Love story video ideas for your wedding reception
How to tell the story of how you met in two or three minutes: formats that work, what to include, when to play it, and how we built Maya & Daniel's film.
A love story video, sometimes called a "how we met" video, plays at the reception and tells guests the story of the couple: how they met, the moments that mattered, and how they got to today. Done well, it's one of the most talked-about parts of the night. Here are the formats that work and how to make yours feel like the two of you.
Formats that work
1. The photo story
Your photos in order, from childhood to engagement, set to one song. Simple and familiar. The trick is to cut it to 3 minutes and to include the unflattering, funny photos too.
2. "His side, her side"
Each of you is interviewed separately about the same moments: the first date, the first fight, the proposal. Edited together, the differences are funny and the agreements are moving.
3. Friends and family tell it
The best man, the maid of honor and both mothers each tell one part of the story on camera or in a voice memo. Guests love hearing people they know.
4. Animated love story
Your real story, drawn or animated, with characters that look like the two of you. It works especially well for the moments nobody photographed: the first conversation, the night of the proposal, the long-distance year.
What to include
- The meeting. Where, when, and the first thing you noticed.
- One small detail only you two know. The misspelled name on a coffee cup, the inside joke, the song from the first car ride.
- One hard moment. Distance, a move, a difficult year. It makes the ending mean more.
- The proposal.
- A final shot that brings it to the room: a photo from today, or a title card with the date.
When to play it
- At the start of the reception, as the couple enters. It sets the tone for the night.
- After dinner, before the toasts. Guests are seated and paying attention.
- At the rehearsal dinner, for a smaller, more emotional audience.
Whatever you choose, keep it under 4 minutes, test the screen and sound in the venue beforehand, and tell your DJ or planner the exact moment it plays.
From our studio: how Maya & Daniel's film was built
Maya & Daniel is one of our sample films, and it follows exactly the structure above. It opens on one specific detail, a barista writing "Myah" on her cup, then moves through a note on a napkin, a road trip that broke down in Arizona, a long-distance year between Brooklyn and Chicago, and a jar that slowly filled with paper notes, before ending at the wedding. Each of those is one scene of about 15 to 20 seconds. The result runs two minutes, and the details are what people remember, not the big moments.
If you're making your own, write that list first: five small, specific moments, in order. Then find the photos, or the pictures, that go with them.
Want one made for you?
We turn your real story into an animated love story film made from your photos: the couple as characters, your moments as scenes, ready to play at the reception.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a wedding love story video be?
Two to four minutes. Long enough to tell the story, short enough that guests stay with it during the reception.
When do you play the love story video at a wedding?
Common moments are as the couple enters the reception, after dinner before the toasts, or at the rehearsal dinner.
What should be in a how we met video?
Where and how you met, one small detail only the two of you know, one hard moment you came through, the proposal, and a final shot that brings the story to today.