April 20th, 2010 by edit1media

A few weeks ago Seattle Bride Magazine asked us for some new headshots for an article about wedding videography. Chris and I had just come back from almost a month in Hawaii filming several weddings (more on that later!) so we were feeling beachy and refreshed…the perfect time to take some photos! At the same time nVidia, a large graphics card company, asked me to do an on-camera testimonial about one of their video cards and the newly announced Adobe CS5. So it was the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone and we had a glam/photo/video day.

Erica Madera recently moved to Seattle after being a makeup artist in the L.A. area and I asked her to do my hair and makeup. I was a little worried because I’m one of those people who can’t stand it when someone touches my eyes and I’ve never had someone else do my makeup. Erica did a great job making me feel comfortable and she did my eyes super fast so I didn’t get all teary…I was even able to tolerate some fake eyelashes!

Laurel McConnell took our photos and she was great! It was REALLY cold and windy out and we didn’t have much light left but we still managed to go to a few locations in a short period of time and she made us feel comfortable in front of the camera. Afterwards we had some Mexican food and Margaritas and chatted about wedding and business stuff. Then it was back to our home-studio where we shot the video for nVidia. I’m not sure where or when it will show up, but hopefully we were able to give them something useful!

I want to give both Erica and Laurel some public thanks and love! If you are a bride still looking for the perfect wedding makeup artist in Seattle, please consider Erica. And of course Laurel is an amazing photographer who has also become a good friend to us over the past few years.

Let me know which photos you like the best!

Images by Laurel McConnell Photography

Networking, News, photography

March 10th, 2010 by edit1media

I know I’ve said this over and over again, but we seriously have the BEST clients in the whole world! We are so lucky to work with couples who truly value our skills, vision and creativity. One of those couples is Jenn & Thuy Truong who were married last summer and you may remember seeing their Same Day Edit at the Bell Harbor Conference Center.

Well, Jenn decided she loves weddings so much and wanted to mesh that with her life long dream of being a fashion designer, so she started The Flower Girl Boutique! These little dresses are super cute and there are lots of color options if you need to coordinate to a specific color palette. You can order online and get fast delivery or if you want to see the dresses in person, Jenn will be at the Voila! Wedding Show at the Woodmark Hotel on March 28th. And in fact Thuy (her hubby!) will be at our booth that day to talk with couples about why they loved working with Edit 1 Media since we will be in Hawaii filming a wedding. So be sure to go online and get your tickets for Voila! NOW to see these flower girl dresses and meet many other incredible wedding vendors!

Business, Networking, News, Wedding Help, wedding pros, Wedding Show

March 4th, 2010 by edit1media

Winter and early spring in Seattle is an interesting time in the wedding community. Many vendors have a few free weekends since it’s the “down season” and there are several wedding shows and loads of small “Open House” events at local venues. Edit 1 Media was asked to shoot many of these events so we’ll be posting some short videos from a few of them over the next several weeks and months.

The Pan Pacific Hotel is a chic, luxury hotel boasting incredible views of South Lake Union and the Space Needle with unique modern architecture, design and art pieces throughout. The concept for their “open house” was super fun….a mock wedding! If you are still looking for a stylish, modern place to have your wedding that has a real Seattle vibe, consider looking at the Pan Pacific Hotel.

The amazing vendors who participated were BreeAnn from Pink Blossom Events, Aria Style, Barbie Hull Photography, Bamboo Beats, All About Weddings, Bella Cupcake Couture, Salon Azur, Vida Spa, La Belle Elaine, NW Totem Cellars, Hollywood Hill Vineyards, Creative Ice, Kellie’s Creations, Brocklind’s, Pederson’s Rentals, Gifts by Design and Stella & Dot.  Events on the Edge provided the amazing actors!

High Definition, Networking, Pan Pacific Hotel, Seattle, wedding pros, Wedding Show

October 21st, 2009 by edit1media

Another reason for a girls night on the town! Get Hitched Give Hope is coming up on Thursday October 29th from 5:30pm-9pm at the fabulous Arctic Club Hotel. Not only is it a great excuse to go out with your friends and plan your wedding at the same time, but you’ll help raise money for a wonderful breast cancer charity: Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation. Making Memories is a lot like Make-a-Wish, but for adults. Last year, Get Hitched Give Hope raised $30,000 and were able to:

• Send a family of 8 to Hawaii (aloha!)
• Send a family of 6 to hang out with Mickey and his buddies at Disney World
• Send a family of 4 to Hawaii (mahalo!)
• Grant the wish of a dream wedding in the lovely town of Port Orchard
• Send a mom and her son to Key West for one last fabulous vacation

The goal this year is to raise $50,000 which is about 12 wishes. All of the wonderful people who work really, really hard on this event volunteer 100% of their time, all while still running their own businesses. Are they crazy? No, they’re just helping people in need!

The auction has some pretty amazing items up for bid. Stuff like diamond wedding bands, spa treatments, wedding planning, wedding flowers, wedding photography, a trip to Mexico (sombrero not included), custom invitations and wedding stationary, transportation for the big day, and last but not least, a couture wedding gown (what the what?!? I am NOT kidding!).

As a lot of you know, cancer hits home with Edit 1 Media. Chris and Laura’s son Matthew battled cancer twice before the age of 3. Through the Make-a-Wish Foundation, their entire family was able to enjoy a trip to Disney World. It was a vacation they’ll never forget. It was supposed to be their last big trip together as a whole family since Matthew was so sick, but thankfully his cancer went into remission and he is now a healthy, happy (almost) 15 year old with an amazing personality.

Here is some info on the awesome, giving gals (and one dude!) who put tons of time and effort into this event:

Michelle Lorette of mmm…paper and Sage Wedding Pros

Eliza Truitt of Eliza Truitt Photography

Barbie Hull of Barbie Hull Photography

Laurel McConnell of Laurel McConnell Photography

Wendi Hroncich of Ethereal Events

Holly-Kate Foss of Sweet Pea Events

Shannon Lassen of Sublime Wedding and Event Planning

Kaycee Parker of Parker Events

Ryan Barr of Excel Coatings

Pictured here is the GHGH crew with Brenda from Making Memories

If you’re in the middle of planning your wedding, these vendors are all awesome AND they’re philanthropic…what’s better than that? Also, all of the auction items are donated out of the goodness of those vendor’s hearts.

So do like you did last Thursday for Urban Unveiled. Set your DVR for all those great Thursday night shows (especially Community, my new personal fave!) put on your best party shoes, enjoy some fabulous drinks, eat delish food, and open your heart (and wallet!) for a good cause. Buy your tickets here and we’ll see you on the 29th!

If you want to see what a great event it was last year, check this video out that we put together! (photos by Jeff LaPlante Photography)

–Julie, Edit 1 Media Studio Manager

Arctic Club Hotel, cancer, charity, Networking, News, Wedding Show, Weddings

October 13th, 2009 by edit1media

This Thursday, October 15th is going to be fab-u-lous! Urban Unveiled is Seattle’s ultra-swanky wedding show featuring the best of the best vendors. It’s not just a regular wedding show; it’s more of a cocktail party and celebration. On top of the delicious food by Herban Feast, Lisa Dupar, TASTE Events and Tom Douglas Catering, there will also be a fashion show by Seattle’s own couture designer, Luly Yang. A raffle includes vendors like Salon Maison, Trophy Cupcakes (YUMMMMMY!!!), Florarama, All About Weddings, Spa Scotta, John and Joseph Photography, and tons more! And these raffles are GOOD too…a bridal brunch cruise for up to 20 on the Destiny worth $1600 courtesy of Waterways Cruises? Come on! That is awesome!

Of course Edit 1 Media is raffling off a Love Story/Engagement Music Video. It can be romantic and lovey or hip, fun and funky. This is an awesome video to showcase your love for each other and the fun you have together. Chris and Laura are available to shoot 2 locations for up to 3 hours on a mutually agreed upon date. This package is worth $2000 and expires on October 15th, 2010.

Urban Unveiled is put on by Travis and Jesse of True Colors Events and Sharlane Chase of Sharlane Chase Photography. They work so hard to make this event one of the best in Seattle. They select each vendor on an invitation-only basis and are limited to no more than four per category. Urban Unveiled partners are the most talented, innovative, and passionate wedding vendors in the industry. That means that brides can show up, eat some delish food, sip some rockin’ cocktails AND plan your wedding all in one night.

What else are you doing on a Thursday? Set your DVR for Grey’s Anatomy and the Office and come to Benaroya Hall on October 15th! Doors open at 6pm. See you there!

For a taste of what this event is like, check out the video that we did last year:

– Julie, Edit 1 Media Studio Manager

Networking, News, Seattle, Urban Unveiled, Video Clips, Wedding Show, Weddings

July 30th, 2009 by edit1media

Yesterday, Chris and Laura took a break from our crazy hot studio to enjoy some air-conditioning at lunch with Holly Strand of Beautiful Endings Photography. Holly has such a great personality and truly loves what she does. Her photos are great; super fun and creative. We’re looking forward to a long and successful relationship with Holly! Make sure you check out her website!

–Julie, Edit 1 Media Studio Manager

Blog, Networking, photography

July 29th, 2009 by edit1media

Yesterday, we had an awesome coffee meeting with Heather and Juliana from Marrylicious. They are super fun and so enthusiastic about what they do. Love that! Their company puts together gorgeous gift boxes for anyone in the wedding. From the bride to the out-of-town guests, they have everyone covered. It’s EASY because you (the bride!) don’t have to run around town gathering all the contents and putting it together at the day before your wedding! Their boxes are so yummy and they use several local Seattle companies like Belle Epicurean, Beecher’s Handmade Cheese. (My personal fave!), and Sweet Miniatures Cookies. Marrylicious has several boxes you can choose from or they can customize one specifically for you. The bridal boxes all include an emergency kit with stain removers, dental products, tissues and even a sewing kit. They also include premium bottled water, sparkling water, juice and sparkling wine. AND they are conscience of possible spills, so all the drinks are light colors. Genius!

It’s obvious that Heather and Juliana have put a lot of thought into what they do. They started out as friends in college and after putting together a little snack box/emergency kit for a friend’s wedding, they decided that a company must be made! They live in the same neighborhood in Seattle and work out of their homes. With FIVE kids (!) between them, they are busy ladies! They definitely take pride in what they do and put a lot of love into each box.

Check them out for your wedding or next event!

— Julie, Edit 1 Media Studio Manager

Blog, marrylicious, Networking, Weddings

April 18th, 2009 by edit1media

If you are getting married and you haven’t visited All About Weddings in Tukwila, you need to go NOW!! This adorable store boasts the largest collection of wedding invitations and bridal shoes in the Seattle area. They even have a DIY invitation section in the store now! They also have all kinds of wedding accessories like favors, jewelry, gifts and much, much more! It’s like Bride Heaven!

Here is a video we created highlighting the store. I think you’ll agree that you need to check it out today!

Networking, Seattle, Video Clips, Weddings

January 11th, 2009 by edit1media

I’ve been thinking a lot about the subject of weddings during a tough economy lately. Colleagues in all areas of the wedding industry keep asking me “Well, how are you doing? How do you think 2009 will be?”

Many Americans are experiencing a wakeup call and realizing a lot of the things we spend our time and money on don’t really matter as much as we thought they did. The fact is it’s your relationships and experiences in life that shape who you are, give you an emotional connection to the world and provide greater enjoyment in life.

Our experience at the Seattle Wedding Show last weekend made one thing very clear. Now more than ever brides and grooms are realizing it is the deeper meaning of a wedding and preserving the incredible moments that happen during the day that really matter the most. I am definitely hearing some brides talk about scaling back their weddings in various ways but they are also being much more vocal about how capturing the day and being able to share it with their future family has become more important than ever. A wedding becomes part of a family’s history and there is no better way to encapsulate the images, sounds and emotions of the day better than a well made movie. It is THAT important.

This is not a post telling couples where, how or even IF you should cut back on your wedding. Obviously none of my hard-working colleagues want that to happen! However we all realize that some people will be forced to cut down expenses on their wedding…it’s just a reality. The question for wedding vendors is how to work with those couples while still being able to make a living and continue to provide top-notch services for clients who still seek premium products.

Edit 1 Media is now implementing custom pricing and some other strategies which people are really responding to. I want to make it clear that we are not ‘bargaining’, negotiating or lower our standards. That does a disservice to everyone by leading to mistrust, misunderstandings and decreases overall quality and value. Instead we want to sit down with you and really find out what you are looking for and how we can serve you. Rather than trying to fit you into a package which might have items you don’t want or need, we fit our services around what you DO want. We want to build relationships with our clients and provide them with the perfect video they will love and enjoy over and over again.

I’m confident that Edit 1 Media will come out of this economy even stronger than before and I sincerely hope the same for all of our friends in the wedding industry. We have had an incredible response from the Seattle Wedding Show and are looking forward to working with some great couples in 2009. This is the year that brides, grooms, and their families are finally realizing the true value of having a superb wedding video and I can’t be more excited about that!

Business, Cinematography, Networking, News, Seattle, Wedding Show, Weddings

November 23rd, 2008 by edit1media

In October we participated in a gorgeous, upscale wedding show called Urban Unveiled. It was held at Benaroya Hall in Seattle and if you weren’t able to make it this year…you really need to make sure you are there next year! Here’s a little something we put together….

High Definition, Networking, News, Urban Unveiled, Video Clips, Wedding Show