Weddings Summer 2012 > Planner

Milestone Video Productions

The videographers at Milestone capture a wedding using documentary-film techniques, but they avoid the on-camera interview, preferring instead to allow the event to unfold naturally. They have worked for clients including Ikea and Maybelline New York. From $1,595. (good value)

Milk & Honey Productions

Documentarians Zev Greenfield and Johnny Boston won’t use obtrusive lighting or interrupt party guests for interviews—unless asked to—and when it comes time to edit, they treat the footage like a movie, complete with cinematic perspectives and split screens. Their standard package includes six hours of shooting with a videographer and an assistant, plus a 40-to-60-minute feature film. From $4,750.

Montage Video

Award-winning videographer Lauri Batwin has been filming weddings for more than a decade. Her videos, which combine state-of-the-art digital cinematography with creative artistry. From $2,000. (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 $2,995.

Paper Tape Films

Paper Tape shoots entirely on Super 8 for motion-picture-quality films. All footage is edited at Fifty Foot Films, the parent company’s professional studios in Hollywood. Packages start at $3,000 and include a 15-to-45-minute ethereal film.

Pennylane Productions

This company, founded by Adam Forgione (who launched the business after getting married), produces wedding films with a focus on storytelling; the filmmakers’ work has won awards internationally. From $8,000.

Pureland Weddings

This Brooklyn-based team shoots in digital, but couples 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”; a video that feels like a mini-documentary chronicling your wedding day starts at $4,900.

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 $1,000 to $6,000. (good value)

Tim Alan Smith

Smith’s background as a magazine writer and standup 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 honored by the International Special Events Society in 2010, incorporates live audio and outtakes. From $2,000.

Tree of Life Films

This ecofriendly husband-and-wife team uses 100 percent recycled DVD packages, paperless e-contracts, and rechargeable batteries for their equipment. All films are shot in HD, but postproduction effects can give videos a vintage feel. Packages start at $3,000. (ecofriendly)

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 music videos for the likes of Tom Waits, Bruce Springsteen, and Phoenix) started the business with the goal of bringing a cinematic quality to the game. Standard packages are $3,200 and include a two-song music video of toasts and vows, a longer main-event film, 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 HD, 16-mm., and 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 schmaltzfree, short-format wedding films. He can do one-song films, three-song films, or longer, documentary-style films upon request. 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 artistic handheld effects. From $4,500.

From the Summer 2012 New York Wedding Guide