We're a photography and film studio, so you might expect me to say you need both a wedding photographer and videographer. I'll try to be fair: there are weddings where photography alone is perfect. But there's one thing I hear again and again from couples years later, and it's worth knowing before you decide.

What photographs do best

A photograph stops time. It's the image you'll frame, print in an album, look at for a few seconds every day without thinking. It captures light, faces, details, the composition of a moment that lasted a fraction of a second. Photography is the heart of our work, and the first thing we'd tell you to book.

What only a film can keep

Voices. Your vows, your father's speech, your best friend's terrible joke, the laugh of a grandmother. The sound of the waves under the terrace, the music at the first dance. Movement: the way you walked down the aisle, the way your guests jumped on the dance floor. These are things a photograph can suggest but not hold.

The most common regret

Surveys of married couples keep finding the same thing: very few regret hiring a photographer, while not having a film is one of the most frequent regrets. In our experience it's usually about one moment, the speeches or the vows, and about people who are no longer there to hear.

When photography alone is enough

• A very intimate elopement, where you want the lightest possible presence.
• A tight budget, where you'd rather have the best photographer than two average services.
• Couples who are genuinely uncomfortable with being filmed. It happens, and it's fine.

Why one wedding photographer and videographer team makes life easier

When the photographer and the videographer come from the same studio, they plan the day together, they know where each other will stand and they don't compete for the same spot during the vows. The photographs and the film share the same taste, the same colors, the same way of seeing. And you only have one contract, one timeline and one person to call.

What to ask for a film

• How long is the film? A short film of a few minutes, or a longer edit with the full ceremony and speeches?
• Is the sound recorded properly, with microphones for the vows and speeches?
• Are aerial images included, and are they allowed at your venue?
• How do they work alongside the photographer?

See our wedding photography and our wedding films, for example Renee & Tino's film at Villa Erba. And if you're deciding, write to us: we'll tell you honestly what we think your day needs.