Alex & Stephanie’s Perfect December Wedding Day
It was a perfect December Wedding day for Stephanie and Alex at Holy Cross Church and Palais Royal in South Bend, IN. It was cold for sure but what’s a winter wedding celebration without a little chill!
The day began at the DoubleTree downtown getting hair and makeup done. Stephanie and her ladies were great to work with. Alex’s groomsmen also banded together to support him getting ready over at Holy Cross Church. Alex and Stephanie wrote and read really sweet notes to one another which we incorporated into the film. Stephanie arrived at the church where she shared a touching first look with her dad. This followed shortly thereafter by their traditional catholic wedding ceremony. Once Alex and Stephanie said their I do’s we trucked off to Notre Dame campus with Cat Alkire Photography for wedding party and couple portraits. The light was incredible on campus. It was so sweet it felt like we were in a studio filming models. Between the light and Stephanie and Alex looking super great we got amazing results!
If this all weren’t enough we headed to The Palais for a beautiful evening of dinner and dancing to finish out the perfect December Wedding day. Our best to the new Mr. and Mrs!
Band David Rothstein Cake C’est La Vie Ceremony Venue Holy Cross Church Florist Poppies Hair Hair by Samye Makeup Ashley Urban Artistry Photographer Cat Alkire Photography Stationary Minted Wedding Dress Martin Aliana Bridal Reception Venue Palais Royal Videographer Vibrant Video Productions
Grayscale Skies & A Beautiful Chill | November Wedding Day at Notre Dame
Kateri & Chase’s November Wedding Day at Notre Dame was all a November wedding day in Northern Indiana should be filled to the brim with warm hearts and sublime chilly beauty!
There’s something really special about wintery weddings. I find there’s a beautiful contrast between the warm love found in the hearts of the couple and their family and friends to the freezing temps outside. Also something about a cool wedding day makes you feel extra warm inside. We were inside most the day at the couples venues The Basilica and The Blue Heron at Blackthorn enjoying the sights and sounds and moments of their day. However Kateri and Chase did brave the cold for their candid session and were rewarded with stunning results. Sorry your hands turned purple guys but it was worth it!
One of our favorite moments from the day was the letters they read to one another prior to their ceremony. Kateri’s letter was written years ago when she first noticed Chase’s intentions toward marrying her! And through their letters we learned that their faith and hope in God has played a huge role in guiding them together and toward their destiny. It was fitting they were married in the beautiful Basilica on the Campus of Notre Dame. A place they both deeply appreciate and have spent much time praying together. Our best to you Kateri and Chase! May your life be filled with much love and happiness!
The Timelessness of Love | Jerica & Zac’s Wedding
A true theme of Zac and Jerica’s wedding event was the timelessness of love. Jerica and Zac met and began a relationship when they were young. Fell apart. Then rediscovered each other years later. Although not all high school romances have this fairy tale ending theirs certainly did. As they say when it’s meant to be it’s meant to be.
Jerica and Zac were very warm and welcoming from the first time we met and made a special effort throughout the day to make everyone feel appreciated. I know Jerica’s mother Cyndy from The University of Notre Dame so I was honored when she asked me to film for Jerica. It was great to get better acquainted with her family and we felt extra appreciated when Jerica’s dad gave us a shout out in his speech. Not only was it fun to film all the heartfelt speeches & events but we got to work alongside the many talented professionals Cyndy has come to know and trust from her work as events coordinator at Notre Dame.
The wedding day was amazing! From getting ready through the reception all the events happened on the campus of Gable Hill Barn. We were blessed with the most beautiful October day and made the best of every minute and every moment along with Jerica and Zac. Our thanks to Jerica, Zac and families for your hospitality and inclusivity. Your story truly is beautiful and reminds us of the timelessness of love. Thanks for trusting us to tell it for you. Join me in helping them celebrate all over again by watching the film!
Dorie + Joe | Videography for South Bend Wedding
Dorie and Joe’s South Bend wedding day took place at Notre Dame University and Morris Park Country Club in South Bend, IN. It was a beautiful clear day for their wedding and hot for October! Dorie and Joe were so kind and generous spending time on their day working with us. This allowed us to get all the great poses for their video. We recorded videography for their candid session at the university and then on the golf course at Morris Park prior to their reception. They were very relaxed and natural, laughing the day through and having fun. I often encourage couples not to take the posing session too seriously but to enjoy themselves. Staying relaxed and enjoying the time together will always shine through on the video.
Dorie and Joe’s ceremony was beautiful with many great words spoken by their presider. The following reception was beautiful as well. The Coquillard ballroom at Morris Park lovingly transformed by their white, green and gold table scapes. All illuminated by the sunshine pouring in and reflecting off hundreds of glasses. Prior to the dinner guests enjoyed cocktails and mingled outside on the balcony and in the overflow areas. After dinner there was singing and dancing by Maggie Speaks, plus a very real but fake sparkler exit we recorded at the end of our time. Our best to the new couple and check out some other great events we’ve filmed at Morris Park!
Video produced by Vibrant Video Productions http://www.vibevideoproductions.com
Other Key Vendors include: Wedding Coordinator Angie Anderson, Photography Katie Whitcomb, Reception Venue Morris Park Country Club (Elena Dunn), Band Maggie Speaks – Enough Said Band, Florist Snapdragon
Ryan & Kelly | Share personal vows at Tabor Hill Winery & Restaurant in Buchanan, MI
Ryan and Kelly had all the elements of a jaw dropping beautiful outdoor wedding day as they shared personal vows at Tabor Hill Winery and Restaurant. Their wedding day was white, bright and beautiful! I was early to the location as planned and captured some stunning imagery from the venue. The vineyard fully loaded with ripe grapes ready for harvest, the reception tables all set and the ceremony space bright white and gleaming in the sun. This set the stage for the epic wedding day that was about to unfold.
Kelly and her girls arrived with great energy and we went right into taking footage of her and her girls posing and getting prepped. Following that we filmed Ryan looking dapper in his tux. From there it was straight into their ceremony where they exchanged thoughtful personal vows. Have I mentioned before how much we love and outdoor wedding and when couples share their own vows? They said I do and shortly thereafter the party was underway! We filmed all the speeches, dancing and important moments until it was time for their faux send off at dusk which was beautiful and unforgettable!
You can check out other wedding films on Vibrant Video Productions.
What is Wedding Cinematography?
WEDDING CINEMATOGRAPHY
WHAT IS WEDDING CINEMATOGRAPHY?
That’s a good question! My short definition is it’s an artistic approach to wedding filmmaking. To understand this I think it helps to understand a couple of other terms, wedding videography, documentary edit or full length film & creative edit. We’ll get to those in a minute. Wedding cinematography in short means creatively filming and editing so that my images have a better aesthetic and emotional appeal. The goal is to create a beautiful eye catching wedding film!
WHAT IS A DOCUMENTARY EDIT?
Wedding documentary edit is all about documenting events for posterity so you can watch it later just as it happened. I still offer a documentary edit in addition to our creative edits. With the documentary approach the focus is on multiple camera angles with multiple microphones capturing the ceremony & reception events as they happened. Some also call this approach wedding videography. We do this with a focus on great image quality, exceptional sound quality and beautiful shot compositions. The documentary is perfect to watch on your anniversary but make sure you make plenty of time to do so. These edits can be pretty long depending depending on the length of your ceremony and reception!
WHAT IS A CREATIVE EDIT?
The opposite of the documentary edit is the cinematic or creative edit. We love to make creative edits for our clients and it’s the bulk of our work! For us the creative edit is generally 5-6 minutes long and includes the best of the best from your wedding day. We use speeches, vows and as much artistic footage as we can to tell your story. All tied together by curated & licensed music.
For some other professionals the creative edit means not documenting all the formal events but selectively shooting throughout the day. With the goal of making a short artistic edit only. Although this may be fine for some brides the problem is you miss out on things. The editor will decide which segments of toasts to include and is forced to cut a lot. Although it may be a beautiful short film what if you want to look back at all the speeches given at your reception? Or see all of your first dance and hear all the advice your minister or officiant gave you?
WHAT IS YOUR STYLE?
I find most clients want a mix of the two, the cinematic and documentary approach. and that’s what we offer in all our video packages.
We are cinematic, story driven filmmakers. I love the small segments a great wedding day love story. Alone the segments don’t give a full picture but put together they point toward a beautiful whole! As a story teller I’ve come to realize there’s always beauty in what’s left out as much as what’s put in. Maybe that’s why I love filming the wedding day. It’s not the couples whole life story together but it’s a crucial piece of it. By carefully capturing and incorporating the important details of the day we bring together the elements of their story in such a way to make their film complete and beautiful!
I’m also a firm believer that wedding film is art and every film project starts from a blank canvas. Myself being an artist I personally film and edit your wedding. I offer a custom, hands on experience which results in making authentic connections with our clients. The goal is to create a timeless film you will enjoy and a deliver a great experience on your wedding day!