Photos freeze a moment, but video brings it back to life. The sound of vows, the nervous giggle before walking down the aisle, the cheers when the music starts – that’s the magic of wedding videography. Here, Western Australia Wedding & Bride’s Jessica Muller chats with Hayley Halamek, the owner of Hailstorm & Co., about how a wedding videographer can tell your love story frame by frame, turning one day into a memory you can feel again and again.
Hailstorm & Co. is a wedding videography business offering timeless, romantic and real-life story-telling films, enabling couples to relive their big day in glorious detail. “We specialise in videography, often connecting with similarly styled photographers to bring a warm, welcoming and comfortable experience for our clients,” Halamek says.
While booking a wedding photographer is an industry norm, videography can sometimes be overlooked with couples believing that one of the two is enough. Having previously worked as a full-time photographer before transitioning into videography, Halamek can attest that the two services offer very different experiences after the day. “Photography is great to capture a still moment in time, however videography is an investment that you learn is invaluable as time goes on,” Halamek asserts. “Not often do we have all our friends, family and most important people in one room together, and videography not only captures these moments, but it brings them to life with movement and sound.”
Setting The Stage
Before the big day, Hailstorm & Co. always has an in-person or video meeting with the couples to run through their timelines, so they know what to expect and what is expected of them. The team also liaise with other vendors to discuss the wedding day timeline to ensure everyone is on the same page. “This ensures there are no hiccups, that we are aware of potential changes or requirements needed, as well as ensuring we are all prepared for any unexpected situations that may arise and are ready to leap into action collectively,” Halamek explains.
“We bring all our gear to every wedding – as we never know what will unfold,” Halamek says. “We run on the philosophy of having back-ups for the back-ups, which has not failed us yet!” she adds. Unexpected challenges can sometimes arise, which can be weather related, time related or failures in equipment. “Through experience over the years we have learned how to manage communication with the couples, venue and other vendors to ensure that we are prepared. Communication with everyone on the day is the most important, to avoid finding ourselves in situations that cannot be managed efficiently,” she notes.
From Dawn To Dancefloor
“All weddings are different, and often the time we start on the day depends on the clients preferences for what they would like to view in their film after the day,” Halamek explains. “Many couples want to see their day relived in full, so we will often start at bride and groom prep before the ceremony, capturing all the little moments and details which will help create their story.”
Hailstorm & Co.’s typical day includes capturing all the big moments throughout the day, including the ceremony, family photo moment, portraits and cocktail hour, through to reception formalities and often finishing around thirty minutes after everyone has hit the dance floor. “We communicate with our couples about the time needed for each stage of the day, and what we can and can’t achieve in the allocated timings,” Halamek says. “We always allow thirty minutes before the ceremony to capture the real-life moments of guests arriving and the ceremony details,” she adds.
The Art Of Telling Your Story
The Hailstorm & Co. team prides itself on being known as “the king of the details”. The smaller details, from the rings, invites, flowers, memento items to the suits and dresses can often be overlooked on the day but end up being the most cherished. “These moments are what makes our films, as they help tell the whole story,” Halamek explains. “Our couples put a lot of thought, time and effort into ensuring their day is set up perfectly. It is a very big priority on my list to ensure I capture these moments. We include a lot of these moments in our films because their hard work deserves to be relived, and it’s one of the reasons why our couples choose us.”
“We try to keep a relatively good space between ourselves and our subjects that we are recording – this keeps the atmosphere natural and allows us to capture everything that is happening in real time,” Halamek says. “The only time we ask for some more intentional shots is during portrait hour, when we might wish to capture something specific to fit into the overall story – the rest of the day happens naturally and we are there behind the scenes capturing it as it happens,” she explains. “I, personally, am a run-and-gun shooter. I don’t use any fancy equipment that takes copious amounts of time to set up, as I much prefer being ready at any moment.”
The Magic Shots
Hailstorm & Co. prioritises capturing moments that can’t be rewritten. “They are often our favourite moments, and the best to look back on,” Halamek says. Her favourite moment is the kiss at the top of the aisle: “This is the moment that I see the most joy in our couples – that feeling of ‘we did it’ with your family and friends around smiling, clapping and in your corner,” she describes. Another favourite part of the day is the first looks, whether it be between the bride and bridal party, bride and dad, groom and grooms mum, or even couples and their fur babies. “These are the raw, real moments that no-one else sees apart from the people in the room – and we are so honoured to be a part of it.”
Videography allows for past moments to be brought to life again, with all of the little and often forgotten moments captured. ““Many of our couples have commented that they were unsure whether to get a videographer, but got one anyway just in case, and it was their best investment to date,” Halamek says. “You only have one opportunity to have your day captured, and we would be more than willing to work with you to help you preserve these memories for life!”
Image courtesy of Hailstorm & Co.