From the Bride… This is the Save-the-Date video I made for my upcoming wedding in May. Some of our friends are abroad and didn’t get to really hear the story of how we met, so we wanted to create a short story to fill our guests in on our brief history. I made it with Photoshop and iMovie on a Mac.

My fiance hired a photographer, Sharon Bushman, for the surprise proposal. I saw her in the corner of my eye after I said yes and thought “She must be a tourist (we were in Central Park).  I should get her email address in case she has photos.”  And what do you know, she’s a pro and captured that beautiful photo. This was my surprise video for my fiance. He gave me a photo, and I gave him a video.

Video: Grace Sakong, The Bride / Proposal Photographer: Sharon Bushman

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Post tags: Bali, indonesia, New York City, NYC, Save the Date, Video
Post categories: Destination, Destination Weddings

From the Bride…I wanted to share my Save the Date video. It was created by Mallory Berry. She’s based in Arkansas, and I live in California the amazing thing is the stop-motion object videos can be shot on location in Arkansas without  ever even meeting! Mallory was super great and all of our correspondence was via email which was super convenient for me.

Videography: Mallory Berry

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Post tags: Mallory Berry, Save the Date
Post categories: California Weddings

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the Bride…We decided to take our engagement photos in Pasadena, CA. We love hanging out in Pasadena’s downtown and that was the location of our first date six years ago. The first few photos were taken at Intelligentsia cafe. Jim and I are huge coffee, tea and pastry enthusiasts, so it felt right – we even brought our own mugs from Anthropologie. The next set of photos are at the Pasadena public library. Jim and I met during our freshman year of college, so we studied together, A LOT. We thought it would be fun to take our college text books to use as props during the shoot. The third and final location is at the Caltech campus. Jim stayed there the summer after we graduated and we fell in love with the architecture.It rained lightly that day so we brought a few umbrellas to liven up some of the pictures. A huge plus that day was having a photographer as awesome and upbeat as Heidi Ryder!

Now for our save the date video! Jim and I wanted something fun and silly (which is how we act 99% of the time) so we created a storyboard and sifted through our music collection until we felt like it truly allowed our personalities to shine through. Our friends Jeremy and Katrina of Wide Open Aperture Photography were kind enough to shoot and edit it.

Engagement Photography: Heidi Ryder / Make-up: Brittany Moody / Save the Date Video Photography: Wide Open Aperture

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Post tags: Brittany Moody, California Weddings, Engagement Shoots, Heidi Ryder, Pasadena, Save the Date, Wide Open Aperture
Post categories: California Weddings, engagement session

From Loudbyte Cinematography … We think this save the date film is going to really open up the possibilities for what a couple can get from their engagement or save the date movie. It is a real movie starring a real life couple.

“Just Breathe” is an endearing, hilarious, and very unique look at a real couple. La Trease and Robert plan to mail out their Save the Date DVD to all of their wedding guests.  Their invitations will stylishly fold inside the custom DVD cases.  This is such a fantastic way to send out wedding invitations.

Just Breathe. A save the date wedding film. from Loudbyte Cinematography on Vimeo.

From the groom … It was Summer 2004 when La Trease and I met at a church retreat.  We barely got to know each other and vaguely remember what interactions we had with one another.  After the retreat, three years went by before we actually had a real chance to get to know each other.

It was a winter night in January 2007 when we met up at Borders so I could talk to her about being my client (I was an insurance salesman).  However, when we started talking, the conversation took on a form of it’s own and we never did end up talking about insurance.

That night was the first of many stimulating conversations for us.  Stimulating conversations turned into entertaining dates.  Entertaining dates turned into memorable weekends.  And eventually, we decided we wanted to spend each morning, day, and night together.  So I proposed and she said yes.

Cinematography: Loudbyte Cinematography / Venue: Sip Coffee House, Empress Banquets, D’Amatos Pizza

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Post tags: Chicago, D'Amatos Pizza, Empress Banquets, Illinois, Loudbyte Cinematography, Save the Date, Sip Coffee House, Wedding Cinematography, Wedding Film
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Cinematography

click here to see the full wedding gallery!

With the help of my mom and our wedding coordinator Beth Maxwell, we were able to create the perfect elegant country club wedding with an outdoor feel. After falling in love with Manolo Blanhik’s “Something Blue” shoes, I knew everything about the wedding would have a touch of elegance and “blue”.

The day began early in the morning with my mom, bridesmaids, in blueberry Juicy Couture tracksuits, and myself, in a white Juicy Couture tracksuit, getting our hair and makeup done. Marissa Schmitt at Studio 110 in Chicago, Illinois and Makeup by Sabrina made my wedding “look” flawless and stunning.

Staying traditional, Nick and I decided the big reveal would be walking down the aisle. It was a moment I know we will both remember forever. My dad walked me down the aisle to the River City Quartet at Sacred Heart Church. As we left the church, man and wife, eleven doves were released as we made our way to a white Rolls Royce getaway car—with blue interior of course!

Our reception turned out absolutely beautiful. From the specially made sushi inspired from our favorite roll from Ko Fusion in Champaign, Illinois to the large outdoor tent, draped in white with crystal chandeliers hanging down the center to our amazing band and vocalist, Peter Oprisko, who kept the party going for hours. The guests were able to dance the night away, overlooking the picturesque Illinois River.

The inside of the Country Club of Peoria was draped in elegant rose-colored dupioni silk, with ruffled silk hanging at the corners. These beautiful linens were inspired from my wedding gown. The ivory chiffon ruffles hung beneath my Monique Lhuillier blue sash, similar to the ruffles from the table. To continue the theme of blue, the groom wore a blue and navy striped bowtie with his black Calvin Klein tuxedo to match the groomsmen. The bridesmaids wore beautiful navy chiffon gowns by Amsale. Barbara Evans at the Cake Connection dyed the Ron Ben-Israel inspired cake, which was trimmed in ancient architectural elements, a deeper shade of the blue in my sash.

As a special surprise to Nick, Beth helped me create “Lavin’s Pub,” a dedication to Notre Dame football and his Irish heritage. Here, wedding guests could enjoy pub food, such as sliders and potato skins. Cyd’s Sendsationals created the Notre Dame mascot in the form of a standing rice crispy treat and a red velvet cake (Nick’s favorite) adorned with the Lavin family crest.

Before leaving the reception the guests were able to collect strawberry shortcake in a jar, which were created by That’s a Cake? and inspired by Martha Stewart. After almost a full year of planning, our wedding day was exactly what we wanted it to be and more. Jeffrey and Julia Woods captured our memories of this day perfectly.”

Photography: Jeffrey and Julia Woods / Cinematography: Jeffrey and Julia Woods / Flowers, Event Design + Planning: Save the Date / Ceremony Location: Sacred Heart Church / Reception Location: Country Club of Peoria / Dress: Oscar de la Renta with Monique Lhuillier Sash / Bridesmaid Dress: Amsale / Cake: That’s a Cake? / Make-Up: Studio 101, Chicago

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Post tags: Amsale, Ballroom, Chicago, Country Club of Peoria, Glamour, Illinois, Jeffrey and Julia Woods, Oscar De La Renta, Peoria, Pink, Princess, Save the Date, Studio 101, That's a Cake
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

Holly and Seth love vintage Polaroid cameras and ice cream! Save the Date Events has been working with Holly and Seth for months on their upcoming August wedding at Chatfield Botanic Gardens. These crazy kids are both artists and have so many details and ideas for their wedding, I am excited to see them all come together!

Our thanks to Fuse Photographics for sharing the joy!

See the rest of the shoot on Fuse Photographics’ Blog.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Colorado, Fuse Photographic, Save the Date
Post categories: engagement session, Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Planners & Designers

Debra and Alex are getting married this December and wanted their Save The Date to reflect the season! Maribeth and fellow-photographer, Erica Loeks came up with the idea of a Stop-Motion Video. LOVE IT! Take a look ….

click here:  Debra and Alex’ Stop-Motion-Save-The-Date

Thanks for sharing!

Here’s the link to their engagement shoot … LOVE IT, TOO!!

more from maribeth …

a pretty, pretty, pretty Jewish wedding in Minneapolis

a gorgeous California wedding at Rancho Santa Fe

an uber-elegant wedding at The Semple Mansion

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Post tags: Red Ribbon Studio, Save the Date, Snowflakes
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Photography

from Sharrone …

It is absolutely priceless to sit down and chat with two people, so in love, so excited to get their wedding plans in check, and even more excited start their lives together! I live for watching them laugh at each other’s jokes, and look at one another after every other sentence. When Chris and I decided to launch Fiore Films, we had one thing in mind…”keep it small and chic”…our vision remains the same today. The editing room is where it all began for me which is why I like to keep all the post production for myself. I always find myself smiling, laughing, and crying during every edit…simply because each and every one of our clients mean so much to us. What we do is very personal and always comes from the heart. It means the world when a couple asks us to capture such a meaningful day for them…then trust us enough to tell their story. For me and Chris, that’s what it is all about. We find the brides who call us to be the ones who care deeply about having an extraordinary wedding film. It is credited to this savvy bride and groom who have discovered a once underground world of incredible talents, there is no wonder that demands for fabulous wedding films are becoming more and more popular today.

One thing that we have been getting lots of positive buzz about is our concept films. For Danielle and Jerry’s Save The Date, we filmed at the gorgeous Westmount Country Club where they are actually getting married. It was two grueling days of shooting in the scorching sun, but we had so much fun! Jerry’s hilarious undertones and his obsession with one little hedgehog kept us all hysterical laughing the entire time. We just can’t wait to shoot their wedding in August!

Congratulations Sharrone and Chris! You guys are truly amazing!!

We have one more film for you to complete our week of cinematographers honored by Event DV in 2009. So check back later this afternoon!

And once again our sincere congratulations to all of the cinematographers and their teams named in Event DV’s 2009 list … and to ALL the studios in our Little Black Book for making the wedding film industry what it is today!!! Sooooooo exciting!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Fiore Films, New Jersey, Save the Date
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Cinematography