You can have both
We live in California. With a huge percentage of our community having Spanish as their first language, we don’t want to ignore the fact that multiple languages exist in so many day-to-day interactions of life. We see ads, commercials, and pamphlets everywhere that are either partially or fully translated into both English and Spanish. We want to make sure that every bride and groom can fully enjoy their wedding video with their friends and family so that no one feels left out.
Don’t ignore your guests
We’ve been to weddings where the ceremony vows are repeated in both Spanish and English. Or where they’re just said in Spanish. Or they’re only repeated in English but we know that there are several family members who only speak Spanish and don’t get to experience the moment to its fullest. We’ve also been to weddings where the DJ/MC announces everything in just Spanish including the Grand Entrance, dismissing the food tables, and announcing dances or cake cutting.
And of course we’ve been to weddings where a groomsman, bridesmaid, father, mother, or other friend makes a speech in either just Spanish or Spanish and English, translating as they go, or just English. In any case, there are MANY weddings we’ve been to where some or all of the guests aren’t quite able to understand what’s going on and either lose focus or interest, miss a joke, or feel just plain left out.
Just get subtitles
But with a wedding video, as a re-run on your wedding, we don’t have to leave anyone out! We have a super simple option called subtitles that fixes ALL of those problems instantly! Now everyone can participate, everyone can laugh (at the right times), and everyone can understand what’s going on. By adding subtitles to your wedding video, you’re going the extra mile for your guests, you’re planning long-term for your friends and family (and perhaps kids?!) to be able to enjoy your video, and you’re uniting all your loved ones together by making them all feel special and important. Today, for the sake of clarity, we’re just focusing on Spanish and English subtitles, but this concept could apply to any second language!
Should I get subtitles for MY wedding video?
Here are 5 questions you should ask yourself to help you determine if you should think about getting subtitles on your wedding video:
- Do I have family members who don’t speak English?
- Do I plan on saying my vows in just Spanish?
- Does my spouse-to-be have a different first language than I do?
- Will I be asking one or more people to give a wedding toast in Spanish?
- Would my friends and family on social media appreciate subtitles in English or Spanish for part or all of my wedding video?
If you said YES to any or all of the questions above, then you definitely need to consider requesting subtitles for part or all of your wedding video! Let’s assume that English is your first language…with that we have:
Four ideas on how to incorporate subtitles
- Request English subtitles for select Spanish vows and toasts from your highlight video
- Request Spanish subtitles for the entire highlight video that’s in English
- Request Spanish or English subtitles for a portion of your ceremony video
- Request Spanish or English subtitles for a portion of your toasts video
It might be a small step, but it sure goes a long way for your family and friends who can watch and re-watch your wedding video with you and laugh and cry with you over the special moments of your day. Ask your videographer about subtitles for your wedding video, whether you’re about to get married or already got married and want to go back and add some on!
Sample of English subtitles
Take Adrian and Rosario for example. We love the toast that Rosario’s dad made for their wedding, and we loved being able to incorporate it into their film without interrupting the experience because of the language barrier. For this particular wedding we didn’t translate the wedding vows, but that’s always an option as well! Read all about Adrian and Rosario’s wedding and watch their beautiful film titled, “Forever and Ever” in the true custom Evermoore style!
To see how we added English subtitles for the father-of-the-bride’s speech, watch here:
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