Five years ago when I was planning my wedding I had no intention of hiring a videographer. My budget was tight because my husband and I were paying for the majority of the wedding. I had found the perfect photographer, with a journalistic style that I knew would deliver the loveliest pictures of our wedding. Video was the farthest from my mind, my father had chased me for years with his camcorder and the last thing I wanted was some stranger doing the same thing on the day of my wedding.

My mom had other ideas. After a month of needling she finally managed to drag me into a video studio. She had to promise that this would be the only appointment (with a videographer) and if I said no at the end that she would drop the subject. I had no intention of hiring a videographer, my budget was over the limit and I had other items I wanted more.

So we sat down and watched the videographer's demo. I must say I was not too nice to this videographer and thinking back it is surprising that he didn't ask me to leave. It didn't help that when the bride in the demo started down the aisle, my mother began to cry. Towards the end of our meeting the videographer asked me one thing that is what made me give in to my mother later on. The question he asked that finally made me think was “if you had a choice of looking at pictures of your grandparent's wedding or watching a film of it with sound from the actual day which would you choose?” I told the videographer I would think about it and we left.

Several days later I finally conceded to my mom's wishes and it was because of that question the videographer asked. I never really knew my grandparents on my mother's side. They both died while I was very young. My only real memories of them come from a few snapshots and a old 8mm film of them at a family part my dad has somewhere in the closet, which we watched once when I was a teenager. I realized that I regret not knowing them and would love to be able to see them at their wedding, hear their voices and know what they once sounded like. So I agreed to my mom's wishes with a few stipulations that we get the smallest package available, the videographer would stay out of my way during the wedding and that she would deal with him because I had enough to do already.

Five years later and when asked, as my editor did when I started writing this, what my regrets are when it comes to the video I have to say that we didn't purchase a bigger package with more hours of coverage. Our video is a lifesave! I do not remember so much of the day and so much happened when I wasn't around that is on the video. The walk down the aisle is a blur in my mind because I was so nervous and my father swears I left permanent finger marks in his arm during it. From there I remember very little until we got to the reception and I was able to relax and party. Our video filled in many of the wholes from the wedding. At the reception I do wish we had kept the videographer a little longer. His time ran out right after we had our bridal party dance and so much happened after that I wish I had on video. My dad who has staunchly refused to do anything but the occasional slow dance with my mother or myself actually got up and led the YMCA when the DJ threw construction hat on him. I just wish we had footage of it since he doesn't remember it because he was very tipsy. To this day he does not believe it and no one took any pictures of it.

Today our wedding video has become the one thing I would not do without and it's the last thing I wanted originally strangely enough. Even my husband who was dead set against wearing the microphone and grouched about it all the time we were on the alter enjoys watching it. Our wedding album is very important to us, on our anniversary every year we pull it out and of course I love the photos we had enlarged to hang on the walls. However it is the video we view the most, and these days our three year old wants to do nothing but watch Nana and Pappy. So much that it is a little tiring seeing the video nearly every day. Watching her happiness at seeing our video, makes me wish I had a video of my parents' wedding.