Miss Turkey, PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 29, Brand ManagementFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, ConsultantEngagement Date: February 2011Wedding Date: May 2012Venue: The Rittenhouse HotelAbout Me: I'm a marketer who loves a good glass of wine, anything pumpkin-flavored, every crime drama on TV and, of course, Mr. Turkey. It's funny to say out loud, but we're former coworkers turned betrothed---now planning a wedding in the city of Brotherly Love. For three years, we've been eating our way through Philadelphia, playing tourist at home, and cheering for every sports team in the 215. Although we've hit some unplanned snags along the way, we're determined to have a rocking party this spring with our loud, fun families and friends.
When we started planning our wedding, Mr. Turkey and I were 100% set AGAINST hiring a videographer.
We saw videography having a number of “strikes” against it. Besides being expensive, what was the point? We already had a fabulous photographer to capture the moments of our day. We also worried about intrusive filmers. At a recent wedding, we found ourselves tangled up with the videography team on a number of occasions, including when they forcibly removed us from the dance floor to film a message for the couple (liked the idea, not the execution). Many of the guests commented after the fact about the hassle.
And even gorgeous links like Lioness’s love story (never even knew this existed!) or Bee preview reels (most recently, Seal) couldn’t convince me. I just didn’t think there was a “use” for videography beyond sharing it on a blog and posts like Fox’s just furthered that point of view. The Turkeys were non-believers.
But then something changed. Well, two somethings changed.
First, a friend, A* (getting married in summer 2012), told me that she had just booked a local videographer. When I shared that we were not going the videography route, A said that prior to finding this vendor, she had been in the same boat. However, she had found a great price and rapport with this individual. I didn’t ignore her per se (very happy she had found success), but I did file it away in my email brain without plan to revisit. Read more…
Mrs. Raccoon, IndianapolisAge and Occupation: 22, StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Graduate StudentEngagement Date: Christmas 2010Wedding Date: January 2012Venue: Catholic Church, Chateau Thomas WineryAbout Me: I'm a wholesome Midwestern girl, TV series junkie, professional shower singer, and Anglophile. I love my fiance, crock pot cooking, my cat Heepo, going for the gusto, and all things wedding. Mr. Raccoon is pretty sweet, too! He’s a mad scientist that loves to travel. We met my first night on campus and have been inseparable since.
Hive, we’re not hiring a videographer. Their work is gorgeous and it captures great parts of a great day and saves it nicely for you forever. We were just honest about how often we would actually watch it—and for us, we could not justify hiring a professional. Still wanting to cover all of the bases and be able to repair some possible great post wedding regret of not having video, we’ve bought a simple getup that should get the job done.
$128 Kodak PlaySport Video Camera Bundle from Amazon
The package includes the camera, a wrist strap, remote control, tripod and 8GB memory card. Read more…
Miss Fox, Washington DC/Havre de Grace, MDAge and Occupation: 26, Massage TherapistFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Field Support EngineerEngagement Date: April 18, 2010Wedding Date: June 2012Venue: Vandiver InnAbout Me: I’m a dancer turned massage therapist who was born and raised in New York. Alas, true love has brought me “south” where I still maintain my penchants for pretty shoes, wine, crossword puzzles, cherry blossoms, and the Mets. I own more sunglasses than a normal person should and don’t eat red meat (though I make up for it by eating my weight in sushi). I tend to be a big planner who likes to get things started early, but generally end up being indecisive and procrastinating when it comes down to it. I have a (not so) secret crush on Chris Carrabba, but my loyalty and love ultimately goes to the future hubs, of course! Together, my Foxy man and I love to discuss (read: debate) politics and current events, have Mario Kart and Scrabble duels, and just laugh. A lot. We’re hoping and planning for a laid back, fun, summery, rustic vibe to our June wedding that will be genuinely “us” – that is, if we finally make some decisions. Huzzah!
In all honesty, this decision has been a long battle and a big concession on my part. From the instant we got engaged and started planning a wedding, I always just assumed we would have a videographer…I just saw it as another staple that you book: venue, flowers, officiant, photographer, videographer, etc. So I started researching local vendors for work samples and pricing, and quickly realized that it would be a huge stretch on our budget if we were to get a videographer. As is often the case, the companies and styles I love are too expensive, and the ones I can possibly afford, I very much dislike. When I finally mentioned all of this to Foxy, his eyes got all buggy and…hive? He didn’t even really know that people got videographers for weddings. Really.
Mrs. Seal, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 25, Personal AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Sales and Support SpecialistEngagement Date: December 12, 2009Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Sts Peter and Paul Church/The Bently ReserveAbout Me: I am a goofy, wannabe crafty, well-intentioned Renaissance Woman (OK, perhaps "aimless wanderer" is a more aptly suited term for me, but hopefully you get the point)—basically I dabble in just about everything and pride myself in such. Without warning, I occasionally breakout into soulful improvised songs and interpretive dances and there's just no stopping me! As so many others before me, planning our wedding has unearthed a deep, intense passion for all things bridal and I secretly fear the day it will come to an end. Mr. Seal and I are quite the pair and life with him by my side is extremely rewarding—I am so thankful to have found him. Together we are planning a black-tie San Francisco affair for 250—light on the stuffiness and with lots of extra Seal-y flair.
Howdy, Hive! I’ve missed you! I am diligently working away on my recaps but thought I’d take a break to share something fun with you: OUR HIGHLIGHT VIDEO!
The Sealman and I definitely have a few dorky moments, but apart from that…we LOVE our video. Many thanks to Chris from Chriz Photography for doing such an amazing job!!!
Miss Doe, Northern CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 24, Real Estate AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Recycling ManagerEngagement Date: December 25, 2010Wedding Date: May 2012Venue: Monte Verde InnAbout Me: I’m a Rat Pack fan and a Christmas nut that loves to read, good wine, cheesy ’80s movies and ’90s sitcoms. My wiener dog with an attitude problem and lazy basset hound are my constant source of entertainment. He's a hunter and I like cooking so it's not rare to see wild game on our dinner menu. Both of us were born and raised in a small historic farming town where our feet are still firmly planted. We have been together for nearly a decade and have shared many life experiences together, including birthdays that are only one day apart. We are two old souls that are creating our long-awaited wedding with loads of tradition that blends our two styles into rustic elegance in the foothills of Northern California.
Remember when I told you about the horrid experience we had while meeting with a potential videographer? The one who said he didn’t really enjoy doing weddings, and he kept calling Mr. Buck by the wrong name? Well, our search for a videographer does have a happy ending. Our photographer was able to refer us to his friend who does videography.
They are a husband and wife team and they run a wonderful little wedding video company called WV Collections. We met them for coffee to go over details and pricing information. They treated us as though they were honored to be a part of our wedding, and asked us inquisitive questions. I wasn’t nervous to ask them any questions either, because they treated every single one of them as if it was important. On top of all that, they remembered our names. This was all new territory for us!
Being that videography was not at the top of my list, we needed someone that was reasonable. Read more…
Mrs. Mole, Los Angeles/Las VegasAge and Occupation: 29, Test Prep InstructorFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, User Experience ArchitectEngagement Date: April 2011Wedding Date: January 2012Venue: Wynn Las Vegas/Bouchon BistroAbout Me: I’m a Wisconsinite-turned-Angeleno who is planning a destination wedding in Las Vegas. I am passionate about education: I spent 23 (!) consecutive years in school, and now I work to help other people get into graduate programs. I love running on the treadmill, buying bath products from Lush, learning new moves in step aerobics, and exploring my neighborhood on foot. I am sometimes snobby about food, but I am rarely snobby about books. I read everything from Geoffrey Chaucer to Iris Murdoch to Chuck Klosterman to Candace Bushnell. My fiance and I are getting married on our third anniversary!
I never thought that Mr. Mole and I would hire a videographer for our wedding. We talked about it very briefly, then crossed that line out on Martha Stewart’s wedding budgeting tool. There were a couple of reasons for our decision. First, we had some trouble coming up with occasions when we would watch the video. Anniversaries, maybe. But when else? At dinner parties with unsuspecting guests? (Suprise! Here’s a video of us!) When Mad Men was on re-runs? I was talked into buying a DVD of my college graduation, and almost eight years later I have yet to even crack open the case.
Second, we worried that a videographer would feel intrusive at our small wedding. I have attended weddings where the videographer is front and center during the ceremony, creating a barrier between the bride and groom and their guests. From my “research” (read: my compulsive viewing of Four Weddings on TLC) I know that this is often a huge complaint of guests. I suppose that these guests could just watch the video later, but I wanted everyone to be able to have a clear and unobstructed view of the real deal.
Mrs. Jam, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 25, Writer/Associate Wedding CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Structural EngineerEngagement Date: December 23, 2009Wedding Date: June 2011Venue: Hunter’s Ridge, Princeton, ILAbout Me: I’m a penny-pinching cat lady getting ready to marry the frugal dog lover of my dreams. Our ideal Saturday morning includes rummaging around people’s junk at garage and estate sales followed by an afternoon date to our favorite café, where we only eat sandwiches that include the word “salad.” We actually love it so much, it’s sort of our unofficial wedding theme: Look at our delicious finds, eat homemade ham salad, and celebrate our love…barndance style. When we’re not obsessing over our love-fest shindig, we’re planning themed parties for our best friends and jamming to '90s music.
Considering we’ve had our wedding pictures for months now, you may think I’m a lazy blogger for not posting recaps sooner. You know, being five whole months post-nuptials and all.
But the truth is, I’ve been waiting for a certain something to arrive in my inbox to start the recaps with a BANG! And that certain something would be our super fun, ultra-dancey wedding trailer:
Miss Doe, Northern CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 24, Real Estate AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Recycling ManagerEngagement Date: December 25, 2010Wedding Date: May 2012Venue: Monte Verde InnAbout Me: I’m a Rat Pack fan and a Christmas nut that loves to read, good wine, cheesy ’80s movies and ’90s sitcoms. My wiener dog with an attitude problem and lazy basset hound are my constant source of entertainment. He's a hunter and I like cooking so it's not rare to see wild game on our dinner menu. Both of us were born and raised in a small historic farming town where our feet are still firmly planted. We have been together for nearly a decade and have shared many life experiences together, including birthdays that are only one day apart. We are two old souls that are creating our long-awaited wedding with loads of tradition that blends our two styles into rustic elegance in the foothills of Northern California.
I thought I would update you all on that appointment we had to meet with a potential videographer. The one that I was super excited about because he did not require my firstborn child and/or my life savings in order to book him?
Yeah, total fail. That meeting did not go as I had hoped. First, he emailed me about an hour before our appointment to ask if we could push back the appointment by 30 minutes. OK, no big deal. Thank goodness I checked my email before leaving. I consider this to be sign numero uno.
Things started off fairly well while he was explaining the different pricing options. Again, he was the most affordable videographer that I could fine. Things took a slight turn when he continued to call Mr. Buck by the wrong name of James. Not just once, but approximately five times. After every time he would correct himself, so he did know his correct name. OK, the first time is an honest mistake. Second time, he is still trying to figure this out. Third, fourth, fifth time? I’m starting to think Mr. Buck’s real name is James…ridiculous.
He showed us two videos, and they seemed nice. Nothing special, but again he is affordable and I kept telling myself this. To top it all off at the very end he said, “I don’t really choose to do weddings anymore because they take up my weekends. I only do them when people find me.” Wow, thanks. Because we aren’t going to be paying you a crap load of money or anything. (Yes he is affordable, but it still costs money.) I was not really interested in paying someone for a service who does not actually want to be there. As Stephanie Tanner would say:
Miss Doe, Northern CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 24, Real Estate AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Recycling ManagerEngagement Date: December 25, 2010Wedding Date: May 2012Venue: Monte Verde InnAbout Me: I’m a Rat Pack fan and a Christmas nut that loves to read, good wine, cheesy ’80s movies and ’90s sitcoms. My wiener dog with an attitude problem and lazy basset hound are my constant source of entertainment. He's a hunter and I like cooking so it's not rare to see wild game on our dinner menu. Both of us were born and raised in a small historic farming town where our feet are still firmly planted. We have been together for nearly a decade and have shared many life experiences together, including birthdays that are only one day apart. We are two old souls that are creating our long-awaited wedding with loads of tradition that blends our two styles into rustic elegance in the foothills of Northern California.
Early in our engagement I made the bold proclamation that videography was not necessary. I did not see the point…I figured nobody actually watches their video, do they?
I did some research to try and convince myself that maybe videography is important. I came across a website that details a few reasons why you should hire a videographer. Here is the general outline:
You forget things over the years, and video helps you to remember.
Video gives you the opportunity to see things you missed.
You spend lots of money on a wedding, and video gives you the chance to capture all that magic.
Photography is important, but video captures movement and sound, which is nice to have for things like toasts and the first dance.
Remember when Aunt Bethany video taped your family reunion? Then you go back to try and watch the video but instead you get motion sickness? A professional videographer helps avoid that.
Video gives the opportunity for your kids and grandkids to experience what your wedding was like. They will probably make fun of you, but isn’t that worth it?
Should we decide we want to sit down and watch the video, we would at least have that option.
Mrs. Parasol, San Ramon, CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 25, Non-profit writer, editor, and bloggerFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Law school studentEngagement Date: December 19th, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Bent Creek Winery (Livermore, California); Reception: Family Residence (San Ramon, California) About Me: I am a California girl at heart. I love the outdoors, sunny days at the beach, and hiking in the woods and mountains. I also love good books and am fresh from completing my Master's degree in English and Comparative Literature in New York City. Living in NYC was an amazing experience, and while I'm glad to be back on the West Coast, I'm also thankful that my two years back East gave me an opportunity to explore new places, make new friends, and indulge my passion for Broadway shows. Oh, and I received a pretty awesome proposal from Mr. Parasol in Central Park. Above all else, Mr. Parasol is my biggest cheerleader and my best friend. But even though I'm thrilled to be marrying him, I wasn't always totally on board with this whole wedding thing and at first, I wanted to run off and elope. I've finally been convinced to throw the wedding I never thought I wanted, and so now I'm busy planning an intimate September wedding filled with DIY details. Along the way, I'm slowly learning to appreciate, perhaps even love the wedding planning process.
Miss Warbler, Long Beach/MalibuAge and Occupation: 24, Quality Assurance EditorFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Handheld AdministratorEngagement Date: December 7, 2010Wedding Date: April 2012Venue: Calamigos Ranch MalibuAbout Me: I’m a Korean BBQ loving, cheesecake enthusiast bride living in the LBC! By day I write and edit for an online search engine marketing company. By night I am a volunteer food taster of all that is delicious. I am fortunate to be marrying an amazing man who loves me and my quirky ways. I love food, books, indie music, and Harry Potter. We are planning a small, intimate wedding up in the Malibu Hills with our closest family and friends. With the help of my wonderful fiance, our loved ones, and red velvet cheesecake, our wedding will be glorious!
We’ve been flip-flopping on the wedding lately. Mostly because I haven’t been able to get the idea of a wedding video out of my mind. Everywhere I look, I see awesome wedding videos around the web and, of course, from the bees. Who doesn’t want their wedding day immortalized with a sentimental indie song playing in the background? Mrs. Giraffe’s awesome post about why you need a videographer finally convinced me. Good job, Mrs. G!
The most random shirt ever. Please don’t buy this. / Image via Zazzle.com
Mrs. Panther, Atlanta GA/Westport CTAge and Occupation: 24, Web WriterFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Music Recording EngineerEngagement Date: March 13, 2010Wedding Date: July 2011Venue: The Inn at LongshoreAbout Me: I'm a total goofball who goes through life at a breakneck pace, trying not to knock anything over. I tend to fall in love with everything I encounter, but more than anything, I love my two little kitties, Bela and Josie, and my big kitty, Mr. Panther! As a wannabe crafter, I'm still waiting for my artistic talents to emerge. (Any day now, really.) In the meantime, I spend my days eating anything put in front of me, buying every pair of shoes I see and absorbing wedding inspiration from every inch of my surroundings. Mr. Panther and I are hardcore New Englanders planning Connecticut nuptials from our new home in the Dirty South, and can't wait to mix our newfound love of classic Southern charm with some modern city touches.
I LOVE it! (Except for hearing my own voice… Read more…
Mrs. Mouse, AustinAge and Occupation: 25, Weddingbee Editor/AttorneyFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Civil EngineerEngagement Date: December 19, 2007Wedding Date: September 2009Venue: Barr MansionAbout Me: I just graduated from law school and will be taking the bar, getting married, going on a honeymoon with my guy, and then trying to figure out what I'm going to do with the rest of my life. I was born and raised in a small East Texas town, but I'm no country girl! I'm obsessed with British accents, fantasy (including Harry Potter, of course), and classic rock. My fiance and I consider ourselves both music and beer snobs--but every once in awhile we love to hear a crappy band and drink a cheap brew or two. We're planning an eco-friendly, casual, English garden affair for the end of summer, and we can't wait for it to get here!
Mrs. Giraffe, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 23, Graphic DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Music Student TeacherEngagement Date: October 23, 2008Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Trinity Lutheran Church & Idlewild Country ClubAbout Me: Coming from the suburbs of the Windy City, you'll often find me with my foot in my mouth while laughing for no reason or telling bad knock knock jokes. I've been crafty for as long as I can remember, and will DIY something twice over before I have someone do it for me. I'm a semi-awkward, typeface obsessed, design junkie and have been know to break out my dance moves for no reason as well as try my best to be ridiculous at all times. My love of pop culture, wordplay, and graph paper almost rivals my love of Mr. Giraffe (who is just the bee's knees). After a 2.5 year engagement, we're planning a modern-in-disguise traditional wedding, and cannot wait!
Hive, I know I’ve been absently recently. There’s a lot going on, and even though I haven’t shared my recaps yet, I feel like this is a very important post for me to write, so I’ll be dropping in some images from the big day. Don’t worry about them though, I’ll catch you up on everything once I start recapping.
In the beginning, I was anti-video. Don’t get me wrong, I think wedding videos are gorgeous, and watching a few made me tear up a little. I scrapbook, and love flipping through albums, so spending moolah on photos made sense, but on video?
I mean, when was the last time I watched one of my parents’ home videos? I showed some baby ones to Mr. G a few years back, but that’s pretty much it. Who wants to watch a video of themselves? And, better yet, who wants to pay a ton of money for it? Read more…
Mrs. Jaguar, SydneyAge and Occupation: 27, Primary School TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, IT ConsultantEngagement Date: August 8, 2009Wedding Date: June 2011Venue: Curzon HallAbout Me: I'm an Australian girl who is a self-proclaimed nerd, loves all things stationery and would be lost without books, music and the internet. Mr. Jaguar and I have been together for the past eight years and he finally popped the question last August. Hurrah! We currently live in Sydney, Australia with our adorable cat who thinks he's a person. We're a couple who likes to multi-task: we've been planning a wedding abroad, a permanent move from London to Sydney, and preparing to build our own home all at the same time. Travelling makes me giddy...as does Mr. Jaguar, of course!
So it’s been a mere 10 days since our wedding, and our super amazing videographer Amy Nelson-Blaine {Wedding Cinematography} has already created a snapshot of our wedding day on film. I’m so excited about it, because it makes the wait for seeing our pictures go by quicker, and it also lets my friends (especially my online ones, aka YOU GUYS) get a bit of an inside scoop on how the Jaguar wedding went down.
Film highlights? Oh yeah, there are plenty:
There’s me. Pulling every stupid face known under the sun. Really—I’m not kidding. I didn’t count but there are so many tragic expressions in there, it’s not funny. Apparently my friends weren’t joking when they told me that I put everything I’m thinking into my face. Hilarious!
Mr. Jaguar whispering his wedding vows—thankfully you can hear him in the video!
The best Maid of Honour speech in the history of Maid of Honour speeches. Watch them. You’ll cry. I know I did (on the night AND today while watching it.).
Some pretty freaking amazing dance moves (and one slightly tipsy uncle) on the dance floor
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
How to Hire a Wedding Videographer / Wedding Photography Directory
