Well, now that clutch has gone to print, I am taking a bit of a media break since I have basically lived with my computer by my side. So, I am enjoying a week of no phone/no internet, but I still want you to have pretty things to look at! So, enjoy my Spring Blogiday postings, which are repostings of oldies but goodies. Oh, and don’t forget to register for Bliss, a fine wedding fair on April 1st by clicking HERE.

After the wedding day is over, you are filled with emotion and your memories … how will you preserve those? Of course photography comes into play, but what about videography? Capturing a tear as it rolls down your mother’s cheek, really seeing how long that first kiss was or being able to laugh at Uncle Bob’s crazy dance moves is something that a videographer can document for you. Thank you so much to Devin Olson from Devin Olson Media for sharing his thoughts with us today.

It’s what some couples consider the single most important part of the wedding, yet others overlook it entirely. It is one of the most unnoticeable aspects of the day-of,yet perhaps the single most perceptible remnant of your wedding when the vows have been said, the cake has been cut, and the honeymoon has come to a close.

So why are most couples 50/50 when it comes to wedding video?

Maybe because it was almost unheard-of just a couple decades back, and when it did arise as a recognized facet of the modern wedding, the results were not always that great.  After all, who wants to pay someone to film their wedding when the result looks like a stray dog set loose with the home movie camera?

However, with the rise of new equipment and new software just the past 2 or 3 years, more and more skilled local businesses can afford to provide your everyday bride and groom with a keepsake that looks more like a Hollywood-produced TV special than the old stray-dog cam wedding video.

Another preconception I hear a lot as is that “we just didn’t think it was necessary.”  A recent couple I worked with told me that they asked their recently-married friends what their biggest regret was, and the answers they were hearing surprised them.  Their friends regretted not having a wedding video, because most of what happened the day of was now lost to the unsung bowels of the past.

“After all,” a lot of couples reason, “we have a great photographer, so we’ll have all of the memories we need.”  As a recently married man, I can attest that pictures are definitely irreplaceable memories, but they fail to capture an entire aspect of the day that only video can.

Thus, here are five bullet points you may have never thought about if your wedding day sits off somewhere in the future.

5. It Makes the Perfect Gift.

What better way is there to say “thank you” to everyone who sacrificed their time, money, and talents to contribute to your day than to give them something meaningful, something custom to your style, and something that they are a part of?  A wedding video on DVD or Blu-ray fits that criteria to a “T”.  It can follow a couple months after your written thank-yous and timed to commemorate your 6-month, 1-year, or whatever anniversary you want it to once it has been produced.

4. It Is the Ultimate Form of Inclusiveness.

If you are planning your wedding right now, you may be starting to realize that there is no way to invite everyone that you wanted to, unless of course a generous donor comes forth at the last minute.  I know that I wanted to have a few hundred at my wedding, but my wife and I ended up having around 75 in the end partly due to the fact that each guest accounts for so much extra expense.  The other scenario is when the highest-priority guests, like family and best friends, can not make it, which almost always happens.  One recent groom’s grandfather was in the hospital with pneumonia on the wedding day, but he got to feel like he had a front-seat for the entire day through their DVD when they sent him a copy.

3.  The Photographer Can Not Get It All.

Photographers have a split second to capture exactly what they need to, but a modern videographer can capture the equivalent of 60 pictures a second.  Of course, even full HD video is only about a tenth of the quality of a higher-end photographer’s camera, but it is still about the perfect quality needed for a 5×7 print and almost 3 times greater than Facebook picture quality, which is where most wedding pictures end up in the year 2011.  By no means will the wedding photographer ever be replaced by the videographer, but the video brings completely different elements to the table: audio, motion, synchronization.  How else will you remember the exact conversation that the groomsmen had with the groom right before he marched into the ceremony?  Or how the bride broke down crying during the vows?  Or the beautiful rhythm of the first dance?

2. Video Captures the Full Experience.

Looking back at the footage captured at my own wedding, I was stunned at how much I never experienced from my limited perspective, and shocked at the thought of all that being lost.  Ironically, when you are one of the two tying the knot, you actually end up having the most limited point of view out of anyone; always needing to be in a certain place at a certain time doing a certain thing and not really having much downtime until the reception to even begin trying to soak it all up.  However, video introduces an entirely new point of view – or two, or three, or however many camera operators you have at your wedding – and each camera operator brings a new eye and a slightly different style to the table.  And when you’re putting a good chunk of your life’s savings into this day, why wouldn’t you invest in it actually being remembered, especially by you and your significant other?

1. How Will the World Remember Your Story?

One of the most overlooked aspects of a wedding video is its ability to so powerfully tell the story of your wedding and your relationship to the world.  What better opportunity could you possibly have to share with the world and with generations that will come hundreds of years after you the story of your love and how you expressed it in the year 2011?  For the first time in history, most people will have the opportunity for their lives to be documented and passed on into the future audiovisually.  Now, anyone in any part of the world can potentially get to know you and your story through your wedding video.  Something I have started offering to couples whenever I do a wedding video is to sit down with them and get them to verbalize their stories on camera to be incorporated into the wedding video itself; how they met, how they fell in love, how he proposed, what they are looking forward to.  It is just one more way to use video for what I think it’s best at: the ultimate storytelling tool.

If you have been on the fence about wedding video, it might be time to talk with your fiancé about whether you can afford not to have it.  You will never get the chance to do your wedding day over again, but — with it captured right — you will have the chance to relive it as many times as you want!

Thank you again, Devin, for such wise words. Even though I have been married for 16 years, I do have a wedding video (although not as fancy as today’s can be!), but it is something that I am truly thankful that I have. Feel free to head on over to the website of Devin Olson Media for a peek into his work.

All images are from flickr from top to bottom: musicmuse_ca, wickenden, Luke H, Wedding Photographics, and Heaven’s Gate (John).

Ok, scratch that. This is anything but an “Everyday Wedding”. Often, I get super excited about submissions by the vendors of Hill City Bride, but this one by Jane Bradley Photography takes the cake. I literally ooohed and ahhhhed over EACH and every photo. This is one of the most unique weddings that I have ever seen … I wish I could have attended!! Truly. From the earthy feel to their handmade wedding garments to the music and relaxed atmosphere and, and, and … it’s perfect!! Thank you so much, Jane, for sharing this. I am going to stop gushing and let Kayla and this wedding speak for themselves.

Here is what Kayla had to say …

We both wanted a very relaxed setting for our wedding.We had it at a piece of property called Wilderness Creek overlooking the James River. We both don’t particularly like to get too dressed up but wanted something that looked a little formal, so we explained to our two friends, what we had in mind. We both had linen outfits with little wooden beads.    

We researched other cultural traditions and found that Native American Indians held cermonies in circles. The smoke came from a sage bundle, which has cleansing properties, and is also burned by Native Americans during important ceremonies.

Our friend, Drew, made our rings out of white oak, and the feather earrings I wore came from his wife, Anita. Troy and his friends stayed the night before our wedding as a bachelor party and to get things ready for the wedding. They set up all the tables and mason jar candles and made the altar of unhued stone.

The baskets were very special to both of us. It is also a Native American tradition. The groom puts things in the bride’s basket that show how he will take care of and love her, and the bride does the same. The blanket was another tradition, and it’s the ceremonial wedding blanket in Native American tradition. Both our mothers wrapped the blanket around us … I loved that part! The pottery held grape wine and bread, which held the communion. We thought it would be fitting to hold a Eucharist service at our wedding since much about a marriage is self sacrificing. 

Did you catch all of those details?!?! What a simple, affordable, “organic” (as described by Jane) and meaningful wedding. Did you catch the music … a washboard, chains and even a propane tank??? Loved it!! The views, the nontraditional seating, the rocks, the flowers. What a refreshingly unique wedding. Troy and Kayla … I hope to bump into you someday so I can tell you in person how inspired I was by these photographs, and thank you so much, Jane Morice of Jane Bradley Photography for sharing. Oh, and the undercover post nuptial kiss, and the dog, and … ok, I’m done!

This posting was inspired by a bride that emailed in to ask a question a while back (did you know you can do that?). I love emails, we will always try to figure out an answer for you. Our column, Ask the Exclusive does just that. Actually, RS Exclusive did answer a question for a bride in one of my favorite postings that you can find here.

The submitted question was about having non-alcoholic drinks. I actually have a funny story from my wedding … we did not have ANY alcohol, yet we had a sparkling grape juice toast. My alcohol-drinking relatives were CONVINCED that it was alcohol, so they were collecting all of the half full bottles to take home! Good grief … those unmentionable cousins on my dad’s side of the family. Ha!

Below are some websites to peruse for recipes. If you are doing further research, I would suggest searching for “virgin cocktail” or “mocktail” or “virgin mixed drinks”. These make a fun addition for the reception or a shower … test them out!

Have fun trying some of the recipes on the sites below …

http://www.drinksmixer.com/cat/183/ (there are some funny names for them)

http://cocktails.about.com/od/mocktailmocktail/Mocktail_Recipes.htm (this seems to be a really good site)

http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Drinks/Mocktails/Top.aspx (this is good, and they are rated, which gives confidence!!)

Let me know if you have any favorite non-alcoholic drink recipes or if you have found any sites online in our comments section. I would LOVE to hear from you!

Have you heard about our AMAZING wedding giveaway? With vendors like SPA 4109, La Bella Torta and RS Exclusive, you will definitely want to enter to win our wedding package! Just check out I Dream of a Wedding by clicking here, and be sure to enter by August 13th. We want to hear your story.

So, who doesn’t love a good cupcake? I adore them … especially if they are cute along with being tasty. Well, here are a few ideas from Fiskars to top off your cupcakes in an adorable way. Whether it is for a bridal shower, a wedding luncheon or the wedding itself, these are sure to catch some “oohs” and “ahhs” from onlookers (and tasters!).

They are so darling! For full instructions on these DIY projects from Fiskars, just click here. Have fun!

Who doesn’t love something free, and I have a feeling that all DIY brides fit into that category! I stumbled upon printables for place cards, favor tags and more at DIYwedding.org, and I encourage you to do the same. Just click here to check them out, and below are some examples of what you will find. Happy printing, and have a lovely day!