Candice and Alex were married under a huge tree, next to a shining lake on a windswept afternoon. It was a beautiful wedding for two beautiful and kind people. Really, Candice and Alex were one of the sweetest couples we've had the pleasure of working with. They just radiated friendliness and made Brent and me feel so welcome. And their families were great too. Alex's mom wanted their wedding filmed so that she could show something at their reception in Connecticut several months later. I put together this highlights for them and was pleased to know that it would allow non-attendees to experience the day, and the love, as well.
Alex's Mom said, "Vanessa, thank you so much for such a beautiful job with the video. Gus and I just finished watching it. You are amazing. Your choice of songs were perfect. We absolutely loved every minute of it. You truly captured the spirit of the day. You are so talented. Thank you again."
Getting your hair and make-up done on your wedding day with your girls can be one of the funnest parts of your entire day, if you have talented people working for you. And if you don't, it can certainly be one of the most stressful. I know this.
First off I'll say that my make-up artist Jessica did a great job and I have no complaints there. But my hair stylist, that's another story. To make a long story short I didn't get a trial run with him (not that I didn't drive all the way to Dallas one afternoon in order to, but I digress.) So the day of the wedding I showed him my inspiration photo (which he had seen before, BTW) and he proceeded to make me look like Farrah Fawcett in the 70's. I wanted a kind of natural looking almost "hippie-esque" wave, and he made these horrible huge feathery curls. Really it was atrocious and I was becoming increasingly appalled.
So then in steps my savior, aka my sister Nicole. She had to literally tell this guy step by step how to style my hair. He would curl it and then try to brush it out and Nicole would yell, "Stop! Don't touch it!!" I'm laughing now but at the time...not so much. So finally we get it acceptable. I think it looks pretty decent in the pictures below. (I'm showing those pics primarily because they show my hair the best, but also because I think it's a funny progression. Mary offered to feed me yogurt, and then we laughed about how ridiculous it was, then I saw that our photographer [Casey Benson, he took all of these] had taken pictures and I threatened him lest he make me look like a bridezilla. But I digress.)
I wore my hair down because that was what Brent liked the most, and for that I'm glad I wore it that way. However, I did have an outdoor, Texas reception and so as the day wore on it just became progressively more unkempt looking. I think if I had it to do over I would have worn it in an updo. But more importantly, and this is the moral of the story, I would have insisted on a hair trial. But this is just my experience, and it's the worst I've heard. I don't recall hearing many of my brides complaining about their hair, so maybe either I'm super picky or I picked a super unskilled stylist.
I have one more important tip to share with you. Brides, take note. Half-way through your reception, steal away to the bathroom with a little make-up and check yourself in the mirror. I went to the restroom right before our getaway and I remember looking in the mirror and being so surprised with how bad my make-up looked; it did not wear off gracefully. I was in desperate need of a touch-up and I wish I would have seen it sooner. You might put a bridesmaid in charge of reminding you to do this.
Here are a few pics from Nicole's hair and make-up session, which was a wonderful experience because we were working with true pros. (Nicole and I both used hair extensions to beef up our do's a little, another little tip you might look into.)
My mum invented an ingenius little contraption for storing your lipstick, and I'm happy to share it with my dear readers. During the alterations of her wedding dress, Nicole had her seamstress sew a tiny pocket into the inner lining of a layer of her skirt, so she could just lean down and pop it out for touch-ups. I love it!
Allow me to (re)introduce you to Brooke and Matt, one of my favorite couples of all time. Brooke and I shared a table with two other girls in our 8th grade English class with Mrs. Maples. We had a great time together, gave each other nicknames, all that stuff. Over the years we lost contact, but through the wonders of Facebook we reconnected. She checked out our blog, fell in love with our work, and was able to book us shortly before her wedding in Fort Worth. Matt went to the same school as us, but he was two years older. I never really knew him, but after chatting with him for 30 minutes (!) on the phone one day before the wedding, we felt like old buddies.
You've probably seen their trailer here before, so you know how much fun their wedding was. What was so fun for me was just how much into her wedding film Brooke was. There was one moment after the ceremony when everyone was hugging, and Brooke paused, glanced at me, and said to Matt, "I'm so glad Vanessa is here documenting this." And when she was getting ready, she even quoted things that I had written on my blog. That was certainly a treat for me!
When you watch the highlights below, you'll see what a stunning woman Brooke is. The camera just loved this girl! We got some beautiful and fun shots during Kristin's photo shoot before the ceremony. During the ceremony, you'll see everyone cracking up- that was when the officiant realized half way through that he had forgotten to tell everyone to be seated. After everything was official, and group photos were taken, Brooke and Matt changed into cowboy boots and jeans, respectively. They then walked hand in hand through downtown Fort Worth to the rooftop of Reata restaurant. These two are super into country music (in fact, their relationship blossomed on a back porch, talking and listening to music over wine), and so it was only fitting that the entertainment for the reception was the uber talented Max Stalling. In spite of the chill and rain, everyone had a blast.
The ending to this highlights is perhaps my favorite yet. After their getaway to the sound of cowbells, Matt and Brooke had a passionate, excited, relieved kiss in front of the elevator. Down on the sidewalk they shared yet another happy kiss. With the hem of Brooke's wedding dress soaked and muddy, they turned and set off together into the city night. Happily ever after.
Got the video and watched it this weekend with the hubby. We love it so much!!!! You incorporated our favorite songs so perfectly and that was SO important to us. I must have seen every clip on your blog but nothing prepares you or compares to it being about your day. It's truly magical and very emotional...
I am so, so glad we decided to have you guys work with us...we will treasure this video FOREVER. What a better way to celebrate each anniversary than with a "movie night" :-) Thank you a million times over for a wonderful gift and congratulations at being so good at your job :-)
April and Ben had a lavish affair in Longview and I was thrilled to be able to document the whole day for them. Their reception took place at the Longview Museum of Fine Arts, and Barkley Creative outfitted the whole venue with custom lighting, chandeliers, wheat grass, toile fabric and tons of other pretty blue and green accents. April and Ben are totally in love with each other, and it's clear that their friends and family love them to death too. It was a joy to be around a group of such friendly fun folks.
April said, "Vanessa - I got the video in the mail this morning before work. It was so hard for me not to watch it. I had to wait until 7 tonight when we both got home!!! It was the longest day ever. We feel so lucky to have such an amazing video of our special day!! We can't wait to share it with our friends and family. The memories are priceless. Thank you for all your hard work... we LOVE it!!"
I titled this post "Bouquet Treat" because not only are the images of these flowers a little treat for the eyes, I also could almost eat this bouquet. It's that yummy to me.
"I love the bright colors of this bouquet...I used Ranunculus in shades of orange, yellow, burgundy and peach....hot pink Parrot Tulips....Jasmine Vine.....and Queens Anne Lace. I love using Queens Anne Lace in my bouquets...it truly gives it the "just picked from the garden" feel....and for the finishing touch, I tied it with a tiffany blue ribbon....I think the blue mixed with all the "sherbert colors" of the florals really made the bouquet "pop".......after making this bouquet, I really wished I had a bride that could have carried it down the aisle...such a pretty color palette for a spring wedding!"
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.
I wore my hair down because that was what Brent liked the most, and for that I'm glad I wore it that way. However, I did have an outdoor, Texas reception and so as the day wore on it just became progressively more unkempt looking. I think if I had it to do over I would have worn it in an updo. But more importantly, and this is the moral of the story, I would have insisted on a hair trial. But this is just my experience, and it's the worst I've heard. I don't recall hearing many of my brides complaining about their hair, so maybe either I'm super picky or I picked a super unskilled stylist.
Posts
