each camera can hold more than 450 photos, or more than 15 minutes of audio and video. The images are available on the website for a month (included in the basic price), or for a year, for an additional fee of about $45. The photo and video files are then available for download-for free.

The wedding business has always been very competitive. With these two developments, I think that competitiveness ramped up a bit more.

Be Alert For Attempted Wedding Scams

From recent discussions with video professionals in Florida, it’s clear that there are some scammers at work. I’ve posted a full news story at http://www.4evergroup.org/. The current scam is a variation of what many of us have already seen, where we’re supposed to be sent money to distribute to others, while keeping a share for ourselves.

In the new wedding scam attempts, I’ve received reports from about a half-dozen wedding video professionals in both South Florida and Jacksonville. Emails sent to two different video producers were nearly identical, although the names were different. We also have a report of one person being victimized for about $2000.00.

Here’s what one of the emails looks like:


Sent: 9/11/2008 3:10:53 P.M. Eastern Daylight TimeSubj: Wedding planner needed

My Name is Dr Edmund Don, I am looking for an experienced wedding planner who will handle my wedding and arrange dinner for a group of people who will be attending the wedding ceremony.Seven will arrive few days before the wedding day. The wedding is expected to hold on the 10 November,2008 and 25 to 40 guests are expected to attend. As i do not know what the guests might choose for their meals and drinks, i will make a prepayment as initial deposit for this booking via credit card once availability is confirmed by you.All checks and balances will be made with you on 21st October which is the final day of the booking, You are to arrange for a Videography,Music Entertainment,Photography,Officiant/Priest & Church,cake,flowers and hall.If there is any these items that is beyond your capability,you let us know so that another company can handle it. Get back to me with your response as we don't have much time with us so that we can process our accommodation within the region more convenient for you and us. Best Regards, Dr Edmund Don, 109-113 Queen's Gate, South Kensington , London , UK , SW7 5LR.. +447024024468

Although the scammers are currently targeting Florida video professionals, they could easily move into other markets.

Interview with Rebecca Mead

We routinely do podcast interviews with industry people for the 4EVER Group's web site. Earlier this year, a book was released about the wedding industry. Called “One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding,” the book was an unreasonable and scathing look at the wedding industry. The author went on a book tour, but I was successful in landing an interview with her in October, at her NY office. You can download the interview here: http://www.4evergroup.org/podcast_page.shtml

In our conversation, her question was “why do we even need a wedding industry”. That’s the kind of question most often asked in college dorm rooms, at 3am, after a whole lot of beer, when you’re going to solve all of the world’s problems.

Please go and download the interview, which runs about 35 minutes, for a glimpse into the mind of the author.