There could be a marriage care advantage to agreeing to a couple’s request to have their wedding filmed.

They will be able to review their big day and the promises they made, including the highlights of the message you preached. It will make an inspirational keepsake.

Check it out
It’s good to have an indication that the videographer is suitably qualified, for example has membership of a professional trade association like www.iov.co.uk. Make sure they’ve got all the necessary copyright permissions too. Their expertise, and yours, will ensure everything goes smoothly.

Get together
Contact the videographer (and photographer) before the wedding day. Spending a little time discussing the wedding can pay dividends in terms of good order on the day. The wedding rehearsal can be the ideal time to get together.

In your face?
Advanced light enhancing technology means that you don’t have to be in people’s faces to film close up. Professional videographers will be able to suggest camera positions for maximum visual quality and minimum intrusion.

Under your feet?
If Hollywood is coming to film, expect miles of cabling. But for a wedding filmed for personal use, built in batteries are standard on modern cameras. So tripping up is less of an issue.

How many cameras are too many?
It’s not unusual to have three cameras film a wedding. Most professional videographers will aim to have two cameras in church to get a good range of close ups and ‘whole congregation’ shots.

What about sound?
A professional videographer can make sure the sound is captured without interfering with the church’s PA system.

How much?
Making sure the videographer has professional qualifications is one way of making sure the couple isn’t overcharged. Any facility fee your PCC charges should be clear and reasonable. You may spend an extra hour on the extra liaison required for videography. In this case you could reasonably charge £30. But it’s your judgement to charge it or waive it. A performing musician can charge more if the wedding is recorded according to their association guidelines. But they can waive this as a gift to the couple if they wish.

Consent to be filmed, and children
In line with their code of practice, a professional videographer is required to issue a contract to the couple to sign. By signing the consent clause within it, couples will state that everyone in the service (participant or guest) has agreed to be recorded. In the case of choirs, churches can in addition ask parents of junior choir members to sign a release/consent form - just as schools do annually to cover photo and video coverage during the year.

In case of difficulty
Professional trade associations such as www.iov.co.uk back up their code of practice with a free arbitration service - to members and their clients - in case of dispute.