This past weekend I did something that is rare. Two weddings in one day. Let me explain.
More than a year ago, I booked a wedding for Saturday morning at the Waterview. The ceremony started at 11 AM and I would be there until about 4 PM. Pretty standard for me. Then, about six months ago my friend got engaged. Awesome sauce, especially because they have been dating for a while. They actually started dating just before my wedding back in 2008. A wedding at which they caught the bouquet and garter. Then I found out what day they were planning on getting married and I said oh no because it was a day that I already booked. And then I was asked to be a Groomsman, which is awesome, but I was still freaking out trying figure out how to be in a wedding and shoot a wedding at the same time. This is where the randomness of the Universe comes in. I then found out that the wedding was also happening at the Waterview. What are the odds of that? And then the best news was that the wedding was starting at 6 PM. As a wedding vendor, it is completely possible to have a wedding on the same day that a friend gets married. But to be at the same location and off setting times? That is one in a million. My day started early, arriving at 9:40 AM. Worked through the whole wedding until about 4 PM. Ran to CVS to get a card, and some 5 hour energy. Got back, changed into my suit and downed my 5 hour energy (first time I've ever had one) and was ready before the other wedding finished clearing out at 5 PM. The crew at the venue was the same people for both weddings, so it was fun to work with the same people all day, but I have a feeling they were a little jealous that I got to have fun at the second wedding and not work. It was a great day, but I hope that it is the last time I ever have to do that. I rarely book two weddings on the same weekend because it takes a lot of energy, so two in the same day is not my ideal situation. And after this upcoming weekend, I don't think I have anymore friends getting married for a while. I finished a wedding video recently. It was one that sticks out in my head because I was having a really bad allergy day. My pockets had tissue stuffed in them, and I was trying not to sniffle while recording the ceremony. During the extended break between the ceremony and reception, I had to pop some Benadryl, which takes care of the nose but makes me want to fall asleep. For me, it was a rough day. For the couple, it was a great day, and this past weekend they got their video in the mail and this is what they had to say,
"We could not thank Keith enough for being the videographer at our wedding! He is professional, friendly, responsive and very easy to work with. The footage from our wedding day was amazing. He captured every special moment and we will cherish this video forever! Thank you again!" She also has a couple of nice e-mails that she sent me as well. It is moments like this that make me say I really love my job. I love helping a couple capture their day so they can relive it again. I love seeing the look their faces all day long and watching the nervousness turn into excitement. And I really enjoy knowing that I created something for the couple that they really enjoy. I know I am just doing my job, but it is also nice to hear that I am doing a good job. At a normal job, you have performance reviews from a boss. When you work for yourself, your clients are the boss, and the only time you get feed back is if and when they write a review. And it is reviews like this one that put a smile on my face and keep pushing me forward to continue to do a great job for the next couple and the couple after that. Hamden, CT – January 7, 2015 – WeddingWire, the nation's leading online wedding marketplace, named Keith Michael Productions as a winner of the prestigious WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards® 2015 for Videography in Hamden! The WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards® 2015 recognizes the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism. The esteemed awards are given to the top local wedding vendors in more than 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, based on their professional achievements from the previous year. While many industry award winners are selected by the host organization, the WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards® winners are determined solely based on reviews from real newlyweds and their experiences working with Keith Michael Productions. Award-winning vendors are distinguished for the quality, quantity, consistency and timeliness of the reviews they have received from their past clients. "It's always exciting to start the year by honoring the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Network who represent more than two million reviews on our website," said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire. "Each of the businesses recognized are committed to quality, professionalism and all around top-notch service. We applaud Keith Michael Productions for their impressive achievements within the wedding industry." As a Couples' Choice Awards® winner, Keith Michael Productions is highlighted within the WeddingWire Network, which is comprised of more than 200,000 wedding professionals throughout North America and abroad. Keith Michael Productions is proud to be one of the top Videographers in Hamden in the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding sites such as WeddingWire, Project Wedding, Brides.com, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for taking the time to review our business on WeddingWire. We value all of our clients and truly appreciate the positive feedback that helped us earn the WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards® 2015. For more information about Keith Michael Productions, please visit our websites today at http://keithmichaelproductions.com. To learn more about the Couple's Choice Awards®, please visit www.weddingwire.com/couples-choice-awards. About WeddingWire WeddingWire, the leading technology company serving the $100 billion wedding and events industry, is the largest online vertical marketplace connecting engaged couples with event professionals. With more than two million consumer reviews, it is the industry leader in consumer reviews. The site enables engaged couples to search, compare and book from an extensive database of more than 200,000 recently reviewed event professionals, from venues to photographers. WeddingWire provides event professionals with the technology they need to serve their clients, including a SaaS platform, which powers advertising, marketing, and CRM needs of local wedding and events businesses nationwide. 2015 is here and for me it's a pretty exciting year. 10 years ago, I decided to create this company and I am happy to say that 10 years later I have been able to capture the wedding days of countless couples along with birthday parties, dance recitals, and so much more.
To celebrate my 10 year anniversary I am running a promotion that won't last long. 10% off wedding packages to the first 10 couples who book a wedding video in 2015. The wedding doesn't have to be this year, but you have to book it this year. And less than a week into the new year, one couple as claimed the first discount, so only 9 remain. Help celebrate my 10 year anniversary by giving yourself a 10% discount. Happy New Year! As tech geek or gear head, I often times get really excited about the latest gadget, and the newest technology. And I think that it is great, and essential that I stay up to date with all the latest gear that is out there. But that is my end, that is the behind the scenes part of my job. What about you reading this? If you are a fellow creative professional, then yes, you should know what everything is. However, if you are couple looking for a videographer then I am going to be honest, it doesn't matter what I use for the most part. Let me explain.
Take cameras for example. At this point, everyone should be recording in HD. HD should not even be a question anymore, so let move past that. There is a difference between a camcorder with a fixed lens and camera with interchangeable lenses. When it comes to modern day videography, this is the divider line between a camera to record, and one to give depth to your video. A HD camcorder with a fixed lens will have a pretty flat image, and a camera with different lenses will give more depth to you video. To see what I mean about the difference in video you can check out this video. I personally use a mirror-less camera which for the sake of easy argument fall under the DSLR video category. It has a body like a still camera, and you can put different lenses on it. In this category alone, some of the brands that a wedding videographer might use are: Canon, Nikon, Lumix, Sony, Olympus, and Blackmagic. These are probably the top six brands for this out there. And each have their pros and cons. I personally use the Lumix brand. I could take an hour to explain how I came to make that the camera I use, but it's not worth it. There is a saying that the best camera is the one you have. If you give any skilled videographer any of these cameras, and a couple of minutes to find all the settings, they will be able to take amazing video. The skill is in the hands and brain of the person holding the camera. The camera is only a tool. Sometimes I also get the question about what I edit my video with. (Answer: Adobe Premiere Pro) Again, this is where it really doesn't matter. In the 15 years I have been recording and editing video I have gone from using Tape to Tape machines, to using NLEs (Non Linear Editor) like Ulead Media Studios, Sony Vegas Video, Final Cut Pro and now Adobe Premiere Pro. I could also give you a laundry list of reason as to why I ended up using what I use, and if you were one of my media students, I would share that list with you. But if you are a bride or a groom that is looking for a great wedding video, the end result is what matters. These are just my tools to get the job done. We don't ask what kind of hammer the carpenter uses to build our house as long as the house is built well. When someone does an interview with Stephen King, the question of what word processor he uses is not there. Because like my camera, my computer and my software, they are just tools. What the most important part for me to make a great video for you is the skills that I have. And to further my point about the skills of the person holding the camera, check out this video by DigitalRev where they give pro photographers cheap cameras. I see it happen all he time. I am at a wedding or another event, and someone has their point and shoot camera, or their iPhone out and they are trying to take a picture of the action. The Bride and Groom are about to kiss, the guest takes the photo with their camera, the flash goes off, but the image is so dark. And the wedding guest is confused as to why this happened.
Laura and Kenneth had such a great wedding. Their talented family and friend's really made this a unique day as they provided the sound track for their wedding with the songs they sang. They requested this highlight video be made to show it at a family gathering of people were not able to make it the ceremony only a couple of weeks later. When I asked Laura how things went, she told me that her mother (who was at the wedding) cried at seeing the video again. When I hear stories like that, I know that I have done my job correctly.
On Saturday, I was up in Agawam, MA shooting a wedding. Anyone in the area knows that it was raining alllllllll day. The wedding was at a country club, and the ceremony was supposed to be outside overlooking the golf course with the hills in the background. With the leaves changing color, this would have been a beautiful picture. But instead it rained early and it rained a lot. When I arrived at the venue, they were already set up for the indoor ceremony. The 150 guests had to squeeze into a smaller space, and the aisle for them to walk down was not very big. I even apologized to some guests in the back that would be blocking their view of the ceremony before it started.
Did the bride freak out? Were the guests upset that I might have to block their view during the ceremony? No and no. The bride and groom were beyond happy because it was their wedding day! It didn't matter where they were as long as they were with each other, declaring their love in front of their family and friends. And those guests that I had block? They completely understood and didn't mind at all. Why am I sharing all of this? Because it is a message to all couples who are going to get married. You are going to spend months, years even, planning this one day. No detail is too small to think about. But the reality is that no matter how well you plan, something will not be exactly like you planned it. It could be something ever so tiny, or something large like it raining. My message, don't worry about it. On your wedding day, when something doesn't go exactly as planned, like the priest saying the wrong name (I have seen this several times, including my own wedding), or flowers falling off the mens jackets cause they didn't know how to put them on in the first place, don't worry. Stop and remember the reason why you are there. It's not the dress, it's not the hair, the tux, the music, the food, or the anything else. It is because you have chosen to spend the rest of your life with someone who you love very deeply. So is and when something goes askew, look at that person you want to love forever, take a breath and remember that they are the only other person that matters to you on that day. And as long as you have each other, nothing can every truly go wrong. Last week I spent a couple of days in Vegas with a couple thousand fellow wedding professionals. This is my view of the stage from the morning sessions on day one. On stage dressed like Marty McFly from the first Back to the Future movie is Sonny, one of the creators of WeddingWire.
What is Wedding MBA, why did I go, and how will this help my clients? Good questions. The Wedding MBA (Merchant Business Association), holds a conference every year for wedding professionals from across the country and from around the world to come and be educated on the latest trends in the world of weddings. The conference is filled with two and a half days of talks in addition to all of the vendors that have stations set up in the conference center. Sessions I personally attended and got some helpful information on ranged from legal information about contracts, to helpful apps to better run my business. Today is the first day I have been able to sit down and really think about everything I learned, it was enough that it will take me weeks to implement everything that I learned. Some of the speakers included Alan Berg, Sonny and Tim from WeddingWire, people from The Knot, and Perfect Wedding Guide, and many others. Wedding Professionals that attend this conference show that they are dedicated the wedding industry and making sure that they are in touch with today's brides and grooms. |
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