So, yesterday was a dream wedding for us...oh, yeah. Probably Kristin and Brandon had a good time too, but the planets and stars and all other celestial beings were alligned for us as filmmakers. :)
Wonderful people, first of all. I wish I was a part of their family! Both sides of the church were filled with such fun and genuine people. A couple so in love, I had tears in my eyes filming their Love Story...then again while watching it...then again during the ceremony...then again during the toasts at the reception. Can't really see what I'm doing in my camera if I'm tearing up, people! :) So, you can imagine that picture time was a blast because we professionals didn't have to dictate every move, trying to "create" the magic. SPEAKING of pictures, we had the honor and pleasure of working with Chris Croy and his wonderful assistant, Tamara. Wait. I'm getting ahead of myself. People, loving couple (oh, and they're GORGEOUS, too - that don't hurt any!), amazing photographer who respects our job as much as his, COORDINATOR - oh, boy...the difference having a coordinator makes. All this added up to a 12 hour day that almost didn't feel like work. My feet, legs, back and shoulders tell me otherwise today, but yesterday was a perfect illustration of why I love my job. Hmmm...could have done without the heat, though.
I started the day filming all the ladies getting ready in the conference room at Kristin's parents' business. What an opening scene! There was plenty of room and it was well lit - so much better than I'm usually able to work with in a cramped hotel room with a few lamps. Anyway, the girls were having such fun hanging out and/or getting done up with "My Best Friend's Wedding" playing in the background. A running theme of the day was "This or That?" Jennifer Aniston or Julia Roberts...Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire...Madonna or - can't remember that one. One moment, a bridesmaid is catching grapes in her mouth, the next moment Kathy is singing "I Say a Little Prayer for You" into a toothbrush case and getting the bridesmaids to join in as backups in true old-school night club fashion. Priceless!
Off to the church, where Kristin soon received a card from her moments-to-be husband and had to choke back tears from the heartfelt sentiments. She would call out "pants!" whenever a moment was getting to her, and her bridesmaids were supposed to do something to help...they stuck their butts toward her, acting like they were going to flash her, so I guess "pants" is short for "underpants"? Perhaps something left over from some private joke through the years or a recent slumber party or something...this is what a wedding day should be, isn't it? I just couldn't have scripted it better.
The only "hairy" moment the whole day, as far as I could tell, was the challenge of getting the veil on. Mom and Dad tried to help, but a hair emergency resulted, and a couple bridesmaids saved the day. I remember Kristin saying, "I don't care if it all falls out after today..." just do whatever is necessary, basically. :) You are among friends, Kristin. We all understand, and most of us don't even have the gorgeous fairy-tale locks you have! And it was perfect.
The ceremony was lovely. I had a very limited view from a doorway up on the altar, but I could see Brandon and Kristin grinning and giggling, sometimes chatting (I can't wait to hear what they were talking about!), and bridesmaids dabbing tears away all down the line. They exited the church amidst a shower of rosepetals and made their getaway (just down the street and then back behind the church to get pics underway) in K's dad's classic, cherry-red Mustang. Say it with me: sweet. Yes, it's overdone, but in this case, it's necessary.
Alright, alright...time to sing the praises of Chris Croy and his tiny assistant, Tamara. We didn't have a lot of time for pictures because of the 1 hour drive to the reception in St. Louis, but these pictures are going to be spectacular. Chris was so thoughtful to make sure I was getting what I needed for the film as well. Such an artist, a professional...and a gentleman. The last time we worked together was a nightmare - Bridezilla straight from the TV show - probably the worst either of our companies has had to deal with. Hmmmm...I wonder if she would read this and know it was her.....don'tcare. It was so refreshing for us to experience what it's like to work with Chris when we're really allowed the freedom to actually do our jobs and practice our craft without sour faces, screaming, and tantrums. Uh, I'm talking about the bride there - not us. :) Brian and I usually only have tantrums in the office.
Well, the reception was beautiful and, as I mentioned earlier, brought more tears...the HUGE room at Windows OFF Washington was so full of love and excitement it was almost tangible. Alison from Simply Elegant Events and her assistants were available to take care of anything we needed or answer any question. Of course, as a bride, you're aware that your coordinator needs to be there for you...but do you really understand how important it is for her to support your vendors too? I'm not sure all coordinators understand that. The best ones do. (See our resources page!) I know Kristin's mom, Kathy, was deeply involved in planning, too. I don't know whose hands did what, but the place, the party, the DAY was amazing. Oh, LORD...I can't talk about how spectacular the reception looked without also mentioning Erin with Exclusive Events! Lit jewel curtains at the corners of the dance floor...fabric backdrops...I don't even know everything she designed, but it was breathtaking. And whose idea was the chicken wing bar!? So fun!
There is so much more I could talk about, but you should just watch our fun little video. I can't wait to see the real thing myself, but these things take time. Hopefully, everyone will enjoy watching this little treat in the meantime. This is something new we're trying! This blog video was shot with our JVC harddrive handycam, so it's certainly not up to the quality of our broadcast cameras, but it sure is great to be able to download something to the computer and get a little something put together the day after! :)
Enjoy!
Ang
