What Is an Interview Style Wedding Video? (And Why It Might Be Exactly What You Want)

Let me paint you a picture.

It’s two months after your wedding. You and your partner sit down to watch your wedding film together. The footage is beautiful, golden hour portraits, the first dance, the confetti exit. But then something else happens. Your grandmother’s voice fills the room. She’s talking about what it meant to watch you grow up. You had no idea anyone had asked her that. You didn’t even know she said it.

That’s when the tears start.

That’s what an interview style wedding film does. And it’s a big part of why I film weddings the way I do here in Nashville.

It’s Not About What Your Day Looked Like

Don’t get me wrong, the visuals matter. I care a lot about light, composition, and making sure your film is something you’re proud to show people. But visuals alone can only tell part of the story.

The part that makes people sob on the couch 2 months later? That’s the audio. It’s your dad’s voice. Your best friend saying the thing only your best friend would say. Your vows, your officiant’s words, the toast that had the whole room laughing and crying at the same time.

An interview style wedding video is built around those voices. Instead of a generic song carrying your highlight reel from start to finish, your film is brought to life by the people who actually know you and love you. That changes everything about what it feels like to watch it back. It typically makes me cry as I am putting it together.

How It Actually Works on Your Wedding Day

Before your wedding, we’ll have a conversation about who matters most to you. Who do you want woven into your film? Your parents? A sibling? Your college best friend? A mentor? You tell me, and I’ll take it from there.

On the day itself, I’ll pull those people aside throughout the day. Quietly, in between moments, without making a big production out of it. I’ll ask them a few simple questions. Nothing scripted or stiff. Just things like: what do you love most about this person? What do you want them to know? What does today mean to your family?

Most people don’t even realize how meaningful their answers are until they see them in the film.

Then there’s the audio that’s already happening around you. Your vows, the speeches, something your officiant said that made everyone lean in. I capture all of it, and it all becomes part of the story.

The result is a film that doesn’t just document your day. It explains it. You hear why everyone was there. You feel the love in the room in a way that footage alone never quite captures.

The Interview Station: A Whole Different Level

For one wedding, we took this a step further and set up a dedicated interview station during cocktail hour. Guests could walk up, sit down, and record a message for the couple. It could be well wishes, advice, memories, whatever was on their heart.

The result was something pretty special. The couple ended up with messages from people they hadn’t even thought to pull aside. Older relatives. College friends. People who are quiet in a crowd but had a lot to say when given the space to say it.

It’s not something we do at every wedding, it takes a little planning and the right venue setup, but if it sounds like something you’d love, it’s absolutely on the table. Just bring it up when we chat.

Story Sessions: The Part Before the Wedding Day

For couples who book both photo and video with me, there’s one more piece that I include.

It’s called a story session. Think of it like an engagement session, but instead of just getting photos, we’re building material for your film.

We’ll go somewhere that actually means something to you. A park you walk through together on weekends. The coffee shop where you had your first date. Your living room, if you’re the kind of couple who’d rather be home than anywhere else. I’ve had couples bring their dogs. Seriously, if your dog is a big part of your life together, they should be in your film.

Once we’re there, I’ll ask you questions. Some individually, some together. Things like: what are you most looking forward to about your wedding day? What do you love most about your partner that they probably don’t hear enough? What does your life together actually look like day to day?

You’d be surprised what comes out when you’re relaxed, in a place you love, with nobody watching except me and a camera you’ve already forgotten is there.

That footage and audio become part of your wedding film. So instead of your film starting on the morning of your wedding, it starts with who you two are before all the chaos begins. It gives the whole film a foundation, some context for why everything on your wedding day means what it means.

It’s one of those things couples don’t know they need until they see it in the final film.

The Camcorders (Yes, Really)

Here’s something a little different that I do, and couples genuinely love it.

On your wedding day, I hand camcorders to the couple and the bridal party. No instructions, no assignments. Just a camera and the freedom to point it at whatever they want throughout the day. Well thats a lie, Ill show you how to use it because its been a few years since we have used one lol.

What comes back is something I could never capture myself. The getting-ready chaos from inside the room. The groomsmen goofing off in the parking lot. A quiet moment between the bride and her mom that nobody else saw. Genuine, unfiltered, zero-pressure footage shot by the people who were actually living the day.

And you get all of it, every clip, all the raw footage — handed over to you along with your film. It’s yours to keep, rewatch, and laugh at forever.

It sounds simple, but it adds a whole other dimension to your wedding film. There’s something about footage shot by your best friend on a camcorder that feels completely different from anything a professional camera captures. It’s messier, funnier, and somehow even more real.

What Couples Say When They Watch It Back

Almost every couple who gets an interview style film says some version of the same thing: “I had no idea they said that.”

There are moments that happen at your wedding that you’ll never be present for. You’re busy. You’re overwhelmed in the best way. You can’t be in every conversation at once. But I can. And when you sit down to watch your film and hear your mom say something she never would have said directly to your face, or your best friend describe your relationship in a way that floors you, that’s the thing you didn’t know you needed until you had it.

I’ve had couples tell me the words in their film hit harder than anything else from their wedding day. Not the dress. Not the venue. The voices of the people they love.

Is This Style Right for You?

If you want a wedding film that feels like YOU. That sounds like your people, captures your family’s humor, and preserves the words that were spoken on one of the most important days of your life, then yes, this is probably your style.

It works especially well for couples who:

• Care more about being present on their wedding day than performing for a camera
• Have family or friends they want to make sure are truly part of the film
• Want something they’ll still be watching and crying over in 20 years

If that sounds like you, I’d love to chat. I’m a Nashville wedding videographer specializing in documentary, interview-based films for couples who want the real thing — not just a beautiful version of it.

Let’s talk about your wedding →

Brandon Allan is a wedding photographer and videographer based in Nashville, TN, serving couples in Nashville, Charleston, and beyond.