Video games and guitars: How to DIY a save the date video

My husband and I saved about $200-300 because we learned how to DIY a save the date video. We thought it would be a waste if people got a paper save the date because most of those go in the garbage (Remember to Recycle). Who wants a koozie with our wedding date on it, anyway (I don't even want one for myself)? Ultimately, we wanted a video!

Here's how we did it…

Research

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We did a lot research to find out what was out there. Here are the highlights of what we found.

1. All things related to save the dates
2. Best example of save the date video
3. 8-bit save the date video
4. Compilation of save the date videos
5. Playful Paint Fight save the sate video
6. Commercial save the date video
7. Color fight save the date video

Equipment

1. I have a Go Pro, but not every one does.  You could also use a video camera or phone. focus on quality, if you can.
2. Any props needed for the video (see ideas in "What Clips Should We Include?" below).
3. A platform to edit and combine all of the video clips (see "Editing" below).
4. Upload site, we talk about this below in "The Big Reveal."

What Clips Should We Include?

I carry my camera all the time. Especially when we go on adventures. This video took about three months to gather footage. Don't let that scare you, though. I collected footage from our entire relationship to incorporate into the video. There was a clip from my birthday and one of our first dates. I kissed him and his reaction was the best.

I also created scenes with things I had always wanted to do with my husband, but had never done. I wanted to have a color fight, so I bought colored powder from Amazon and bribed my husband to do this with me. Even though he felt stupid at first, he got into it and loved it. Another clip in our video was us dancing at sunset by the ocean at one of our favorite beach spots. I put music on, turned on the camera and set it on a bench. We started dancing and after a few moments, it became natural and my husband got into it.

We both game. I love Elder Scrolls. I Googled how to download game clips, and download some really cool moments as we gamed together. I incorporated this into our video at the very end. Some people understood what it was, but Grandma thought another video started playing and didn't understand. Don't get offended, just know your audience. I put the clip at the end because I knew not everyone would get it.  

My husband plays guitar and he loves to write music. He wrote a song and recorded it for the video. I even incorporated a blooper into the video just for the fun of it.

This video was a great bonding experience. You could go rock climbing, jet skiing, parasailing, walking around, watch fireworks, going to comic-con, vacation… the list is endless. Use your imagination and keep the camera running. Always carry a spare battery and extra memory card, too!

Editing

I used the Go Pro software, which was a nightmare. This took days to create because the program kept crashing. I had to keep uploading the video to YouTube anytime I wanted to view it. I cried and gave up on a daily basis. Luckily, my husband gave me pep talks and helped me. This was literally (not figuratively) the hardest part of the entire process. Even still today, there are things I would change, but everyone loved it and thought it was amazing!!

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There are so many platforms to choose from. Choose a platform that works best with the device you use to record the videos. Maybe your video camera or phone has software to use. If not, use Google, Amazon, and READ REVIEWS before you buy anything. I didn't pay anything for my software. Be careful of scams and viruses.

The Big Reveal

The second biggest challenge was how do I get this big file of a video to all of my guests? Email couldn't handle the file size. Facebook and YouTube made me nervous because I didn't want the video to get shared. We ended up deciding on YouTube as a private video. I had to invite the guests or share the link somehow. I shared it through a private Facebook group I created for guests. Everyone who wasn't on Facebook was sent a link through email or text. It was a little messy trying to get the link out to everyone. You could also use a file sharing tool like Dropbox or Google Drive. 

I hope this helped inspired you to create your own video. After all this talk, here is our video.

Are YOU creating a save the date or invitation video for your guests? Share your tips in the comments!