Andrea + Nick: Colorful Wedding at The Lazy Swan Golf and Country Club Village

Andrea and Nick were married on a beautiful and hot summer day in July.  Their ceremony was sweet, romantic and a bit funny.  Though you won't see it in the clip below, Nick had a close call, almost passing out on the alter. You never realize how hot it can get standing up there for so long under all the lights. What could have easily been a time for panic quickly turned into a group effort to keep Nick comfortable, kept lighthearted by the efforts of family and the bridal party.  His new father-in-law was quick with some water, his groomsmen found chairs for the couple to sit on and his lovely bride Andrea was fanning him with a giant smile on her face to keep him cool and happy. It was a sneak peek into their future of love and support of each other and from their families.

After the ceremony, they were off to celebrate at The Lazy Swan Golf and Country Club Village in Saugherties.  This was our first visit to The Lazy Swan and we hope to film there more often.  It's a stunning venue with beautiful grounds, perfect for taking wedding photos and for your guests to enjoy as they mingle during cocktail hour.  The ballroom is octagonal with a gorgeous octagonal wooden dance floor and an elaborate in-house lighting system that was customized to fit Andera and Nick's colorful theme. The staff was wonderful to work with and the food was phenomenal.  It was the perfect setting for this colorful, glamorous, high-energy celebration.

We absolutely love it when our couples drench their weddings in lovely personal details and Andrea and Nick's colorful DIY details didn't disappoint. Though their main accent color was blue, Andrea wanted a rainbow of vibrant colors and included them everywhere she could from the colorful shoes on herself and her bridemaids to her heart covered cake and all of her DIY details.  Andrea was a bride that paid close attention to every detail and knew the exact look she wanted.  She must have spent hours upon hours on all her DIY projects to achieve it.  Totally worth it!  We're not talking sitting at a printer and letting it do all the work diy.  This girl took it old-school with construction paper, markers, glue, glass beads and other notions. Check out some of the details in the stills above and below. 

With tunes supplied by Danielle Perry of Music By Danielle and Andrea making the rounds about the dance floor, the guests only left the floor to eat; a much needed refueling to keep that energy going throughout the night.  There were a few surprises along the way, including a set of slideshows to go along with their parent dances and a flash mob styled surprise Zumba performance by the bride and all her girls.  You can watch their Zumba performance here.

We had the pleasure of working alongside one of our favorite photographers, Cheryl of Bolton-Reuter Photography.  With this adorably cute couple, all their personalized details, the fabulous venue and the high energy on the dance floor, there was so much to cover that day.  This is we get giddy with excitement.  We each love capturing all the details, big and small, as well as all the fun.  The cameras never really left our hands that night.  It was so much fun to watch and capture everything and it's always great to work alongside a photographer that gets just as excited about documenting every little thing as we do.  Be sure to check out Cheryl's blog for some really great pictures from this colorful wedding, especially the one taken at night on the green with a glowing heart around Andrea and Nick.  The photos are sweet and sassy and fit their theme perfectly!

Last, but not least, here is a clip from their wedding showing all the fun! Hope you enjoy!

  

If you watched this clip, please leave us a comment here on the blog and/or on our Facebook page. We'd love to hear what you think! Don't forget to like us on Facebook while you're there!

Production Team

Ceremony Location: Redeemer Lutheran Church, Kingston, NY

Reception Location: The Lazy Swan Golf and Country Club Village, Saugherties, NY

Photographer: Cheryl Bolton-Reuter, Bolton-Reuter Photography

DJ: Danielle Perry, Music By Danielle

Cake: Lauren Stein, Enchanted Cakes by Lauren

Corin + Albert's Highlights: Rhinecliff Hotel Wedding

From the very first time that I met Corin and Albert, I could see how very much in love the are!  It's undeniable! Watch their faces throughout the video clip and I promise you will melt. They are so completely sweet together!

Here is a highlight video from Corin and Albert's sweet, romantic and fun wedding. I hope you enjoy!

If you watched this video, please leave us a comment and let us know what you think! You can do it here on the blog and/or on our Facebook wall. We would love it if you like us while you're there!

Love Letter from Diana, Mother of the Bride

We got such a warm feeling in our hearts from this post to our Facebook wall from Diana that we just had to share it!!

We had the pleasure of meeting Diana and her family back in 2006 when we filmed her daughter Stephanie's wedding and this year, it was her sister Krystle's turn.  We were so excited to hear from Diana with the news of Krystle's wedding and that she wanted us to be there to film it!  It always means so much to us to be asked to film another wedding in the same family.  We see so many familiar faces that it feels like being around family to us.  It's so wonderful to hear back from these families that it is very much the same for them!  Here is Diana's very sweet post!

Dear Jenn,

Thank you so much for the wonderful job you did at Krystle and Nick's wedding at the Poughkeepsie Grand. I just finished watching the DVD you sent to me. Reliving that day brings back such great memories and having you there to be part of this made it so much better. You became part of our family when Stephanie got married in 2006 and all I know is that you did such a great job then we could not have a wedding/event without you being there.

I would recommend you to anyone looking for a well organized, personal, compassionate,caring and most of all loving person to make their special day a day to remember. Anything I can do in regards to recommending you don't hesitate to give my name,number. Once again, thank you in advance for your professionalism and friendship.

Diana Rienzo

Surprise Zumba: Andrea and Nick's Wedding at The Lazy Swan

We always love it when there are surprises for guests or when one of the newlyweds has a surprise for the other.  We've seen choreographed dances from the bride and groom, surprise parent dances, bellydancers, fireworks, musical performances and surprise candy buffets, but this was a first for us!  Andrea surprised her new husband, Nick, with a Zumba performance at their wedding (and she did it wearing those heels!!!).  Her and the girls suddenly took over the dance floor like a flash mob and amazed everyone with their spot on moves!  So much fun!!  Check it out in the video clip below!

Here is Andrea and her girls performing their surprise Zumba at her wedding.  

Please leave your comments here on the blog and/or on our Facebook page. We'd love to hear what you think. Don't forget to like us while you're there!

Great job ladies!!  Hope we see more of these!

Corin's Bridal Prep at The Rhinecliff Hotel

We feel so lucky to have so many wonderful couples find us and choose us to film their weddings!  It is truly an honor to be trusted with such a great responsibility and to have the privilege of seeing such beautiful celebrations of love happen in front of us.  There was no exception when it came to Corin and Albert's wedding at the Rhinecliff Hotel.

We are so glad that Corin, a total sweetheart, and her adoring groom, Albert, asked us to film their wedding!  In the first conversation I had with Corin, she told me that when she watched our samples online, she was sitting at her computer crying over each one she watched, even though the couples in them were complete strangers to her.  She said if videos with people she didn't know had this type of effect on her, she knew that she had to call and book us right away for her wedding.  What a huge compliment it is for us to hear that our films not only touch the couples we make them for, but also touch the hearts of strangers who view them.  After I met with her and Albert, I became very excited about being asked to film their wedding.  I just knew, like Corin did, that we were a perfect fit for their wedding.  She explained that it was going to be a short and sweet ceremony with a simple, intimate and fun reception with all the details being personal to them.  Boy did they deliver!  Not a dry eye during the ceremony and a lively party with a sea of smiling faces!  We absolutely love weddings that are centered around who the couple is with every detail expressing who they are!  I think that most guests love these types of weddings too!

Corin's jewelry choices weren't your typical bridal fare of diamonds or pearls.  She wore pieces that represented her grandparents.  Butterfly shaped earrings to remind her of her paternal grandmother who loved butterflies, a flame pendant for her paternal grandfather who served as a firefighter for 37 years and a bracelet with delicate apple beads for her maternal grandfather who she remembers apple picking with as a child.

Albert's wedding band was special as well.  The core of his band is his maternal grandfather's wedding band.  He had it plated to make his wedding ring.  I love the idea of wearing or re-purposing heirloom jewelry!  This is a such a sweet way to honor a loved one!

The bouquets and boutonnieres were made by the bride's Aunt Sue.  She crafted the white roses from crepe paper and paired them with the natural, dried green hydrangeas and lovely black ribbon accents.  Corin's bouquet was beautiful and it will last forever!

This was our first time at The Rhinecliff Hotel and we hope it won't be our last.   What a beautiful place for a wedding!  It manages to be classic, rustic, charming, vintage, country and modern all at the same time and you can't beat a beautiful views of the Hudson River.  With wrap around porches and balconies everywhere, there is always a way to access the views for a quick photo or just to take a break to watch the calming water.

The bridal suite was warm and welcoming with plenty of room to get ready.  It was a beautiful mix of rustic and modern with it's wide plank pine floors, exposed beams, dual balconies with sweeping views of the Hudson River and modern bathroom and furnishings.  The hotel sits near the Rhinecliff Amtrak train station which served as a great place for some post ceremony sunset photos.

 

This is part one of Corin's bridal prep which is has a lot of the funny moments (the super emotional and sweet part two may have to be posted at a later date).  Hope you enjoy it!

If you watched this clip, please leave us a comment here on the blog and/or on our Facebook Page and tell us what you thought.  We would love it if you would like us while you're there!

There is so much more to say about and show from this wedding.  There will definitely need to be another post to show what the rest of this wedding looked like, if only to give you a look at their doughnut shaped wedding cake inspired by The Simpsons. FUN!

Nicole's Bridal Prep at Round Hill House

Nicole got ready in the bridal suite at her venue, Round Hill House in Washingtonville, surrounded by her mom, future mother-in-law, Maid of Honor, Flower Girl and a handful of family and friends.  It was so much fun filming it all as it happened.  Nicole was a very excited bride, so happy she was smiling or laughing practically the entire time.

Often bride's wonder if having us there to film getting ready is necessary because they will have it all covered in pictures, but the beauty of a video is getting to hear back all the interactions between everyone there.  It's these moments that you will forget and really enjoy watching back later. 

If I had to pick a few, my favorite moments in this clip would be when Nicole's mom grabs her veil and then watches as it's placed on her and the interactions between Nicole and her flower girl, Jacklyn as she puts blush on her cheeks, helps her with a garter and puts her shoes on.  Too cute for words!

Here is the clip of Nicole's Bridal Prep. Hope you enjoy!

If you watched this clip, please leave us a comment here and/or on our Facebook Page and tell us what you thought of it. Don't forget to like us while you're there. :)

Production Team:

Venue: Round Hill House, Washingtonville, NY

Photographer: Allan and Vicki Levine, Allan E. Levine Photography

Flowers: Flowers By David Anthony

 

Top Contender for Best Toast of 2012!

This past weekend we had the pleasure of spending the evening with Laura and Dave along with their family and friends for a gorgeous wedding at Brotherhood Winery.  Even though the weather was a bit damp (just a bit), it wasn't enough to dampen their spirits.  They were so happy to be married and so full of energy that it only intensified the warmth and energy in the room.

There were MANY, MANY, MANY memorable moments from the evening, many of which I'm sure I will post later, but one was the toast Laura's brother gave.  It featured bit of sentiment, a bit of family story telling, well wishes and one giant scene stealing bit that got a huge response.  Just a side note, if you want to give the perfect toast at a wedding, that is the formula.  Those elements together always make for a memorable toast!  (I have to give a shout out to Laura's parents too.  That toast may need to go up later!)

Congratulations to Laura and Dave!  We hope you enjoy this short clip from her brother's toast!

And now, we join this toast already in progress....

If you watched this clip, please leave us a comment here and/or on our Facebook Page and tell us what you thought of it. Don't forget to like us while you're there. :)

Lisa-Marie + Patrick: Moments Before They Get Married

When it comes to wedding video, a lot of couples struggle with whether or not it's worth it.  They wonder whether or not they'll watch it or whether or not it just duplicates photography.  Most couples who consider getting a wedding video do it because they want to have their ceremony and key moments, like their first dance and toasts, documented on video.  A lot of couples don't stop to consider the moments that they will miss altogether.  

A perfect example is the arrival at the church.  Traditionally, the bride and groom are separated, so they never get to see what the other one is doing.  The groom is waiting at the church and greeting guests.  The bride is busy making her way to the church, so she never sees the guests arrive.  The groom and guests make their way inside the church for the start of the ceremony, so they never get to see the bride exit the limo.  So now you may be thinking, "What's the big deal?  That's not important anyway."

The arrival at the ceremony is one of those moments that is under appreciated until you get your wedding video back.  In the photographs, you will most likely see a lot of poses and smiling, but the video captures the looks between the photographs and the true moments when people may not know we're there filming.  It's in the wedding video that you get to see for the first time the smiles on your guests faces as they arrive to the church to share your day with you.  You see family and friends that you may not have seen for a while, and may not have seen each other, share a moment together hugging or laughing or both.  You get to see whether the groom was nervously pacing or cool as a cucumber.  And for all the people who were inside the church, this is the first time you get to see the pure joy and excitement on the bride's face as she gets out of the limo and enters the church with her dad to marry the love of her life.

Here is an example of an arrival to share with you.  I love this clip for many reasons, but the one reason that stands out most to me is the song choice.  Lisa-Marie married a military man.  That means constant uprooting, lots of adjustments and time spent away from their families and each other.  When trying to come up with song choices, I told her to pick songs that have meaning to her.

Here are Lisa-Marie's words to me:  "One of the reasons I went with 'Home' is because to me it represented a strong union in a certain way. Patrick and I are a military family and over the years of dating we spent many years geographically apart because of it. With our marriage, now we will be moving around a lot and never really calling one place home for to long.  We joke, like most military families, in saying “ home is where the Marine Corps sends us.” I liked the tune and the words. I just found great meaning in it for us."

It makes me smile every time I watch this clip.  Hopefully, it will make you smile too.

 

If you enjoyed this clip, please leave a comment here on the blog and/or post to our Facebook Wall.  We would love it if you would become a fan while you're there too.

 

Jenn!!

Oh my gosh - we spent the whole weekend watching and sharing our wedding video and love story! We are soo soo happy with how it all turned out. Your editing skills are phenomenal, you are so talented!! Truly a professional and best kept secret. 

 
We are so lucky to have had the opportunity to work with you and Mike, and to have you both along with us on our wedding day. Watching the video brought us right back to that day, and let me see sooo many amazing details from a day that went by way too fast!

We will absolutely be sending any and every engaged couple we know your way!

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Lauren and Emilio Valqui

You can see a highlight of their wedding here.

Michele + Leland: A Beautiful Fall Wedding at St. James Church and the Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel

Michele and Leland were married at St. James Church, a gorgeous old stone church in the city of Kingston.  Though the day started off with a bit of rain, by the end of their vows, the sun came out and the clouds parted to reveal a beautiful blue sky.

Their ceremony was so personal and sweet.  I absolutely love it when couples recite their own vows!  It really makes a ceremony your own.  There were few dry eyes in the church during their vows and those that were had to have been fighting it back with all their might.  Their words to each other were so precious and genuine!  They're so sweet together!  You can see the love in their eyes every time they look at each other!

After the ceremony, we were excited to head off to the City of Poughkeepsie for some urban wedding photos with one of our favorite photographers, Cheryl Bolton-Reuter.  I love filming a bride and groom all dressed up and gorgeous with the historic buildings, traffic, lights and the urban backdrop of the city.  There are so many options for creative and fun shots and a ton of different textures and locations to play with.  Just wish we had a bit more time.  Maybe I can convince Michele and Lee to get all dressed up again for some more fun!  Here are some stills from the film of their photo session.

 

Just as we were finishing up the photo session, the storm clouds began to roll back in.  I love it when the sky changes like that!  We end up with the best footage because you get billowy clouds, brilliant blue skies and gray dramatic stormy clouds all in one shoot.  It makes for some great footage! 

For more from Michele and Lee's wedding, you can check out some photos on the Facebook album from Bolton-Reuter Photography.

Their reception was held in the Regency Ballroom at the Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel.  It was all decked out for the Fall Themed Black and White Wedding and had many personal details.  One of my favorites was the display for the escort cards.  They were placed on lanterns (their favors) which were hung on large tree branches in tall vases filled with amber marbles.  I heard several of their guests comment on how unique and eye catching this idea was.

Another favorite were the centerpieces, which were designed by Michele and created by Lucille's Florist.  They were fall colored floral centerpieces with a beautiful iron candle lantern coming up out of the center.  Such a unique detail!  They set the mood and gave the room a lovely amber glow.

Michele and Lee had a signature martini they called a "Leechele" which consisted of Stoli Vanilla and Creme de cocoa garnished with black licorice.  Perfect for the fall theme!  To serve their signature drink, they set up a martini bar.  Another hit with their guests!

Rock n' Roll!  That basically sums up Michele and Lee's rockin' reception!  Dr. Mudd, a band that is very special to the couple, provided the entertainment for the evening and kept the guests on the floor all night long.  Everyone sang along with the band as they danced and Michele and Lee each took a turn at the mic.  Lots of memorable moments and a lot of fun had by all.  It was quite a party!

One last set of details that can't go unmentioned, Michele's dress and shoes (links below).  LOVED THEM and they were the perfect choice for her!! Her dress was by Essence of Australia and her shoes, Paris Hilton.  Check out the details on both of these lovelies.

Here is a highlight clip from their wedding film to show you all the fun!

If you enjoyed this clip, please leave us a comment here on the blog and/or on our Facebook wall - don't forget to like us while you're there! :)

Production Team:
Ceremony Location: St. James Church, Kingston, NY
Reception Location: Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel, Poughkeepsie, NY
Photographer:  Cheryl Bolton-Reuter, Bolton-Reuter Photography
Reception Entertainment: Dr. Mudd
Flowers and Centerpieces: Lucille's Florist (designed by Michele)
Dress Designer: Essence of Australia, Michele's dress is style D1154
Bride's Shoes: Paris Hilton (sorry, couldn't find a direct link, but they sell her line at Macy's)