In brief: 6 wedding video message ideas
A video message is one of the most memorable surprises guests, bridesmaids and best men can give a couple. The six formats that work best, all covered in this article: the marryoke (a lip-synced music video starring the guests), the making-of film of the day, the video booth (a filmed guest book, recorded during the reception), the surprise dance routine, the documentary telling the couple’s story, and the paper ball — a relay of handwritten messages passed from guest to guest in the edit. A recent smartphone is enough for most of these; for a marryoke or a documentary, a professional videographer makes a real difference.
- Best for getting everyone involved: the marryoke, which pulls in the whole room.
- Easiest to organise: the video booth, left running through the evening.
- Most moving: the documentary about the couple’s story.
- Funniest: the paper ball, made up of messages from everyone closest to them.
Family of the couple, friend, best man or maid of honour?
Been asked to be a bridesmaid?
Then you’re not just any guest, and you have an important part to play on the day.
You’ve almost certainly been turning over ideas for the reception, and for how to surprise the couple on the day of their wedding.
A small surprise could move them deeply and mean a great deal.
Our wedding planners have put together a selection of the best wedding video ideas to make the reception unforgettable.
Why choose a wedding video?
Timeless, and hardly a new idea.
Weddings have always been an occasion couples want to preserve by every means available, from the most conventional to the distinctly unusual.
Video is an excellent way of capturing the voices, the emotions and the faces of the reception exactly as they were.
These days, the format has gone well beyond simply recording the atmosphere of the ceremony.
Very much of the moment, the wedding video message can announce the occasion, surprise the couple and create personalised memories: an atmosphere that’s genuinely yours.
Keen to join in but not sure how to go about it?
Below you’ll find everything our wedding planners recommend.
Wedding video ideas worth stealing
Want to get your wedding video message right?
You’re in the right place.
You won’t be short of inspiration: here are plenty of original ideas for making the film or the edit of your dreams.
The marryoke: an original idea, and very funny
Hugely popular in English-speaking countries, this format takes its name from a blend of “marriage” and “karaoke”.
It started in Ireland and has since spread far beyond, winning over more and more couples who want to mark the big day properly.
The concept is simply a music video in which you lip-sync to your favourite track.
The whole thing pulls in friends and family alike.
Combined with a few silly, offbeat scenes, a video involving all your guests will leave you with something genuinely fun to watch again and again.
Bring in a wedding videographer to capture it properly.
That way you keep hold of the moment, and you can share the video with everyone you care about.
The making-of: an edit for the traditionalists
Prefer something more conventional, and less likely to misfire?
We’d strongly recommend the making-of film of the day.
It’s one of the most requested formats. Couples generally want the strongest moments of the day recorded.
The film runs through the different stages of the day.
Often the edit opens by cutting between the bride getting ready and the groom doing the same.
From there you can follow the register office or the church, right through to arriving at the reception venue.
Simple but moving, this kind of video captures the atmosphere of the dinner and the first steps onto the dance floor.
Our advisers recommend it for couples with an eye for detail, who want everything caught precisely: emotions, glances, expressions.
The video booth: a guest book on film
This is the video version of the guest book.
Traditionally, guests use a notebook and pen to leave the couple a message and thank them for the invitation.
Today, videographers offer a rather more original take on the idea.
Guests take it in turns to record a message for the couple in a booth set up for exactly that.
All those recordings are then edited together.
The result is a single film gathering all the words and feelings your guests wanted to express.
The dance routine: taking over the dance floor
A friend or family member wanting to knock the couple sideways at the reception?
We’d suggest a choreographed routine as a strong idea for the wedding video. The couple have already opened the festivities with their first dance?
Now it’s your turn, and everyone else’s, to surprise them with a real moment: the whole group dancing to the same song.
For inspiration, “Happy” tends to be among guests’ favourite tracks.
Alternatively, pick a song that carries memories of your time with the couple.
Feeling more ambitious? We’d recommend organising a flash mob.
That’s a routine started by three or four people, which gradually draws in the other guests.
Something like that will have the couple in tears of joy.
Guaranteed to land.
A documentary: a life story, and a love story
Want something longer?
Go for a documentary film telling the couple’s love story.
This kind of video can run anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes.
In it you can tell their story from childhood all the way to the day they met.
We’d suggest gathering photos and videos from their earliest years right up to the present day.
You can add personal messages in whatever tone you like.
Prefer humour?
Bring up the funny stories you’ve been keeping to yourself, or gently take the mickey out of the pair of them.
More of a softie?
Tell the moving stories that brought the couple together, and the best moments you’ve shared with them.
The paper ball: an original idea that stands out
Acting as a witness at the wedding?
You could take the initiative and give the couple a gift unlike anyone else’s.
They’ll only discover it on the evening of the wedding day itself.
The idea is simple.
Each guest films themselves receiving a ball of paper.
They unfold it to reveal a message for the couple.
Then they scrunch it back up and throw it towards the camera.
Edited together, all those clips create the impression that every guest is throwing the same piece of paper to the next one.
You now have a wide choice of games, message formats and clever ideas for surprising the newlyweds. Which means you can be confident of making two people very happy indeed.