Multimedia Presentations

You know that moment at a wedding reception when the lights dim and the glasses stop clinking and the wedding slideshow starts to play and all the guests start to…yawn?

“No WAY that will happen at my wedding!” you say? Then we have very important advice for you: BEGIN. Now.

Most of those yawn-inducing slideshows were probably finished at 3:00 in the morning the day of the wedding by an exhausted bride or a well-meaning buddy who said he’d help but then forgot and then slapped it together at the last minute and it shows.

Here’s how to do it better:

You ought to be in pictures
Figure out what you what your slideshow/video presentation to be. Tear-jerking? Funny? Trip down memory lane? Entertaining? Indy film quality?

Help! Help!
Find the person who can help you make that happen, if you don’t have the skills yourself. Be willing to pay a pro to get the results you want.

Flashback
Gather your photos first. Ask parents, grandparents and friends for their favorite photos of you from your childhood until now. Specify what you’d like: family shots, school pictures, family wedding photos, etc.

Action!
Then find classic video footage of both of you and/or shoot new video that will fit your vision of the presentation.

Best screenplay
Write the script or create an outline and organize your photos and videos along it so it tells the story of your lives and ends up with the beginning of your lives together.

Preview
Make sure you have everything you need at your reception site to screen your presentation. Don’t forget about little things like power cords, flashlights, charged batteries and speakers. Do a practice run the night before the event to work out any bugs.

Remember – you want your guests to love your presentation, but you will also love looking back on it yourselves. Make it good.