Why write letters?

We love it when our couples decide to write and exchange letters for their wedding video. Whether you read it out loud or not, it’s a really special way to capture how you are feeling in those moments before the wedding. We’ve had couples that save these letters in a scrapbook or someplace special so they can always look back on them years down the line. However one of the best ways to bring those words to life is by reading them out loud and mixing them into your video!

What works best for wedding videos?

There is no 100% right or wrong way to exchange letters on your wedding day. However, there are a few ways we most commonly recommend our couples consider. Each one creates a slightly different dynamic in a wedding video and can affect the way they feel during the wedding day. So we always leave these as suggestions and let our couples decide which one vibes with them the most.

Read Your Own Letter

If you don’t want to perform your own vows in front of 100+ people, reading your own letter still provides a way for you to share your thoughts and feelings out loud while in a more private setting. However, there are still three different ways we have commonly had couples choose to read their own letter:

Voiceover Only

Just like it sounds, we will find a moment during the day to steal each of you away to read your letter in private so we can capture just the audio. Then usually the letters will be exchanged prior to the first look or ceremony and we record each of you reading them in private silently to yourself. This comes across really nicely in a wedding video and you can see an example of it in Jaemin and Lexi’s video below.

Back to Back Voiceover

Very similar to the previous option because we record the audio ahead of time. However, instead of exchanging and reading each other’s letters in private, you actually read them silently while standing back to back. This is usually done right before the first look and can really make for emotional moments. If you aren’t doing a first look, you could do a “first touch” as it’s sometimes called and exchange letters while around the corner from each other so you still don’t see each other but can hold hands while reading. One of our favorite examples of this option is Trevor and Mollie’s film.

Back to Back Out Loud

There is certainly something special about hearing these letters read out loud while your spouse is there to hear them. Usually, this is done prior to a first look or during a first touch. Each of you takes turns reading your letter out loud and we can capture both of your reactions throughout this beautiful exchange. We are currently working on a film that is the perfect example of this and will post the link here once it’s done, so be sure to come back and check it out.

Facing Each Other Out Loud

This is the closest to exchanging personal vows that you can get without having nearly the same number of people around. This is only an option if you are doing a first look. Usually immediately following the first look, each of you take a moment to read your own letter. This tends to get pretty emotional and we absolutely love it. Molly and Keith decided to go this route, so feel free to watch their film below and see if it’s something you want to consider for yourself!

Reading Each Others Letter

This is the last option that we commonly see couples choose to go with when reading letters. For example, right after the bride gets into her dress, everyone will get kicked out of the room and she will read the groom’s letter out loud. Then once the groom is ready, he’ll take a moment to read the bride’s letter, and then we will head off to the first look or get ready for the ceremony! This can get fairly emotional because you don’t have any idea what your partner may write and you are just reacting as it comes. However, we recommend trying to write as legibly as possible because if your partner has a hard time reading the writing it can kind of lose the impact of the words. Grant and Madeline exchanged heartfelt letters that really helped bring their story to life if you want an example.

That’s all there is to it!

It probably sounds more complicated than it actually is and we are always right there to hold your hands through the process no matter which option you choose. None of these will make or break your wedding video, but each has a slightly different impact and we’d be glad to help you figure out the right one for you! If you have any questions at all, feel free to reach out to any time.