August 13th, 2010 by edit1media

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How do you have a destination wedding in the Seattle area without going too far? You go to the San Juan Islands, like Billie Sue & Bobby did! This adorable couple was referred to us by the amazingly talented Jesse and Travis from True Colors Events. They are VERY busy Microsoft people so we didn’t have a chance to meet with them before the wedding. And to make matters more complicated, we already had another wedding booked that day. But luckily we have a pool of incredible talent so we flew up Terry & Joe from New Orleans to shoot while Chris did the Same Day Edit.

The week of Billie Sue & Bobby’s wedding was gorgeous with clear blue skies and temperatures in the low 80’s. Perfect summer weather. So you can only imagine the disappointment when there was rain on Saturday morning since this was an outdoor wedding. But Jesse and Travis along with the staff from Roche Harbor turned what could have been a disaster into a beautiful, intimate tented outdoor wedding. As you’ll see from their Same Day Edit, the rain actually became a character in the story of their wedding day.

I love how the darker light gives the video a bit more of a vintage feel and how the colors in the garden and flowers from Susie Wampler just pop. I can’t wait to see what the talented Joey Hong got for photographs! Of course later in the evening Sean Wheatley from Seattle Parties made sure the celebration continued and there are some lovely speeches from friends and family that I can’t wait to incorporate into their final edit.

Cinematography, Destination Weddings, High Definition, non denominational, Outdoor Wedding, Real Weddings, Same Day Edit, Travel, Video Clips, wedding videographer, Weddings

July 29th, 2010 by edit1media

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March 2010 was quite a month for us! We had three weddings in Hawaii (Maui and Oahu) spread across three separate weekends so Chris and I just decided to stay for the month. I know, I know…it’s rough, but SOMEONE had to do it! I actually grew up on Oahu, so I am deeply in love with the islands and know them very well. We have several clients per year (usually people that live in Seattle but are getting married in Hawaii) that love our work, trust our knowledge of the islands and our ability to include that “flavor” in their video, and love the fact that when they come back home to Seattle, we are local to them….so they send us there to capture their day! Did I mention that Chris and I met in Hawaii and flew back there to get married? So we also have an understanding of what is involved in planning a destination wedding too!

I couldn’t have been more thrilled when Kristen & Michael approached us about filming their wedding in Honolulu. We were honored to have filmed Michael’s cousin’s wedding a few years ago (Liz & Aaron) where Michael was one of the Lion Dancers! We also filmed an event at the Asian-American Museum in Seattle honoring his grandparents, Ping and Ruby Chow. They are truly an amazing family and we were so thrilled to capture another important event for them!

This sweet couple was married at Central Union Church in Waikiki…now I have you tell you…EVERY time I drove by that church I had the urge to film there. Seriously! It’s so beautiful…and now I know that it’s even more beautiful on the inside! We saw lots of familiar smiling faces, received many warm hugs, and saw Liz & Aaron’s sweet little baby boy. It was like a family reunion and we were treated like part of the “ohana”. The reception was at the prestigious Oahu Country Club in Nuuanu Valley just off the Pali Highway and Eddie from Renai Photography documented the day with stills.

Kristen & Michael wanted a very traditional, grand yet romantic feel to their video and chose music that had lots of meaning to them. Our wedding videographer friend James helped us film that day and in return we helped him film a wedding here in Seattle a few months later. Love that! The first song in this video was their Same Day Edit which wowed all their guests at the reception, and then the second song was added in later to complete their Highlight video. I hope you love it!

If you are a bride or groom getting married in Hawaii, please don’t hesitate to call or email us. We are so at home in the islands and would love to talk to you!

Christian Ceremony, Destination Weddings, Hawaii, High Definition, Real Weddings, Same Day Edit, Seattle, Travel, Video Clips

June 14th, 2010 by edit1media

Alderbrook Resort

It seems like we are always so busy with running our business, shooting and editing that the only “getaway” time we have is when we are traveling to shoot a wedding or corporate video. And we certainly don’t seem to get out of town with our kids. So since we didn’t have a wedding this weekend, and it’s our only weekend with no wedding until mid-September, we decided to take the weekend off with our boys. I forgot to mention that Saturday was also our 17th wedding anniversary! So we decided to head out to Alderbrook Resort in the Hood Canal.

Mind you, I grew up in Hawaii so my idea of a vacation doesn’t usually involve pine trees and hiking…more like palm trees and boogie boarding. But we had SUCH a great time this weekend that I wanted to share it with you. We also saw two weddings taking place at the resort and of course that means we bumped in to other wedding vendors who we know too, which was cool.

We got a two bedroom cottage which was perfect for me, Chris and our two teenage boys. There was a full kitchen with all the utensils, plates, etc. so we took some food with us since we knew we would be very active and the boys would need to eat constantly. The cottage was so much nicer than I expected it to be! I was imagining a rustic, semi-bug filled place, but it was like a big hotel room but with lots of privacy. I felt like we were staying in a small house. It was great!

We arrived about noon on Saturday and were able to check in a little early, so we put our bags in our cottage and explored the grounds a bit. The resort is beautiful and we seriously could not have picked a more beautiful day to be there…perfectly sunny and 76 degrees…ah!! The tides at Alderbrook are amazing to watch…they go out so far! And there are beautiful views of the Olympic mountains. We decided to rent a pontoon boat and we saw herons, seals, jellyfish and let the boys take turns driving the boat while we sunned on the deck. Afterwards, we hiked the short trails that give a great view of the resort, water and mountains. Then we headed to pool to play a hysterical game of “beachball volleyball” and then relaxed for a while in the hot tub.

Next was an amazing dinner at the restaurant where they had a nice “Happy Anniversary” card waiting for us at the table. The food was incredible! I highly recommend the Tenderloin Gratin which they sell as an appetizer, but honestly that alone could be a meal! We were super stuffed and couldn’t stomach any dessert until they brought out a special Anniversary creme brulee…the boys attacked it and it was gone in about 35 seconds! Then we walked off dinner for a while and watched the sunset on the dock before hitting the gym and the hot tub again. When we got back to our cottage, there was a plate of chocolate-covered strawberries from our friend and wedding planner Ellen Peterson from Serenity Weddings with a sweet card. We managed to eat them all then fell in to bed tanned, full, tired and happy.

We slept in a little then made some eggs in the kitchen before heading back out to the dock to do some sea kayaking. Now, I’ve never been in a kayak before and I was a little worried that I might not even fit in to it! But David at Hood Canal Adventures reassured me that I’d be fine and would have a great time. We rented two tandem kayaks and paddled around for about an hour and a half. I was instantly in love with kayaking and can’t wait to do it again! After that we had to check out but then we headed back to the gym, pool and hot tub again.

My overall impression of Alderbrook Resort as a getaway location, is that it is top notch! Great staff, incredible food, neat cottages and plenty of activities. We can’t wait to go back again and explore some more…and maybe even check out the spa next time! My impression of Alderbrook for a wedding is also great. It’s like a mini destination wedding but still local. Having a ceremony on the lawn with that gorgeous view is stunning. A unique thing I liked about the reception room is that there are large windows that can be opened to the courtyard and guests can flow in and out and gather around the sofas at the outdoor fire pits. There are so many places to take pictures and video….I just can’t wait to shoot our first wedding there…so if you are getting married at Alderbrook Resort, make sure you call us about having the day filmed because you won’t regret it and I already have ideas flowing in my mind!

Alderbrook Resort, Destination Weddings, Personal Life

October 18th, 2009 by edit1media

From the moment I walked in to the Penthouse Suite in the Coeur d’Alene Resort and saw the red patent leather Valentino d’Orsay pumps, I KNEW this was going to be a day to remember! The suite was filled with gorgeous women getting ready for Lindsey & Tommy’s wedding….including a bridesmaid whose wedding we are filming next year, and of course Lindsey’s mom, who Chris used to work with many years ago. The connections to this wedding were many and it really made for a fun day!

Chris, Garrett and I had such a great time working with Gabriel and Boone who are very talented brothers that do amazing photography. We had a chance to work with them a few weeks ago at another wedding at the Annie Wright School, so it was great to work with them again. Everyone had a blast during the photo session and both Chris and Garrett got some great shots…I especially love Chris’ idea to get the creative golf cart shots! Fun!

Being a destination wedding with over 500 guests and two HUGE screens to show the Same Day Edit, I was really excited about this one! The entire day was shot with our DSLR HD cameras and we had a few guests comment that it looked like movie film. It was fun and emotional and just a great representation of their day. I’m pretty sure there were 500 teary eyes in that room by the time the video was finished!

This was an extra fun wedding because four of our former and current brides were there! It was great to catch up with each one of them and I think it is a real testament to the company that we have worked so hard to build…brides and grooms referring us to their friends is the best kind of compliment we can receive. We truly love each one of our clients and I just can’t tell you how much it meant to us to be with these fabulous ladies (and gentlemen!). It was the best “end of the season” pick-me-up that I could have ever asked for! To top it off, at the end of the evening the Maid of Honor and her fiancee came up to us and said they need to hire us for their wedding in San Diego. I’m so excited to continue working with such an amazing group of people! Have I told you lately how much I love doing weddings?

Christian Ceremony, Cinematography, Destination Weddings, High Definition, Real Weddings, Same Day Edit, Travel, Video Clips, wedding videographer

September 11th, 2009 by edit1media

That’s right…Dina surprised her groom, Chris, with a fantastic helicopter ride before their wedding ceremony at the Golf Club at Newcastle! The couple and their families are from Vancouver, British Columbia and decided to have a destination wedding here in Seattle. So what better way to see the area than by air?? The chopper landed on the 10th tee and took the couple and Chris (our Chris that is…not to be confused with the groom Chris!) over Seattle and the Space Needle. I’d say that is a pretty cool way to start of your wedding, don’t you agree?

While Dina and Chris were taking their whirlwind tour above the city, I was busy getting some gorgeous detail shots of Dina’s dress, jewelery, etc….she had so much beautiful eye candy and it was really nice to have an extended amount of quite time to get everything captured. The ceremony was short but very sweet and since there were only about 50 guests, the reception was held in the tent. The Same Day Edit was a hit and later in the evening Dina told me she knew it would be amazing, but it was even MORE incredible than she dreamed it could be. That was like music to my ears. Did I mention how much we love filming weddings for awesome people like this??

We also enjoyed working with the extremely talented Joey Hong from JKHPhotography. Just a few weeks ago with worked with his brother John Hong at another wedding. These guys are simply some of the most amazing photographers on the planet. Not only do they take insane photos that are pieces of art, they are really nice, the utmost professionals and so easy to work with. It’s really a pleasure working with them!

This wedding was a great example of how we try to go the extra mile for our clients. I got an email from Dina just before midnight on Tuesday (the night before the wedding) about the helicopter. So first thing the next morning I made arrangements to get a second Canon 5D Mark II (which takes GORGEOUS video footage…more about that in another post!) along with an extra wide lens and a gyroscope to make sure we could get some incredible aerial shots.  We picked up all the gear on the way to the wedding and it was really worth it! The footage turned out great and we used it in their Same Day Edit….man, was it cool! I think every wedding should have a helicopter! : )

Cinematography, Destination Weddings, High Definition, Newcastle, non denominational, Real Weddings, Same Day Edit, Seattle, Video Clips

June 10th, 2009 by edit1media

I just got back some Super 8mm movie film and was so excited to see what we got on it! The fun and mysterious thing about shooting on motion picture film is that you really have no idea how it will turn out until you get it back from development. But the rewards can be huge! It is such a completely different feel than our usual High Definition wedding videos….it’s shaky and grainy but the colors are gorgeous and there is just a nostalgic, vintage — comfortable — feel to it.

This particular wedding was in West Palm Beach, Florida and since we were heading out that way, Chris and I decided to take a short 4-day cruise to the Bahamas prior to Dalia & Mitchell’s wedding. Motion picture film is not supposed to go through xray machines and I had no problem at SeaTac having a hand check. It was actually quite entertaining to chat with the TSA guy about how he grew up shooting Super8 and he was curious what we were doing with it. But when we got to the cruise ship, it was a whole different ball game! The guy there forced us to xray the film even though there were “DO NOT XRAY” stickers all over it! Then on the way home it got xrayed again at the airport in Miami! I was really stressed that the film would be ruined. So I wound up waiting a long time while until I finished shooting some rolls at a few other weddings before sending it in for processing.

Unfortunately, some of the film was damaged from the xray exposure (and probably some user error too!) but I had enough to put together a cute littler opener for Dalia & Mitchell. I love it because it shows just enough of a glimpse in to their day that you want to see more…and yet it doesn’t ruin the surprise of the rest of their video. Yes, that’s me getting all artsy on you! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this and if you like it enough to add in a little bit of  Super8 to your wedding video, send me an email!

Destination Weddings, Jewish, Real Weddings, Super 8mm, Travel, Video Clips

March 29th, 2009 by edit1media

Yesterday the Edit 1 Media team (Chris, Andrew and yours truly) had the honor of filming Bessie & Alvin’s wedding at the Kahala Hotel which is right outside of Honolulu. Alvin’s family is from Kailua but he and Bessie live in Seattle, so it was a semi destination wedding and the best of both worlds to have us filming their day.

The day was absolutely gorgeous…sunny and mild with some wonderful trade winds. Bessie looked amazing and was just so much fun to be around all day! Alvin was cool, calm and collected and seemed to be walking on air. It was a very busy day with preparations, Chinese games and a First Glance, a Chinese Tea Ceremony and then of course the Ceremony and Reception. We did a Same Day Edit using the same song that played during their wedding procession so it’s obviously a song that means a lot to them!

I have to say that the funniest part of the day is a toss-up between the “Rock the Reception” first dance and the crazy pictures people were taking in the Photo Booth. Bessie and her Maid of Honor took some super silly photos with Andrew that I’m sure won’t ever see the light of day. Thanks for making us take those, Bessie!

– Laura

Christian Ceremony, Cinematography, Destination Weddings, Hawaii, Real Weddings, Same Day Edit, Video Clips

September 22nd, 2008 by edit1media

I love my job! My favorite thing in the world is visit my hometown in Honolulu on the island of Oahu. So of course we were totally excited to fly to Hawaii to film Ruth & Brian’s wedding this past Saturday in Honolulu!

Ruth and her bridesmaids got ready at the incredible Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki. The second I walked into her room my breath was taken away by the gorgeous view of Diamond Head which was framed perfectly behing Ruth as she ran up to give me a big hug. She looked amazing, the room was incredible, the weather couldn’t have been more perfect and the bridesmaids were stunning (including Christie, whose wedding we did just a few weeks ago!). I met Ruth’s photographer, Chrissy Lambert and then got to work!

Brian and Ruth were both very nervous and they were just so sweet! As they saw each other for the first time that day, they shared tears of happiness and it was amazing to see their nerves instantly vanish! Shortly after that we all headed to Christ United Methodist Church in Makiki for an emotional ceremony. Then back to the Halekulani for the reception! It was a fun, emotional and simply beautiful day.

Here is their Same Day Edit that was shown at the reception. Enjoy!

wedding video + High Definition Wedding + Hawaii + Halekulani + Waikiki + Hawaiian Wedding

Christian Ceremony, Cinematography, Destination Weddings, Hawaii, High Definition, Real Weddings, Same Day Edit, Travel, Video Clips, Weddings

June 29th, 2008 by edit1media

Here is a snippet of Laurel & Andrew’s fabulous wedding just south of Cancun, Mexico. Chris and I had such an amazing time in Mexico! Laurel was just a cool cucumber on the morning of her wedding (thanks to the A/C in her room! LOL!). You could see she was content and ready to get married! Hanging out with the girls was so much fun and the guys were a kick in the pants! The scenery…well, let’s just say paradise doesn’t even begin to describe it! The Villa Sol y Luna is on a deserted sandy beach that reminds me a lot of one of my favorite beaches in Hawaii (Bellows beach). Laurel & Andrew treated us liked guests and we just really enjoyed every second of it. Crazily enough we wound up coming back home on the same flight as them and sat in the row right across from them! That was an interesting (albiet exhausting) adventure too! Thanks again for asking us to capture your gorgeous day! I think this video wraps it up well!

href=”http://technorati.com/tag/wedding+video+videographer+weddings” rel=”tag”>wedding video

Christian Ceremony, Cinematography, Destination Weddings, Mexico, Real Weddings, Travel, Video Clips, Weddings

May 5th, 2008 by edit1media

Holy cow…has it really been THAT long since I posted a blog entry?! Things have been even crazier than usual around here!

I blogged earlier about Dalia & Mitchell’s wedding which we filmed in West Palm Beach in March. Well just a few days after getting home from there, a colleague in the LA area asked me (Laura) to come do a Same Day Edit for a corporate event. That was fun and involved quite a few retired NBA stars. But I wasn’t prepared to see snow in the foothills and froze my patootie off! LOL!! I did manage to get a great shot of the palm trees with snow in the background…certainly not something I’m used to seeing!

After that short adventure, we had another ’short notice trip’ down to San Diego to film some Pearl Harbor vets. Those men really are one-of-a-kind heroes and it was an honor to capture their stories in High Definition. One of the gentlemen, John Finn is the last living Medal of Honor recipient from the attack on Pearl Harbor. He is such an engaging and fascinating man! A special thanks to our buddy Randy Stubbs for letting us borrow his lighting kit so we didn’t have to ship ours down there!

The week after that, a corporate client needed us to go to Jacksonville, Florida and Waukegan, Illinois to create some client testimonials for an upcoming meeting. That happened in the midst of the American Airlines MD80 debacle and we saw a lot of people who were stranded at Chicago O’Hare. The trip was filled with flight delays and lots of cold rain (even in Florida!) so we were actually happy to get back home to the 50-degree weather! LOL!! Thankfully the following week found us in Honolulu for an on-site editing session with a client and we were able to warm up quite a bit! So basically at the beginning of March when I looked at my calendar we had one trip coming up. By the end of April we had FOUR more added in! Crazy!

All this traveling has us very thankful to be home, although I wouldn’t have minded if we just staying in Hawaii forever. We are a little bit suntanned, exhausted, and behind on our editing but we are soooo grateful for our children having been away too many nights from them over the last two months. I swear they grew at least an inch while we were coming and going! Mega kudos to Andrew (our oldest son and editor extraordinaire!) for holding down the fort and keeping his little brothers in check! Now it’s time for some serious editing all-nighters!

Corporate, Crazy Schedule, Destination Weddings, Hawaii, Networking, News, Same Day Edit, Travel