Two questions:

[Inari Saiga]

1. Is any special licensing required to film weddings?

2. Do any of you use some kind of waiver to protect yourself that basically says ... your satisfaction is not guaranteed. we will deliver a high quality product, but, as with all live events unexpected things can and do happen. etc. etc.

...or something to that effect.

[Chris Hurd]

1. No, but there are some organizations / associations out there that will gladly take your money in exchange for granting you "certification," should you feel like you need a piece of paper that says you do what you do. In my opinion you'll get a much better "certification" process for free simply by being an active member of this community through learning from and sharing with your fellow forum members here.

[Jason Robinson]

Originally Posted by Inari Saiga

1. Is any special licensing required to film weddings?

2. Do any of you use some kind of waiver to protect yourself that basically says ... your satisfaction is not guaranteed. we will deliver a high quality product, but, as with all live events unexpected things can and do happen. etc. etc.

...or something to that effect.

No certs required, unless you live in a communist / controlling city / town that requires film permits for private occasions (no permits should be required, but that depends on where the wedding is being held... public park might be different and require a use permit). In CA things are very very different than most other states.

I do have language that says something to the effect that weddings are un predictable and I'll capture what I can, weather permitting. I also say that all of the final product is at the sole discretion of me.... and the only part they have any input on is spelling corrections should I mess up someones name or a word some where in the title work.

[Mark Von Lanken]

[QUOTE=Inari Saiga;907389]1. Is any special licensing required to film weddings?

[QUOTE]


Hi Inari,

Chris is right, you can learn a lot by being active here. I would stay away from anyone who promises you more business just because you are certified by them. Brides have not heard of any of the companies that offer certification, so it doesn't mean anything to them if you are certified or not. What "certification" does it take money out of your pocket and put money in the certification companies pocket.

There is a local video association in Seattle, which is only about 2 hours from Portland. You should check out their website and pay them a visit. http://www.pevanpro.com/20696_4303.asp

When we were first getting started our local video association was very helpful to us and I highly recommend checking out Pevan. Tell Chris and Laura Randall I said hi.