Laughter was the name of the game for this crowd, and what a fun and relaxed day it was. Stefani and Rob and their wedding party and family loved to be a little silly and let loose, and of course I always enjoy that. I made their highlights montage upbeat yet relaxed in order to really convey how it all felt. In it you'll see the antique hose that were worn by Stefani's grandmother decades ago, the beautiful chandelier crystals that were hung from the gazebo to catch the golden late afternoon light, and some other fun things like headbanging and little girls hamming it up for the camera.
Thanks Stefani and Rob for letting us capture it all!
My mom recently reminded me of these old circa 1994 sketches (I thought I was seven years old when I made them, but much to my chagrin it turns out I was 13), and I thought it would be funny to post them here on my blog. I consider it convincing evidence of my early fascination with all things wedding. They crack me up. I really remember them being much cuter than they actually are (although I think the top right one bears a striking resemblance to this BCBG dress.) I love how the bottom left one says the veil is "butt-length". And how painful is that heart cutout in the top left? And the headpiece for the sheath dress is quite ridiculous and screams early 90's.
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that I believe I chose the right profession. Vera Wang can heave a sigh of relief.
Special thanks to Alex M Photography for the images and the idea for this post.
Let me start by saying that this post isn't going to be downplaying photography or anything- I love photography and we love our wedding photos to death. But I just wanted to take a moment to highlight some of the differences between these two media, and I think a good way to illustrate that is with imagery from a recent wedding that Alex and I shot together. Davi and Jonathan wisely decided to have a first look before their ceremony, and I loved documenting it. This girl was so excited, it was adorable! And the groom was sufficiently nervous, which was also adorable.
Look at the series of Alex's photos below. They're great, skillfully shot with a good eye. They show what happened and they're truly a pleasure to look at.
Then watch the video below. The exact same events are portrayed, but there is a certain richness present, and I would like to think that you're left with a strong impression of the emotions of the moment. Video has 30 frames per second, so in a way you could say that this short clip contains 3,450 photos.
You get to see Davi turn around toward my camera and grin widely at me; she really couldn't contain her excitement. The "hide and seek" lyrics are a playful and subtle nod to the "reveal" concept. I love how we get to just follow alongside Davi as she walks toward her groom, with the bushes sliding past and the anticipation building. We get to see Jonathan inhaling nervously (in Super 8, which creates an interesting contrast to the crisp digital video). When he turns around you can hear Davi squeal. And then a few moments later you hear Davi exclaim, "We're getting married!" These are all things that video can offer and it makes me so thrilled to be able to use this amazing medium to capture and present people's most cherished moments. Not to mention how important these moments will be in 20 or 50 years to future generations. Really, just imagine being able to watch your grandfather horse around with his best buddies, or your grandmother hug her mom as a little girl for the last time. Priceless.
*Update: I just received this heartwarming email from Davi. I think she really "gets" video so I wanted to share it here:
"We received the DVD tonight and just finished watching it. I don't even know what or how to say what I am feeling. It was absolutely the best decision we made about the whole day. I cannot believe how you captured our special moments and such thought went into the music and special effects. I loved loved loved the video. Vanessa, you have such an amazing talent...we literally got to see the wedding from another point of view and it was amazing. Also, with my obsessive personality (haha) I have been really stressing and having a hard time letting go the fact that I got sick in the middle of the wedding and that we missed some of the pictures because of it. You put my mind at ease....everyone really had a good time and I don't even think you could tell I was sick!
Thank you so much for all you have done. I wish I could say something more effective or witty and clever....I am just literally so happy right now all I can think of is "thank you." I cannot wait for my children's children to watch it, and to know that my precious parents and grandparents will forever be preserved on that little round piece of plastic made by you is priceless."
Mary Margaret and Jeff had a beautiful holiday-themed wedding and reception in Longview, Texas. These two were so sweet, and so excited to be married. You can tell just by looking at their faces as Mary Margaret walks down the aisle- it was very precious. And I suspect Mary Margaret's sister's were nearly as excited as she was! I think it's so cute how they kiss each other other on the cheek when the bride and groom have their kiss at the altar. The festivities continued with a night of dancing and fun, and ended with the most adorable getaway.
Mary Margaret said, "Everybody that has seen the video RAVES about it! :) Thank you! Jeff said to tell you he loves it. We showed it to all of our family and relatives and have gotten a lot of messages back from people saying how much they enjoyed the video...thank you for all of your hard work. You've really brought a lot of joy to a lot of people with the trailer. Also, I just wanted to say thank you for being there and capturing all of these sweet moments without me really even noticing. I was so stressed out that day before the wedding, but you caught all of these beautiful shots and I'm just very thankful to have such happy, beautiful memories on video. Thank you, thank you!"
Hello! I'm a wedding filmmaker, happy wife, and soon-to-be mom who loves all things wedding related. Inspired by bridal and wedding details, this blog captures those precious moments and behind the scenes of fabulous wedding filmmaking.
Then watch the video below. The exact same events are portrayed, but there is a certain richness present, and I would like to think that you're left with a strong impression of the emotions of the moment. Video has 30 frames per second, so in a way you could say that this short clip contains 3,450 photos. 
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