How to end?
 

Just finishing up a wedding edit and the gears are turning-how do you end your wedding videos? In the film world, the story finds some resolution and can fade to black, but in the wedding world there isn't any sort of closing element other than the couple driving away. Any thoughts?

I usually do a highlight video. But aside from that, you could put on some music overlay when they are getting in the car. Time it up so that the music ends when you fade to black. That creates resolution.

Boy, you stay until the bitter end!

We usually leave around midnight when the reception is still going strong, so I get them to give each other a kiss and wave bye bye to me while they are dancing (or something like that). Make a nice ending shot.

Mike - I like to do a reprise of the day for the final minute of the vid. Lots of short cuts and a strong closing shot (like a kiss). Find a good song that brings it home.

Art

I usually end with credits and a background song (outakes in a small box). I finish the duration of the song with highlights and photos. I get a good response from doing that.

So far I've been able to stay until the couple leaves, so when they're about ready to make their way out, I start off 'Send me on my way' by Rusted Root (or another song that works). After they drive off and I do the 'fade to black,' I show the exterior of the church with a title of the church name and city... do the same for the reception area and then the 'wedding party' credits.

totally depends on what happens on the day.

Had one couple where the bride went to recording studio for her hen party and they played the CD, The bride and her brides maids all got up and sang in a circle. Jumped in with the glidecam right in the middle. Nice ending.

Another one I had a little chat with the couple at the end of the night and left the cam running. The groom said something nice about it being the best day of his life. Put that at the end but he was a little bit wasted and it didnt quite work. So took out the vid and just had a quote on the end credits with his words. Worked better.

just whatever works in their story.

I agree it depends on what you agreed too and what is happening, but usually I like to show the reception through a door or some kind of entrance way and then slowly fade to a closing graphic or black. Kind of the feeling that you went, you saw, you enjoyed, you left.

We usually like to book-end our films by doing a brief re-cap of some of the best shots, including ones that we save for the end that haven't been shown before (to end it with more impact). For me, you can't end it on the dancing footage b/c it just doesn't feel like it has the right resolution to the film.

The best way to end the film if you're asked to stay to the end (which we rarely are) is to follow the bride and groom out and don't do a recap since you rarely see "recaps" in Hollywood films...