Amy & Bobby

You've seen their trailer, now you get to enjoy Amy and Bobby's highlights montage!

Amy & Bobby from Vanessa McKellar Productions.com on Vimeo.

Getting ready location: Hilton Dallas/Rockwall Lakefront
Church: First Baptist Church of Heath
Reception: Culpepper Steakhouse
Cakes: Tart Bakery

Amy said, "Thank you for everything you did on our wedding day! You guys were SO AMAZING and I was glad you were there while we were getting ready; you were such a help! You went above and beyond "wedding videographer" for sure, lol! Bobby and I both said many times after the wedding how glad we are that we chose you to video the wedding!"

Erika & Phil in Super 8

Get ready for some yummy vintage Super 8 goodness! Erika and Phil invested in Super 8 coverage of their wedding, and boy are we all happy with how it turned out! The aesthetic fits their day so perfectly- warm, natural, and intimate. One thing I like about this medium is that it's not necessarily a perfect documentation of events- it's more about the "feel" of the event. It's evocative and emotional.

Brent found this song a while ago, and we've been waiting a long time for the perfect event to edit it with. And I think you'll agree that this wedding is it. To me this is the perfect marriage of song and image.

Erika & Phil in Super 8 from Vanessa McKellar Productions.com on Vimeo.

Our Wedding: The Engagement Pictures

Brent and I got engaged in October of '06, so it was about this time three years ago that we had our engagement photos taken by Casey Benson. I think engagement photos are sort of a rite of passage for every engaged couple, and it's one of the first official things you do as "fiance's". It's crazy to look back and see how we're already starting to look so young in these photos. The session was such a blast, and Brent was a great sport. He was able to be sweet and formal, and also silly and crazy. Here are just a few of our favorites.

As you can see, he makes me laugh.

The one on the left was used for our announcement, and the one on the right was used for our amusement.

This one won a WPPI Accolade of Excellence award.

In retrospect, Brent and I really wish we would have hired someone to make a Love Story for us. I love the story of how me met, and it would be so special to have all that recorded for posterity. A Love Story, plus these photos, would be a perfect documentation of the beginning of our life together.

Kim & Josh

Kim and Josh had a fabulous wedding out at The Villa, and today I have their highlights to show you. Kim is one of those gals that oozes personality and energy, so needless to say the event was lots of fun. Two of the big highlights occurred at the reception, where each couple in the wedding party made their entrance to a different song with unique choreography. Then, for the father/daughter dance, Kim and her dad broke out a fantastic choreographed routine for everyone's entertainment. Another thing I liked about this wedding was that they opted to do a first look. (During which they played their favorite song in the background, which I think is a great idea.) So we got to galavant around the Villa grounds and have some fun before the formalities began.

Check it all out!

Kim & Josh from Vanessa McKellar Productions.com on Vimeo.

Location: Villa di Felicita
Photographer: Alex M Photography; you can see his pics of the wedding here
DJ: CMB Music Productions

Kim said, "I just got wedding video in and it was great surprise. I watched it and it was amazing, I loved it! It was so incredible!"

Camera, Action, LIGHTS!

I've been wanting to write this post for, well, years now. It's about something that is very near and dear to a wedding filmmakers heart: lighting. I don't think I can overemphasize the importance of having nice lighting at your wedding reception; it dramatically affects the appearance of your wedding video.

If you are having an evening reception, there are two routes you can take to add more light to the event: have your DJ provide it, or hire a lighting company. Let's talk about the first option.

I love doing weddings with CMB Music Productions because Casey always brings lighting for the dance floor (which is included but optional). It's called a 4 effect dance light, and it's LED so it can change colors and move to the beat of the music playing. It can add lots of interest and energy to the dance footage. If you're having a DJ, definitely look for one that offers this service.

Casey also offers other services that I believe are well worth the investment. He can add a 3D laser that is used with a haze machine (which creates a thin layer of smoke) for $50, and you can see this in action in Davi & Jonathon's trailer. And for a neat personal touch he can do monogram projection on the dance floor ($150- $225), which looks like this:

This monogram is from April and Ben's wedding, and I love how it enhances the first dance.

So now lets talk about things that a dedicated lighting company can do for you. First we have uplighting (which Casey does offer for $200 to $1000). This allows the walls of your reception space to be washed in your color of choice, oftentimes your wedding colors. (FYI, I've read that the most flattering light color is coral.) It creates depth to your wedding images, because you see the subject in the foreground but also color and lighting in the background, so you always have two layers of interest. Next we have pinspot lights on the centerpieces, wedding cake, and other details. I love this because it really highlights all the beautiful flowers that you've spent so much money on. Everything just seems to glow and sparkle. Plus, your guests will be able to see each other's faces as they eat and talk.

Here is a still frame from Megan and Mark's wedding footage. It gives you an idea of what pinspotting can do for the centerpieces- see how they pop? Plus, it enhances the shiny tablecloths and the glassware. In this picture you can also see the blue uplighting on the wall.

And lastly, there's the lighting for the dance floor and band. Since this is where the majority of the action is going to take place, I recommend you start here and then add the other lighting as your budget permits. For recommendations on lighting companies, you can talk to your coordinator or venue.

There are several things to notice in this still frame, also from Megan and Mark's reception. See how her hair has all those colorful highlights, and the sequins on her shirt sparkle green, and her skin glows? I also like how you can see the blue in the background that contrasts with the warm colors in the foreground.


This is by no means an exhaustive overview on lighting. The main thing I want to convey is that the more light, color, and interest you have at your reception, the more beautiful and dynamic your video will be.

You can also check out this post to learn more lighting lingo.

And click here to see some truly breathtaking event lighting.

Stephanie & Michael

When you edit a wedding video, you become pretty familiar with your subjects by the time it's complete. You've seen their face and the way they interact with each other dozens and dozens of times over and over. And I gotta say, after editing Stephanie and Michael's wedding, Brent and I were totally impressed. They had both been married before and so they both had two children each, and we got to witness how this new family got along. It was very endearing. With the sweet smiles, the tender hugs, and the happy tears between parents and children, and the mushy kisses and long gazes between the bride and groom, this whole wedding day just oozed love. I'm so happy that they found each other and that they have created such a happy family for their kids.

Stephanie & Michael from Vanessa McKellar Productions.com on Vimeo.

Stephanie said, "Wow, I cannot believe how much I forgot about that night. This video has brought tears to my eyes every time I have watched it. What an emotional day that was captured perfectly. I cannot thank you enough for putting so much effort into our wedding. The feelings we had that day showed clearly and we relive those feelings over and over."


PreCeremony Location: Stag Leap B&B
Photographer: Alex M Photography

First Look- First in My Book

If there is one thing I can recommend to make your wedding day go smoother and be even more enjoyable, it would be to have a "First Look" (also known as "Reveal" or "First Glimpse"). For those of you that don't know, it's when you and your groom see each other before the ceremony, and have a special moment together, then get most of your formals out of the way.

Brent and I chose to do this for our big day, and I really can't speak highly enough of it. The simplest way for me to explain it is that you get two really amazing moments of seeing your groom- once in your first look, and then again when you walk down the aisle. Both times for me were beautifully emotional and the walk down the aisle was no less significant because I'd seen him earlier. Here's a photo from our first look:

(by Casey Benson)

But the real reason I'm writing this post is to point you to another thorough and better-written blog post that explains the ins and outs and benefits of doing a first look. It's a four-part series by the very talented Alex M Photography and you can read it here. I can tell you, if you choose to do a first look, you won't regret it.