You'll see "SDE" a lot when looking for wedding video services. It stands for Same-Day Edit. It's a different thing from a wedding highlight video: different situations, different crew, different preparation. This page explains the difference in plain terms.
What a same-day edit is
The morning preparations and the ceremony are filmed, then edited on site by the videography team, and the result is played during the reception a few hours later. Guests watch something that happened that same day, which makes for a great moment.
But an SDE needs at least one camera operator plus one editor on site, space to set up a computer, a venue that can play the file, and the result is limited in length and polish because there are only a few hours to cut it.
What a highlight video is
After the wedding, all the footage is organised and edited over a few weeks into a three-to-five-minute film: time to pick the best shots, match the music, add subtitles and grade the colour. It's more complete than an SDE and better suited to keeping and sharing for years.
How to choose
| Same-day edit | Highlight video | |
|---|---|---|
| When you see it | At the reception | A few weeks after |
| What it covers | Morning to ceremony | The whole day, including the reception |
| Polish | Limited by time | Can be refined |
| Crew needed | Camera plus on-site editor | Videographer or guest footage, edited later |
| Best for | A surprise moment on the day | A complete keepsake |
If the budget allows, the two work well together: the SDE for the atmosphere on the day, the highlight video for the long term.
Which one Chipscat provides
We are an editing studio. We don't film on the wedding day, so we don't do same-day edits. What we do is post-event editing: you send us the footage from your videographer, or the clips your guests shot on their phones, and we cut a highlight video, a full-length version or a vertical short. For collecting guest footage, see can guest phone footage become a highlight video.
Growth videos and opening videos played at the reception are also post-production work, just finished before the wedding. See how long wedding video editing takes.
Frequently asked questions
We had no videographer, only guest clips. Can that become a highlight video?
Yes. Picture and sound quality are limited by the original clips; after seeing them we'll tell you what's achievable.
Our videographer already delivered a highlight video. Can Chipscat still edit one?
Yes. Common reasons are a different length, a different style, or adding guest clips the videographer didn't use. We need the original footage; a finished MP4 alone allows very little.
How long does a highlight video take?
It depends on the amount of footage and the number of versions. We give you an estimated timeline after assessing the material.
