when we saw tiff+mike at the rehearsal joking around with smiles from ear to ear, strolling arm in arm we had a feeling the wedding was going to be distinctly them and so it was. they were so in tune with each other, so sure about their commitment and so incredibly in love that nothing could have hindered them from declaring their love to each other and boy did they ever. before the wedding they had insisted we take whatever creative direction we feel is fitting for their film and when they gave their vows to each other at the ceremony we knew instantly that this was their same-day-edit. they are an amazing couple and we are so glad to have shared in their big day with them.
jackie + brian are marathon runners, in more than one way too. yes they do run marathons and have quite a few under each of their belts, but their relationship also follows the same path. they met twelve years ago. not two or three or five. twelve. and after all that time, it’s almost uncanny how close and in tune they are with each other. at one point in the morning, jackie had her back to the walkway and said she could feel brian walking past her and just as she said that, he did. there was over a decade of friendship built into their wedding and it’s so amazing to see it unfold.
some couples are exactly like each other and others are polar opposites. these two are different, yet similar at the same time. family means a lot to both of them and you can see that throughout the day. jackie wrote a special note to her dad and started the reception with not the traditional first dance, but the father and daughter dance. brian’s late father was the ceo of an airline and they honored him with the first seat at the ceremony, which had a model airplane on it. his step-dad officiated the wedding and during their vows, they spoke about how excited they are to be starting their own family together. but they are also quite different as well – jackie’s sparkling personality has her laughing throughout the entire morning to relieve the anxiety while brian was calm, collective and quiet. thank you so much for sharing your day with us so we can share it with everyone here.
Boy where do I begin. What a day it was on Shemane and Melvin’s wedding. It was wonderfully warm and sunny for a December day and that’s exactly how I remember them – warm and full of love. They were calm and full of smiles the entire day and even had the time to ask us how we were doing. See that’s what I love so much about our couples. They are so incredibly kind to us and made us feel more like friends than just another vendor. We had coffee with Melvin and Shemane a few weeks before their big day and as we were talking to them it just felt like they were some of the most caring and genuine people we’ve ever met. We are so happy to have shared that day with them.
Usually, it’s the guys that have a drink or two in the morning, but this time the girls beat them to it. Midway through the morning, Shemane decided to pop some bubbly and the girls made mimosas for everyone. What an awesome way to start the celebration for their big day!
Below is their same-day edit that we debut at their reception. We ran into some technical difficulties getting the projector setup, but given the laughs, wows and tears from the crowd, I think it was well worth the effort. Congratulations Shemane & Melvin : )
Maddie is one of our biggest fans and is always so generous with her comments about our work. When I first sent her our consult form a month ago, there was no mention of an SDE. She seemed very interested, but wasn’t quite sure whether Derrick – who isn’t really fond of the camera – would be up to it. Since I hadn’t heard from her we figured it was probably a no-go, but just a few days before the wedding I got a message from her asking whether we could incorporate an SDE for that night. Normally it takes us at least a week to prep for a same-day-edit and by then we had just a few days, but we couldn’t say no to someone who’s so excited about cinema.
As I was editing in a corner of the reception room, I spotted the DJ setting up the projector screen and was a bit taken back by the size. The screen was just slightly bigger than my tv at home and while that would have been okay, we really wanted Maddie to have the full experience. So around 8pm, I sent Ray to find a solution. The original idea was to use the back of the green-screen from the photobooth, but turns out the back is still…well, green. We had almost given up when Ray came up with the idea to just project it onto the empty wall and I’m so glad we did!
The SDE hit the screen wall and we debut the piece. Maddie was stoked as I imagined her to be, but the kicker came when we went back and watched the reaction clip – we even got the groom, dare I say, a little bit caught up in all the emotion of the piece =)
love * steph & andrew
rock * east meets west ceremony
awe * fantabulous reception
This was a day to remember – for us and for them. Ray has known Steph since he was in grade school and was absolutely stoked to be at the wedding. Steph and Andrew were showered with the love of their friends and family at one of the most amazing weddings we’ve had the privilege to witness. It was complete with surprise gifts, traditional lion dancers, rockin’ live music, a photobooth and candy buffet. With so much going for them we knew we just had to finish it with an SDE.
I was feeling pretty good up until right before the ceremony when we encountered a fatal mishap with one of our staple lenses at the church parking lot. Without skipping a beat, we shot the afternoon events and headed over to the hotel. By the time we finished filming the grand entrance at 7pm I was really starting to feel the crunch. I found a corner in the foyer and finished it just minutes before it debut on the huge 20×24 screen.
It was quite a challenge to pull off an SDE with just two people, but totally worth it. The look on their faces during the showing, the roar of 300 people when the lights came back on and the awesomeness that came after was definitely something we will remember. Steph & Andrew, thank you for sharing your special day with us so we can also share with everyone here.
