With the peak wedding season fast approaching I am in the process of creating and editing Slide Shows for our clients this year. Many of our clients have chosen to entertain their guests with slide shows and videos at their receptions. There’s no one way to do a slide show, and we’ve been fortunate to be able to provide our clients and their guests with slide shows and videos in a number of different presentations and packages. We offer simple traditional videos with basic motion and transitions and more advanced, sophisticated and dynamic effects that really take the slide show and video to the next level.
The playback of the slide show and video at a reception or event is often overlooked or taken for granted. The location, time of day, and space constraints or options of your venue can have a dramatic effect on the enjoyment and experience your guests have of your video. We offer a number of solutions to make sure the video has the best impact and achieves the full reaction you are expecting from your guests. Whether the video is broadcast on Flat Panel Monitor(s) or using a projector and screen for a larger than life image size we can help and provide the right equipment for the service. We have both traditional and short throw projectors so we can create a large image onto a screen even in tight spaces.
One of the first questions we’ll ask our clients is what type of slide show they would like. Meaning, do they want a video of photos and/or video clips to be set to music and used as a feature and focus during the reception. This type of slide show is really great to show your guests photos of your family friends, childhood, and special moments of your life and to tell a visual story of how and when you met and to share your experiences together from the point you met each other to the special day of your wedding.
Another popular use of slide shows and videos is to have photos and video clips looping on a screen or monitor somewhere at your reception venue. This is a nice alternative option for a few different reasons. The first is that you are then free to loop and play as many photos as you like. The second is that it provides another source or form of entertainment for your guests. What a great way to learn about someone! A guest can take a few minutes and watch and learn about you or remember and reminisce about their special times with you.
Another fun and unique way to use video and slide shows is during the special occasions and dances during a wedding reception. Last September we had clients allow us to create a slide show to play during their first dance. For this video we used photos from their engagement photo session and it provided a beautiful backdrop during their first dance. We also created video memory slide shows for both the father/daughter dance and the mother/son dance. This was a very powerful moment and the reaction of the client, their parents and the guests was unbelievably moving.
I’ve had the opportunity to entertain for hundreds of couples and I always wonder what goes through someones mind as their sharing that special dance with their father, mother, or son or daughter. It was amazing to see in photos and images, set to music, what DOES go through their eyes as they share that special moment. For them to share that moment with each other and to be able to communicate it to their guests at the same time is something amazing and unforgettable!
We’ve also used videos and slide show variations during introductions of the wedding party or bride and groom. A few posts in this blog prior to this piece you can watch Dayna & Ryan’s Engagement video. This video was used as their grand entrance and played for their guests after their wedding party was introduced and used to have them enter in a very emotional, energetic fashion.
So as you can see video and slide shows can really add a great deal of entertainment, emotion, and sophistication and fun to your special event. If you’re interested in adding this service to you event please contact us and we can put something together that is unique and perfect for your big day!

Below are a few different styles of slide shows and videos for you to sample.

Standard One Song Slide Show Used For a First Dance Backdrop

Chad & Linh's First Dance Video from Nathan Baker on Vimeo.

An Alternate “Active” Version of the Video Above to show the different possibilities we can provide you.

Linh and Chad's Active Engagement Slide Show from Nathan Baker on Vimeo.

Traditional Multi Song Slide Show Set To Music.

Traci & Scott's Wedding Slide Show from Nathan Baker on Vimeo.

A Father/Daughter Dance Video Montage

Banh & Linh's Father Daughter Dance Video from Nathan Baker on Vimeo.

Professional Wedding Photographer Photos Post Wedding Video Created by Fingerlakes Entertainment

Bryan & Meg, Esperanza Mansion, Kracke Photography from Nathan Baker on Vimeo.