Your wedding day is a once-in-a-lifetime experience; packed with laughter, tears and moments that can’t be forgotten and should be remembered in a way that best captures each other’s personalities and emotions. Having the proper wedding film style makes all the difference about how those memories are shared and recalled. Some dream of a cinematic wedding movie where each moment is carefully directed like a beautiful film. Others dream about documentary wedding films, a less formal and spontaneous style that captures things as they happen, preserving the real feelings and improvisational magic of the day.
In this article, The Los Angeles Videographers will explore the distinct approaches of cinematic and documentary wedding films, helping couples understand how each style tells a love story.
What type of Wedding Film?
#1 Choosing the Right Fit for Your Wedding Vision

Choosing the right wedding film style is really all about the kind of tale you envision for your wedding day. If you imagine your film as a cinematic and visually stunning piece of art, a cinematic wedding film could be the perfect fit. It turns your special day into a timeless production that feels like watching your own romance movie. Or, if you seek authenticity and want each laugh, tear and on-the-spur-of-the-moment captured just as it happened, a documentary-style film offers an honest and emotional recollection of your celebration. Through an understanding of your personalities, tastes and the feelings you want to relive, you can choose the perfect style that most accurately reflects the spirit of your love tale.
#2 Key Differences in Storytelling
In wedding films, storytelling format is where cinematic and documentary approaches diverge the most. Cinematic wedding films are reflective narratives. Each shot is carefully crafted with intent, often highlighting romance and grandeur of the day. Documentary wedding films focus on realism and spontaneity instead. They capture events as they naturally occur, emphasizing genuine emotions, honest exchange and the unadorned flow. While narrative films tell a story as if written, documentary wedding films let the story tell itself, preserving the raw moments that make your wedding truly special.
#3 How Each Wedding Video Style Preserves Memories Differently
Cinematic and documentary wedding films both film memories differently with each showing its own view of your wedding day. Cinematic films borrow moments from art, emotion is the focus, scenes recreated with dramatic flair and all of the hours compressed into a polished and feeling-filled story. It’s becoming swept up in a well-directed love story where every frame is intended to convey emotions and feelings. Documentary films preserve memory in the guise of fact as they capture the day exactly as it went down, the laughter, the small gestures, the surprise moments, giving a true and living glimpse that transports you back to the genuine feelings and atmosphere of your wedding.
The Los Angeles Videographers
The Los Angeles Videographers pride themselves on delivering more than just ordinary wedding coverage, we create a personalized experience that brings each couple’s unique love story to life.
Our wedding films capture the emotion, beauty and energy of your day, crafted with a creative eye to preserve every laugh, tear and celebration in breathtaking detail.
Reach out to let us create wedding films that you’ll treasure and share for many generations to come.