Successful wedding videos - like really successful weddings - need to be well planned.

Pop in the video. Hit the 'Play' button. Up on the screen rolls a really wonderful production - with action, vivid color, stereo sound, and your favorite couple in starring roles. Rated G for Great.

There it is in all its splendor - your wedding. Laughter, tears, love and joy. Something to play over and over.

A properly made wedding video is one of the most delightful ways to relive the action of your wedding day.

And there's another benefit: "Videos aren't just for the bride and groom," says John Conn, owner of dotConn Productions Videography in Palmer. "They're also for the parents, grandparents and, most importantly, your children. My four year old just saw my wedding video for the first time and she was enthralled."

Successful wedding videos - like really successful weddings - need to be well planned.

To do things properly, hire a professional. The shaky footage Uncle Henry heroically shoots with his camcorder may save you money, but it will leave you with far more regrets than fond memories.

Happily, you don't need to bring in Spielberg or MGM. Many Alaskan companies produce excellent, affordable wedding videos. And the gear they use is first-rate.

Rapid advances in production equipment - particularly in digital video technology - mean great images, excellent contrast, brilliant color, quality stereo sound and, significantly, super-sharp copies.
Shooting with natural light now yields exceptional pictures. There's rarely the need for distracting spotlights perched precariously around the wedding party.

Discrete wireless microphones allow easy recording of close-up audio. Multi-channel sound recording is simple, giving more editing choices.

Computer-based video editing systems permit fast, creative assembly of the footage into fine bits of storytelling - you can afford your own little documentary - including, if you want, sophisticated graphics, titling and special effects.

"A good videographer handles complex technical issues, yet produces something entertaining and elegant," says John Conn. "He has a knack for art."

To get a video you'll love for decades you need to be heavily involved in the planning. Think of yourself as a producer.
Here are some of the things to work out in advance with your videographer (a few also in conjunction with the minister or other officiator):

• Decide the parameters. What will be shot in addition to the ceremony and the reception? Do you want footage of things like wedding preparations, guest arrivals, a brief history of your relationship?
  
• Discuss whether you want a highlights approach, a leisurely condensation or an every-moment depiction.
  
• Discuss the audio. What are the critical sounds you need heard up-close? What about the music and general ambience? One microphone on the camera is not sufficient.
  
• Decide what camera angles provide the best coverage without interfering with the ceremony. Never settle just for shots taken from behind the audience.
  
• Discuss how many cameras are needed and whether the camera crew can unobtrusively move around during the ceremony.
  
• Discuss taping shots of your guests, enhancing the video with the happy (and tearful!) faces of friends and family - and making them costars.
  
• Discuss how to get the best possible moments from the reception. Plan which activities, if any, might need to be restaged for close-up purposes.
  
• Decide if you'd like spontaneous on-camera greetings collected from guests and edited into the production. Many couples enjoy this feature.
  
• Discuss the editing, including the use of titles, graphics, and any additional music.
  
• Help coordinate the videographer's needs with the still photographer's needs. The two professionals can work well together - provided each knows what the other intends.

With your thoughtful input, the videographer can plan how to best record the actions, feelings, sounds and look of every important moment.

Then on the big day, you can focus on enjoying your wedding. You can forget about the videotaping and confidently let the experts take over.

"How can videos enhance wedding memories?" asks John Conn. "For many couples, they are the memories."

After you're married - especially since you'll likely experience the actual event in a happy blur - your video will let you really see the results of all your hard efforts.

Most importantly, time after time, you can sit back and joyfully share the memories just by pressing 'Play.'

One place to find out more about wedding videos is www.weva.com, the website for WEVA International, the Wedding and Event Videographers Association.