The Maresch Family '10

Every year I get asked to make a video of five of my favorite people ever- The Maresch's. This was a special year for the family, because they bought their first house! Part of the video is the kids showing me their new home (they were so excited) and then working off some of that energy dancing together in the living room. We also captured them on Super 8 film before they made the big move, goofing around at the football field near their old place.

Isn't the affection they all share for each other palpable?





Vanessa's '09 Edit
Brent's '09 Edit
'08 Edit

I would like to take a moment just to talk about J*, the oldest daughter. Ten years ago (three months after they got married) M* and R* told me they were pregnant while we were driving out to the country for the weekend. I screamed so loud R* bit his tongue; I couldn't believe it. I took pictures of M* once a week as her belly grew, and then the day came when I got the call that the baby was on its way. I raced to the hospital in a near panic, fearing I was too late. Lucky for me, I wasn't, but not as luckily for M*. R* and I together proved to be rather annoying during labor- we were excited and therefore rambunctious, joking, and not paying perfect attention. Not how you should be around a woman giving birth :) We still laugh about that today. (M* says the epidural was the only thing that saved her from ripping R*'s head off.) I was asked to document the event, so I took photos on my old still camera; I didn't even own a video camera at the time. That was my first time to witness a birth, and I've been privileged to document the other kids' births too.

So now little J* was in the world and she was of course precious. I paced the large front porch of M* and R*'s big old rental house in Austin's west campus area, holding J* and murmuring to her in Spanish because I wanted to prep her mind to be bilingual. I remember the day she was baptized in her beautiful white little gown.

Not too long after that, they moved away from Austin (taking a little bit of my heart with them.) Now I'll be frank- as J* grew up, she went through a phase where she didn't have the most sugary-sweet temperament, and I was a little disappointed. But lo and behold, a few years ago that mean streak just melted away and left pure sweetness it its wake. "Sweet" is simply the best way to describe this girl. She's also funny, clever, caring, silly, and loving- everything you hope for in a little girl. I think you can see in the video above just how sweet she is.

Tonight J* is spending the night at our house and I'm really excited about it. We're going to make brownies together. She eats really well, but she's also a huge sucker for junk food. After we eat dinner and brownies, and maybe watch a movie, I'll show her this post on the computer. And hopefully she'll understand just how much her Auntie loves her.

Macy & Mayes Wedding Highlights Video | Houston, Texas

What better way to start off the new year than kissing your brand new husband or wife? When the clock struck midnight, Macy and Mayes had been married for about twelve hours, and they were surrounded by everyone they loved. Happy New Year indeed.

The day started out at Middleton Methodist Church (Middleton also being the groom's last name) right outside of Houston. This quaint little church had been lovingly restored by Mayes' father, and it felt like its own character, it just had so much history. The sweet ceremony was complemented by a bevy of talented musicians, and I love how Macy's faced just glowed throughout. After some photos and a quick dress change, we all drove down the road to Mayes' father's home, a beautiful gingerbread-esque Victorian. All the guests were treated to a yummy multi-course meal under the tent while a jazz band played. It was all very lovely.

After a several hour break, it was time for the party! Three times as many guests gathered at Tony's restaurant for a night of dancing, eating, photo-boothing, and celebrating. It was such a pleasure to document all the events, and I think you'll enjoy their highlights as much as we do!




And here is the trailer we put together for them the week after the wedding:





Macy said, "Mayes and I received our wedding video package yesterday and immediately popped the DVD in. Within the first 2 minutes I had tears rolling down my face and Mayes was grinning ear to ear. It is absolutely fabulous. We loved getting to relive our wedding day and you captured it all perfectly. Thank you for your beautiful work - we will cherish our wedding video forever. Can't wait to watch it again..... tonight!"


Church: Middleton Methodist Church, Wallisville
Reception: Tony's, Houston
Photographer: Casey Benson, Tyler
Photo Booth: Annie Ray, Austin
Band: Sauce, Austin

Our Wedding: Brent's Ensemble

Previously in this series: "Our Wedding: The Hair and Make-up"

Surprisingly enough, finding the perfect suit for Brent turned out to be harder than finding the perfect dress for me. Brent had a pretty specific idea of what he wanted, and stores at the time (2007) just weren't carrying it. (We quickly ruled out renting a tux after we saw what our options were- not that there's anything wrong with tuxes!) Brent wanted a two-button jacket, in the style of his grandfather, and he didn't want pleats in his pants. And he wanted the jacket to fit tightly, (about two sizes too small, in fact.) We just kept striking out.

After seaching high and low in Dallas, we finally ended up in a little local men's store near downtown Tyler called Joyner Fry. I'm pretty sure their primary demographic is the age 50+ bracket. But lo and behold we were able to order a custom suit for $400. (Yes, $400 is considerably more than a tux rental, but what guy doesn't need a classic black suit?) We picked out the fabric, specified no pleats, and asked for it to fit small. A week or so later the suit came in, and alterations were included. So we showed them a picture of an indie rock band in a magazine and asked them alter the pants to be like the ones in the pic- with a very short inseam and a narrow leg. It came back perfect!!

We picked out a beautiful crisp white pique shirt with french cuffs, and we even found Brent's shoes there too! We love those shoes- a very unique boot that I think will be in style forever. We wanted a skinny tie, and of course we couldn't find one anywhere! So I bought an inexpensive black shiny tie at Steinmart and had my alterations lady narrow it. And lastly, Brent's grandma gave him a pair of nice gold cuff links that were his grandfather's. They matched my gold jewelry and were super special.

(photos by Casey Benson)

Now I know most guys don't care this much about how they look on their big day, but Brent's got a bit of fashion sense and wanted to get exactly what he envisioned. It took a ridiculous amount of work, but as his bride, I can say it was totally worth it. In my opinion, he looked scrumptious.

Mary Margaret & Jeff's Wedding Highlights Video | Longview, Texas

This wedding was an editor's dream. There was just so much energy, excitement, emotion and love suffused throughout the day. I really enjoyed how close Mary Margaret was with her sisters and parents, and I especially enjoyed how into each other Mary Margaret and Jeff were. Seriously, their guests would tease them about how much they kissed! One of my favorite moments is when Mary Margaret's sister is signing the marriage license right after the ceremony, and in the background there are the two lovebirds in their own little world, talking with their heads thisclose, rubbing noses, and just generally loving being married.

The reception is one of my favorites ever. They hired lighting designers and that always adds a lot of interest to my footage. The dance floor was packed all night, the space was beautifully decorated, and Casey's photo booth provided lots of entertainment for the guests. And the getaway was just classic with all these cute and funny moments.

Thanks you two for letting us be there to capture it all!

And in case you missed it, here's the trailer we made for them a while back.

Jeff said, "Thank you Vanessa for all of your hard work, the highlights and full videos are amazing! It was a pleasure sharing our special day with Vanessa, and the emotions and detail she captured will bring us back everytime. Her artistry is clearly far from the standard wedding videography. We look forward to working with her in the future!"

Bullard High's "Shattered Dreams" Video

Bullard High School recently called us to see if we could film their "Shattered Dreams"

program, which is a series of staged events that deters students from drinking and driving. We were thrilled to oblige. Brent and I had a great time getting to know some new folks, and it was really enjoyable being able to direct the action instead of simply documenting it. When we put the finished video online, it received a lot of positive feedback and people were saying that it truly affected them. So, even though it's not wedding related (and has quite the opposite emotions of a wedding) I still thought I should post it here. If you know someone who might benefit from its message, please pass it on.