Picture Perfect - Don't Book Presbyterian Churches

Ya know, with all the rules and regulations of the Catholic Church most people think they are the most strict when if comes to photo and video production in their place of worship. But the truth is within the last three years only one Catholic Church has ever given us a hard time about how we film. I think maybe the priests understand that by allowing us to film their church properly, we are making beautiful video and this will encourage others to get married in the Catholic Church. Let's face it, they are the most beautiful of all places to get married.

The sad truth is that Presbyterian Churches are the ones that have been giving us the hardest time. And it's EVERY SINGLE TIME. It's usually some church lady, who is a volunteer, who feels some strange sense of empowerment just because she has been given the task of coordinating the wedding for the pastor. They usually tell us that we can only film from the back of the church. Some have even denied us access to the center aisle during the processional.

It's gotten so ridiculous that I may consider refusing to film in these churches. The easiest solution would be for couples to just stop booking their weddings there. There are so many other great churches that it's really not worth the hassle. Imagine you book your favorite photographer and videographer and then they can't get the shots that made you like them in the first place.

When we shot Janette and John's wedding just last weekend we decided to break the rules and move closer to the front than we were instructed. While we did get some good shots of the vows we weren't able to film some of the couple's closest family members, like mom and dad, or their grandparents.

You cab see how their video looks here: Janette and John

But if you truly want to make sure that your photographer and videographer get the shots we need to make a great product I would suggest finding another location for your ceremony. Presbyterian Churches are just not photo and video friendly.

Final Details, just a reminder

When it comes time to getting the details straight for your wedding we prefer to be the last person you speak with. There are things we are going to want to know that you might only find out once you have had your final consultation with your photographer or DJ.

We know the big day is fast approaching and you are all very anxious, but we can't go over the final details 2 or 3 weeks before your wedding. We prefer to do it the week of your wedding so that we are sure all the details are set in stone. This is your one and only wedding day, but it's our 400th wedding so you'll have to trust us that we know what we are doing.

B.I.G. Video Show at Laurel Creek Country Club

Janette and John had a wonderful wedding in Mt. Laurel, NJ on July 4th. We got to work with our good friend, Jordan Brian. Besides being an awesome photographer Jordan also knows how to have fun while he works and keeps the wedding party smiling and having a good time all day long. He also knows how to please his clients. On this night he and his assistant, Brianna, created a beautiful photo montage to show to all the guests. As fate would have it we were hired to create our famous B.I.G. Video Show, so it was only logical that we show them together on our 80" screen in high definition.

We'd both like to thank Terry O at DJ's Available for giving us wonderful sound to show our video. After all, what is video without sound?

B.I.G. Video Show at the Laurel Creek Country Club By Kenneth Stillman
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Tuesday Morning Music Club - 6/16/09

I took a few weeks off from the music club posts. Why? Because all the music released the last few weeks sucked. I think there is some kind of schedule the record companies follow as to when they release certain CD's. Maybe they didn't want to release anything around the Memorial Day Holidays because they know a bunch of movies get released and initial sales would not be good.

Anyway, I am back with 3 very cools songs this week. These would all make great wedding video songs.

Fly With Me - The Jonas Brothers

Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Michael Buble'

Thinking of You - Pete Yorn

B.I.G. Video Show at The Townsend Room

I love our clients. They don't want the tired, boring cheesy wedding video. They want a video that is exciting and they will be proud to show over and over again. Ryan and Nick had such a great wedding and with the rockin' sounds of country artist Keith Urban I knew it was going to be an equally great video.

I gotta give major props to Mike Rossi from East Coast Event Group. He is one of the best DJ's in Philadelphia and not only did he give us great sound for our B.I.G. Video Show, he kept he dance floor packed for over two hours.

B.I.G. Video Show at The Townsend Room By Kenneth Stillman
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B.I.G. Video Show at the Ocean City Yacht Club

My favorite movies are Star Wars, Pulp Fiction, and The Cider House Rules. Three very different movies with one thing in common. They all have great soundtracks. When you sit down with your DJ and select songs for your introductions, first dance and parent dances you are essentially creating a soundtrack to your wedding video. When you select a song for your B.I.G. Video Show and your Prologue you are selecting your theme song.

We take song selection very serious and stay away from the typical cheesy wedding songs. Melissa and Anthony allowed me to pick their song so I chose Who'd Have Known by Lily Allen. I think it worked great for their video.

We had the pleasure of working with Marc Anthony again. You can check out his photos from the wedding on his blog. He even has a great shot of Melissa and Anthony as they watch the B.I.G. Video Show surrounded by friends and family.

B.I.G. Video Show at The Ocean City Yacht Club By Kenneth Stillman
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B.I.G. Video Show at The Aldie Mansion

Jess and Mike had a such a beautiful wedding at the Aldie Mansion in Doylestown, PA. the weather was perfect and everyone was in high spirits. We finally had a chance to work with one of our Philly Trash Bash alumni Paul Roebuck. Anybody who followed that blog knows that Paul is one of the best photographers in Philadelphia. The proof is on his blog. Paul is so great to work with. It's like he's not even there, and yet he gets the most spectacular photographs.

And then our B.I.G. Video Show was a huge success. There is nothing I love more than editing to a song that is not a traditional wedding song. This video will rock your socks off - and not just one of them, both left and right.

B.I.G. Video Show at The Aldie Mansion By Kenneth Stillman
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B.I.G. Video Show at Garden Falls

We had never filmed at Garden Falls before so it appeared to be something of a challenge at first. In the end Cindy reported back that it actually very easy to get lots of great shots. The reason it appeared to be challenging was because the ceremony was being held on an island in the middle of a man-made lake. It was definitely a different kind of wedding and lots of fun for our team and the guests.

Our B.I.G. Video Show was a big hit, as usual. Cindy and Lynn filmed while Jimmy did the edit.

I love this shot of Abby and Tom. I wish the video player didn't put a big honkin' play button right across Abby's face. Whadda ya gonna do?

B.I.G. Video Show at Garden Falls By Kenneth Stillman
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Suzanne & Ben | Downtown Club

My original plan was to post four videos in four day. Unfortunately we won't be able to do that. Suzanne has relatives back in Tennessee who could not attend the wedding and she wants to keep her B.I.G. Video Show as a surprise for them. That's cool by me because I love the reaction we get when people get to see a stylish video of events hey just witnessed a couple hours ago.

But just because we don't have a video to post doesn't mean their wedding isn't blog-worthy. We had such a great time and everyone was in such a good mood.

The professional we have to work with the most on the wedding day is the photographer. But luckily we had not one, but two very talented and professional people to work with. Jenn Childress is one of my favorites to work with. It's like we instinctively know where each other is so we can stay out of each other's shots. You can check out her fabulous work on her blog. Suzanne also had Pete Malone from 217 Photography come along to compliment Jenn's work.

Everything went according to plan because worked with the awesome Erin Proud, one of Philadelphia's premier wedding planners. Kelly Quinlan from Face the Occasion did a great job of doing Suzanne's makeup. Meghan Cahill did Suzanne's hair and it stayed up all night.

And for entertainment we had Mike DiNardo from DiNardo Brothers DJ's. They had the dance floor hoppin' all night long.

I hope to be able to share this wonderful video sometime after Suzanne and Ben share it with their relatives in Tennessee.

photo courtesy of Jennifer Childress

Coming Soon

Last weekend we did 3 B.I.G. Video Shows in 3 days. I don't think we've ever done that before. So obviously I didn't get a chance to export them and put them online for your viewing pleasure. But starting Monday I will. Plus we just finished a great video for melissa and Anthony at the Ocean City Yacht Club. So for those of you who love our B.I.G. Video I'll be posting one for 4 days in a row.

Crazy Weekend

I just had the craziest, but still fun, weekend. So I have a little editing, phone calls and emails to catch up on. Because we work on the weekends I will sometimes take days off during the week. A wedding professional schedule is very different from that of most people. So don't be surprised if I don't answer my phone some days.

On Thursday we shot a great wedding at Pen Ryn Mansion. Shairie and Ka-Juan had a wonderful time. Friday was a day off and I went to see Rpger Clyne and The Peacemakers in concert. If you have never seen this band you owe it to yourself to check them out. Filmed a wedding on both Saturday and Sunday. Monday was the family BBQ at mom's house. And finally yesterday I took a day off and went to see Coldplay in concert. They were awesome.

Now I have to work extra hard to get caught up.

B.I.G. Video Show at Lucien's Manor

Megan and Ross had such a wonderful wedding on Saturday. It was held in The Grand Ballroom at beautiful Lucien's Manor in Berlin, NJ. Cindy and Rich filmed while Ken (not the owner) turned in a great edit.

Of course it helps the day go smooth when our team was surrounded by our talented friends in the industry. They also had a full dance floor all night provided by our friends at DJ's Available, one of the best and most affordable DJ companies in the Delaware Valley.

I want to give special mention to my friend Mike Petretti from DJ's Available. Mike understood that the couple paid us to create this video to enhance their wedding and make it more memorable. He knew how excited they were to get a video of the day on the same day as the wedding. So Mike didn't just announce the presentation of the video. He gathered almost every single guest around the video screen to see it. Cindy it said it was the biggest crowd that has ever accumulated on the dance floor to see a couple's video. Thank you, Mike.

Because that's really what weddings are all about - a couple sharing their wonderful day surrounded by friends. We are honored when we are surrounded by our friends.

B.I.G. Video Show at Lucien's Manor By Kenneth Stillman
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Boycott of Jon and Kate Plus 8

I am not a fan of this show but Jeanie watches it from time to time so I have caught an episode here or a snippet there. First I think it's horrible that they are exploiting these children. Now I know this can be up for debate. Eight kids is a lot to raise and having the show has definitely helped with the financial burdens of having eight children. So I guess I can see where they saw this as a way to make sure their children will be well clothed, fed and educated.

But recently in the news there has been reports of both Jon and Kate having affairs. None of this has been confirmed. Jeanie asked me to watch the season premier tonight and I have to admit I was more than a little curious. The only discussion about any kinds of trouble in the relationship was regarding the media attention and how it was becoming intrusive. Jon mentioned that he had not cheated on Kate, but he merely said that in passing. The couple themselves did not mention anything about infidelity.

In fact, the show did not even mention that Jon was no longer living in the house with them, but by the end of the show it was clear that Jon and Kate were no longer living under the same roof. All but a few minutes of the interviews were done separately. Shots of the kids in the house did not show Jon at all, but clearly showed Kate trying to plan the birthday party all by herself. The only time we saw Jon with the kids was at the birthday party in a public park.

So why am I saying that this show should be boycotted?

The kids.

Jon and Kate had their little run of exploiting their kids. They are now very well off and probably won't have to work anytime soon. And by that token the TLC network has made a substantial amount of money off these cute little children.

Now the castle has crumbled. The couple is having marriage difficulties. National TV is not the place to air your grievances about your spouse. For the good of the children TLC should be voluntarily pulling the plug on this show. A divorce is tough on children as it is. But nothing good can come from documenting the separation of two parents and showing it on TV and eventually on DVD for these kids to watch later in life.

Anybody who has been close to somebody who has been divorced knows what I am talking about. It is a very painful process. Now imagine watching it back in reruns.

Unfortunately the only way this channel is going to remove this show is if the ratings go down. Boycott the Jon and Kate Plus 8 show on TLC. You'll be helping those 8 little children start a somewhat normal life.

B.I.G. Video Show at The English Manor

Cindy has been bugging me for a Natasha Bedingfield song ever since we did out first B.I.G. Show in February of 2008. We don't always get to pick the song snad when we did the songs didn't feel right for the couple.

But when Karen suggested the song Unwritten I knew the time had come.

Karen and Ben had such a great wedding and everyone was in good spirits. This was the perfect upbeat song for a great upbeat crowd.

We'd like the thank the wonderful crew from Best of Both Worlds Entertainment for giving our team such a wonderful sounding video.

BIG Video Show at The English Manor By Kenneth Stillman
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A Very Special Wedding

Why is this one special? Two reasons. First, I have always loved this Coldplay song and thought it would make an excellent wedding song. The only problem with using it has been that not all brides have green eyes, and since the name of the song is Green Eyes, I'd say that is a prerequisite. LOL

The other reason it's special is because it's the wedding of my photographer friend Jordan Brian and his beautiful wife, Victoria. I knew right from the start they were going to have an awesome wedding. Being the in business makes us sought of experts on how to plan a wedding. We get to meet so many professionals, so we know who is good and who is not.

After you watch the video, hop on over to his site and look at some of Jordan's fantastic work.

New Jersey Wedding Video at Sea Oaks Country Club By Kenneth Stillman
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