If you have volunteered or have been recruited to shoot your friend or cousin's wedding video and you're becoming alarmed because you've witnessed the blushing bride slowly, but surely transforming



into the dreaded "Bridezilla, " relax, take a deep breath and keep reading. Bridezillas are easy to tame when you know what is fueling their fire breathing and how easy it is to douse the flames.

A wedding is a production of monumental proportions. It's similar to juggling twenty or more balls in the air, knowing that if you drop just one ball, the entire production can become a catastrophic disaster.

Now that example may be over-dramatizing the situation. Think about it. When was the last time you could say that a wedding was actually a disaster.(that's the wedding...not the marriage.) Even when small (or big for that matter) things go wrong, they usually make for funny stories told to children and grandchildren around the family Thanksgiving table.

But, of course, those stories are funny because they're told from hindsight. At the time that the bride is planning the wedding of her dreams, every tiny detail is a matter of life and death. She's been dreaming about this day her whole life. She's rehearsed it in her mind, over and over. And make no mistake. She's definitely the star of this production. Trouble is, she has been imagining a perfect, finished production, without taking into account the coordination of all the details that go into making it right.

Since the odds are that she has had no prior experience with event planning, its easy for her to become overwhelmed when details within the numerous aspects seem to be going wrong and are out of her control. So this is the point when her skin begins to turn green, her teeth sharpen, her eyes bulge and her clothes transform into a shredded shirt and ripped purple pants.

You may be wondering what this has to do with your volunteer wedding video services. Well, you have a fantastic opportunity to tame this raging beast by showing her that she need not worry since you are a professional who has the wedding video under control. And you become a professional by knowing that shooting the wedding video takes more than just showing up at the wedding with your video camera. It requires getting all your wedding video production ducks in a row. This may sound complicated, but all it entails is a little planning where you:

Meet and communicate with the bride and all key participants

Gather and check all video equipment

Purchase sufficient videotape stock

Attend the Rehearsal

Arrive early for wedding

Stay focused

There is also plenty of information online that you can access to help guide you through the wedding video production process.

Just remember...fear, anxiety and stress come from not being prepared. If you prepare yourself the same way professional's do, you'll show the bridezilla that you are relaxed, confident and looking forward to capturing a once-in-a-lifetime event that she will treasure forever. Then watch her transform back into the beautiful blushing bride she always dreamed of being.