Create Your Own Wedding Montage

All you need to create your own montage are :
- photographs (in soft copy) ;
- videos (optional) ;
- your preferred wedding music/song; &
- Video Editor (Windows Movie Maker is one and it comes free with every Microsoft OS)

Now are you sure you don't have the tools?

STORYBOARD
Start with an idea of how you want to present your montage. A very common but evergreen example is this, show photos/videos in this order :
i) Groom's pic from young
ii) Bride's pics from young
iii) Courtship pictures
iv) Bridal photos (indoor/outdoors)

SELECTING PICTURES
Some couples may have tons and tons of pictures. And it is a big headache deciding which to use and which to put aside.

To make the selection process easier, couples should bear the storyboard in mind. Using the above storyboard as an example, you should keep to a range of 5-10 pictures for each phase of your story.

One thing to note in selecting photos : Refrain from selecting all photos/videos that shows ONLY the wedding couple. Do include pictures that shows your relatives and friends as well. This will make watching the montage more interesting for your audience.

SELECTING MUSIC
Selecting appropriate music for your wedding video montage is not difficult. Just bear the following in mind:

Fast Songs
+ : catchy, lively, cheers up the atmosphere
- : difficult to sync with pictures, more work, usually not in line with a wedding themes

Slow Songs
+ : syncs easily with romantic theme, easy to "blend" pictures and music together
- : can be boring

Recommendation
Slow songs are a safe bet. But make sure it is kept to a playing time of between 3-5mins. Anything longer is likely to be a bore.

It is good if the couple has a love song that represents/identifies with their romance/courtship. Use it! Am sure it will be especially meaningful.

If you are still clueless on what songs to use, check out some great samples here.

For novices, there is no better software to use than Windows Movie Maker that comes free with every Windows platform. It is very easy to use, just drag and drop.

Here are the easy steps:
1. Choose the storyboard view
2. Drag and drop your selected song/music into the timeline
3. Drag and drop photos in the sequence you want
4. Apply the effects/transitions you like into/between pictures
5. Add an opening title before your first picture
6. Add any titles you want in between
7. Add your ending credits/title

Things to note:
1. When using transitions, use fanciful transitions sparingly.
2. The best transition that brings out the romantic feel are fade, cross-fade and pan zoom.
3. If you have the budget (abt US$30+), you can purchase interesting transitions and effects to spice up your montage.
PS: Again, it's nice to have some, but use them sparingly. It's a case of where you have none, it is boring. If you use just the right amount of effects, wa-la!

Check out the Painting Stand Effect in Sean & Lynn's video below. That effect was bought here.

FINALLY...
Just export your creation to the medium/format of your choice and AND YOU ARE DONE!

PS: One popular form of showcasing your montage is to publish it on a personalised wedding website.

Have a WONDERFUL time creating your own WEDDING MASTERPIECE !!