I’m taking a little break from blogging this week, but never fear my faithful and devoter blog-stalkers, I have plenty of wedding goodness lined up for you.  Each day this week You’ll be getting tips from some of the best wedding vendors in the area.  They’ll be sharing little secrets you may not know about what they do and giving you info on how to help your wedding plans come together.

We are starting off today with some tips from Vanessa McKellar.  You know I LOVE me some wedding video and she is the best in the area.  Check out one of her trailers and then jump down to read some video tips.

My biggest advice overall is to just do what you want to do and enjoy your big day. But there are a few things you can be aware of that will help your video be its best.

1) If you are having a DJ, ask him to include a light kit. Sometimes it’s included and sometimes you have to pay a little extra for it, but it’s always worth it. Colorful lights on the dance floor add so much energy, interest, and dynamism to dance footage.

2) Along the same line, the darker you keep your ceremony and reception space, the more flat and grainy your footage will be. Conversely, more light equals more vibrant imagery, so keep this in mind as you “set the mood” for your event. And be sure to communicate your wishes to your site coordinator ahead of time.

3) Be expressive. One of the many things that makes video so amazing and valuable is its ability to record audio. So if you talk about how you feel, tell little stories or jokes, and give background info on important details, your video will be all the more meaningful to you in the future. This goes for your family and friends, too!

4) Build in extra time for your videographer to get her or his shots. For example, when you’re making your timeline for the day, if your photog says he will need one hour for photos, allot 1 hour and 15 minutes. This way your videographer can occasionally step in when she wants to in order to direct a shot. Make sure your photographer understands this, too.

5) And here are some quick tips:

-Don’t chew gum.

-Walk down the aisle slowly.

-Hold your bouquet low.

-Don’t whisper your vows.

-Keep the room you’re getting ready in bright and tidy.

Here’s to a wedding video you and your family will cherish forever!

Vanessa McKellar Productions
http://www.vanessamckellar.com/
903.894.6078

Kim & Josh were one of my favorite couples I’ve been able to shoot.  You may recognize them from my promo video on my About page.
I had a chance to catch up with Kim about 1 year after her wedding.
She shared her thoughts on picking vendors, what to look for in a photographer, and a few budget tips.

Also, here is a list of some of her wedding vendors which she loved so much as well as a few favorites of mine from each of her sessions. :)

Cakes: Chez Bazan
DJ: CMB DJs
Flowers: Michele’s Flowers by Ela
Venue: Villa di Felicita
Videography : Vanessa McKellar Productions

It’s been a while since I featured a wedding video on the blog.  If you know me at all you know I always encourage couples to have their wedding filmed.  Not having my wedding professionally filmed is the only regret Danielle and I have from our day.

A few weeks ago Vanessa McKellar posted this trailer of a wedding she recently shot.  It was too great not to pass on and after you watch it take the amount of love you have for it and multiply it times 1000 if it was you and your husband in the video. :)

You should book her for your wedding.

Melissa & Cace’s Trailer from Vanessa McKellar Productions on Vimeo.

One of the things that really makes weddings fun is getting to share your day with your closest friends and family.

One of the things that really makes wedding planning NOT fun is deciding who your closest friends and family are.

Time and time again, when I meet with couples and talk about how the planning is going, the thing that constantly brings the most stress is the guest list. Whether it’s the addresses, narrowing it down, or licking and stamping the envelopes, the guest process seems to be one of the more stressful parts.

Erika & Phil took a slightly different approach when it came to planning their wedding.  They only invited immediate family.  :)  Thats right, the 11 people you see in that photo are all that were there to witness their vows.

(Actually, myself and super cool wedding videographer Vanessa McKellar were also witnesses, but you get the point.)

Phil’s comment to me was he “didn’t want to be introduced to anyone on his wedding day”.  Not a bad way of looking at it.  Erika told me they wanted a smaller wedding, but as they started coming up with the guest list it kept getting bigger and bigger til they decided there was only one way of doing it.  Just family.  I have photographed weddings with hundreds of guests and a wedding with less than a dozen guests.  There is no right or wrong way to do it.  My advice to you is invite who you want.

It’s your wedding.

If you only want 50 people there, invite 50 people.

Trust me, your friends and acquaintances that do not get invited will not stop being your friends.  They may be confused at first.  But if they are truly your friends, then they will understand.  They want you to be happy.  If having 50 people at your wedding makes you happy, then they will support you.

Side Note: You may end up getting less gifts this way, but we’ll assume you’re OK with that.

If you want to see more images from Erika & Phil’s September 9, 2009 wedding click here.
I’ll give you one more shot to entice you click that link.

One of these powerful and influential websites interviewed me.

Click on the right one to read the interview and hear my witty banter.
(If you are not sure which one to click you can also just click this link.)