Weddings Winter 2011 > Planner

Montage Video

Award-winning videographer Lauri Batwin has been filming weddings for over a decade. Her videos, which combine state-of-the-art digital cinematography with creative artistry, incorporate interviews and stills to convey the emotion of your big day. From $2,500. (good value)

Open Eye Media Event Cinematography

These cinematographers are experts at blending into the wedding milieu, and they’ve shot events as far away as Mexico and Peru. Packages range from $4,500 to $7,500 and can include eight hours of coverage, two shooters, a full edit, and a website with a highlight reel.

Orange Films

Edward Zilberman has extensive experience working with athletes and movie executives. In the past, he has worked as a graphic designer and an art director (he once designed billboards for Times Square), so he’s a stickler for details such as color and typography. From $2,795.

Paper Tape Films

Paper Tape shoots entirely on motion-picture-quality film. All footage is edited at their parent company’s professional studios in L.A. Packages from $5,250.

Pennylane Productions

This forward-thinking company, founded by Adam Forgione (who launched the business after getting married himself), produces wedding films with a focus on storytelling; their work has won them awards internationally. From $7,000.

Pureland Weddings

This Brooklyn team shoots in digital, but brides seeking a retro vibe may request Super 8 film. An in-house animator offers customized title designs. Prices start at $1,800 for a bare-bones “recession package”; from $4,900 for a video that will feel like a mini-documentary chronicling your wedding day. (good value)

Robert Allen Videojournalist

Allen captures weddings with the classic techniques of documentary filmmaking while remaining as unobtrusive as possible—he promises to make his presence “completely transparent.” He shoots with both digital video and vintage Super 8 cameras, and will edit the day’s footage down to a tight 45-minute movie with both color and black-and-white imagery. From $3,800.

Seth David Cohen Video

This meticulous videographer’s thorough and artfully conducted interviews—visit his website for some hilarious excerpts—will draw out more than the usual “Congratulations!” They’re optional, depending on a couple’s wishes. From $2,000 to $6,000.

Tim Alan Smith

Smith’s background as a magazine writer and stand-up comedian makes him a storytelling pro, and he prides himself on his ability to catch fleeting details and humorous moments throughout the day. His work, which was recently honored by the International Special Events Society, incorporates live audio and outtakes. From $2,000.

Tony Arzt Video

Award-winning documentary filmmaker Arzt began his career at 20th Century Fox and left his corporate job to start his own business. He’s best known for his “low-key, low-light” wedding films and for shooting the nuptials of such big names as Rudy Giuliani and Jerry Seinfeld. From $5,000.

Tweed Weddings

“Strong advocates of Super 8 film and fly-on-the-wall style shooting” and “staunch opponents to cheesy wedding videos,” this company makes anti-wedding-video wedding films. MTV alum Louis Sparre (who’s done videos for the likes of Tom Waits and Phoenix) started the business with the goal of bringing a cinematic quality to the wedding-vid game. Standard packages are $2,000 and include a ten-minute montage, three DVD copies of all main events, and complete raw footage of the day’s proceedings.

Valerie Barnes Videography

Barnes gets her best shots when guests don’t know she’s there; she aims for subtlety and discretion. Her As You Are package includes four video options for a twenty-minute film that layers images, wedding footage, printed text, Super 8 film, and a soundtrack; she takes on a limited number of weddings per year to ensure maximum service. From $4,200.

Video Classics Productions

Video Classics has been shooting weddings for almost 30 years; the company’s videographers favor a soft-lighting method to flatter their subjects and add nuance and drama to the proceedings. From $1,900. (good value)

Wedding Video Image

These videographers use a documentary style that begets candid footage and modern feel. The team can also incorporate still photos into a video montage upon request. From $1,295. (good value)

Well Spun Weddings

This company employs Super 8 film and soundtracks that could feature anything from ragtime to Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind.” Founder Jon Gangwer started the company shortly after his own nuptials with the intention of offering schmaltz-free, short-format wedding films. From $1,600. (good value)

Wilson Fontaine Vignettes

Fontaine, who’s been documenting weddings since 1999, is best known for her Super 8 films, which have blurred outer edges, evocative close-ups, flickering black-and-white or subdued color palettes, and artsy handheld effects. From $4,500.

Worker Bee Designs

Worker Bee mastermind Jessica Lysons, who compares her work to espresso (“all good stuff, no filler”), films weddings with a super-silent Super 8. She believes that the old-school camera’s jumpy, scratchy black-and-white aesthetic heightens the element of romance; the design-savvy clients who book her agree. From $4,000.

From the Winter 2011 New York Wedding Guide