Now, thanks to modern technological advances, the typical photo slideshow has been revamped. Couples can now choose from three fresh, innovative takes on the classic.

INVITATION MONTAGE Want your wedding to be unique? Why not start with the invitation. One of the hottest new options in videography is creating a movie teaser about your wedding and sending the DVD as the invitation or save-the-date. “This is definitely a growing trend among couples who are interested in doing something fun and different,” says Marc Smiler of Marc Smiler Video Artist (888-860-0110; thevideoartist.com), whose company is based in Manhattan and Philadelphia. “With a video invitation, the couple can show their personalities and express their love for each other, while getting guests excited for their wedding. It has more of a wow-factor compared to a magnet or paper invitation.”

The invite is designed like a movie trailer, and gives couples endless options to personalize their message. The DVD’s customizable menu has an “info” page, an “email us” page for guests to RSVP online, an “additional photo montage page,” and a “play again” option.

SAME-DAY MONTAGE If a photo montage is not your style, why not show highlights of your wedding at the reception. With this new service, called same-day edit, videographers and an editor follow the bride and groom from getting ready in the morning to the wedding ceremony. The editor then takes the raw footage and edits it down to a five- to seven-minute montage that can be shown at the reception.

“This is becoming a very popular option for couples,” says Dan Bitcon of the Wayne-based Bitcon Productions (973-720-6600; bitconproductions.com). “We can show the couple and guests behind-the-scenes footage from the morning and various angles of the ceremony they might not have seen live.”

3D MOTION MONTAGES Three-dimensional motion pictures, once reserved only for commercials and television, are now stealing the show at several weddings. With a few magic clicks of a mouse, videographers can now take a plain picture, and turn it into an animated film. They can take a picture of the bride as a young ballerina and make her twirl around, and turn the groom’s high school graduation headshot into his debut as a racecar driver at the Daytona 500. “A montage featuring these animated shots can incorporate the wedding’s theme, tell a fictional or true story about the couple, or highlight the bride and groom’s interest and personalities,” says Smiler. “This is an excellent option for couples who aren’t happy with their photos, but still want to have a montage at their wedding.”