What a surprise!

January 23, 2012   /   by Reel to Real Productions   /   in "Reel" experience

We’ve seen more than a few surprise baby announcements at weddings, but this weekend’s announcement by Erica and Randy was truly special. The happy couple managed to keep it a secret from their parents and bridal party that they are 7 weeks pregnant. They went to great lengths to keep the secret, even secretly getting prints of their ultra-sound made the day before the wedding without anyone knowing. What’s really ironic is that the parents and bridal party made reference to it in their toasts — saying that they predict that in 9 months Erica would be pregnant. Little did they know that they were all about to be in for a surprise! Watch the clip below:

In the shadows…

November 15, 2011   /   by Reel to Real Productions   /   in "Reel" experience

Recently we filmed a unique grand entrance thanks to the creativity of Dianne and Daniel and their DJ, Chris from Encore Entertainment. The entrance was very unexpected, it did a great job of conveying their “story,” and provided a very dramatic intro to their reception. Great job!

The Pavilion at Haggin Oaks

October 10, 2011   /   by Reel to Real Productions   /   in "Reel" experience

From time to time we like to post clips from weddings at certain venues as a way for brides to imagine what their own wedding could be like at that location. The Pavilion at Haggin Oaks has been getting some buzz lately following it’s renovation, so we thought we’d put together a video of a reception we recently shot there.  Congrats to Maryam and Rami the beautiful couple who is featured in the video. Enjoy!

Cake Surprise!

August 3, 2011   /   by Reel to Real Productions   /   in "Reel" experience

We always love a good surprise at a wedding and we certainly were shocked when Melissa and Gavin pulled a prank on the best man (also known as Gavin’s brother) during their cake cutting. It was definitely a memorable moment at their wedding and something that was best captured on video.

Great Idea for Vows

July 19, 2011   /   by Reel to Real Productions   /   in "Reel" experience

We meet with couples all the time and they usually aren’t sure what to do about their wedding vows. Most couples aren’t brave enough to write their own personal vows and recite them so they usually go ahead and each repeat the same vow. Usually they have the officiant “feed” them each line and they repeat each line, which kind of ends up sounding choppy. However, Jessica and Mel came up with a good idea. They wrote down what the officiant wanted them to say and they read it themselves. Sounds like a simple thing and a no-brainer, but honestly, I don’t think we’ve ever seen it done that way before. It made for a smoother exchange of vows because it is completely in their voices without the officiant’s voice, plus it wasn’t as choppy as vows can be. See for yourself:

Ceremony Trend

June 23, 2011   /   by Reel to Real Productions   /   in "Reel" experience

We shoot enough weddings to notice trends and lately we’ve noticed that a lot of couples are choosing to tell their “love story” during their ceremony. Sometimes the officiant talks about how the couple met, their first date, or even how the proposal went. Most weddings feature the usual prayers, unity candles, etc., but what’s nice about adding in the couples’ story is that it really helps personalize the ceremony. The ceremony can be kind of tense and emotional for the bride and groom (and family members as well) and it’s nice to add some levity to the situation. What a great idea!

A Tale of Two Reactions

May 25, 2011   /   by Reel to Real Productions   /   in "Reel" experience

“We don’t need a videographer, we have a photographer.” – We hear this often when we are at bridal shows and it always baffles us. As the saying goes, “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words,” but if that’s true, then what would a “motion” picture be worth? Nothing proves this point better than when it comes to the groom’s reaction when he sees his bride coming down the aisle.  A photograph just can’t do it justice.

In this sample video we have a tale of two reactions. Alfonzo and Melinda have been together for 12 years and share two beautiful children. For them, you’d think the ceremony would just be a matter of formality. But as you can see from his reaction, it definitely is not. All that they have been through and overcame to get to this point hits him at the moment he sees her walking down the aisle

For Florin and Christina it’s a matter of anticipation. Christina met Florin while on a mission in Italy in 2008 and they carried on a long distance relationship ever since, mostly talking on the phone every day. His reaction tells their story perfectly – the longing and waiting for the day when they can finally be together forever.

So think about it…for your wedding, will just a photograph be good enough?

Beautiful by Nature Florist

May 3, 2011   /   by Reel to Real Productions   /   in "Reel" experience

We’ve worked a couple of weddings lately with Joan from Beautiful by Nature Florist. She always does a great job with the flowers. Here’s a little promo video we put together for her from a recent wedding. Enjoy!

Sample highlight video

May 2, 2011   /   by Reel to Real Productions   /   in "Reel" experience

Here’s a sample highlight video from a wedding that we shot recently. Remember, in addition to your full length video that includes everything in its entirety (ceremony, grand entrance, toasts, cake, first dance, tosses, etc.), we create a condensed video that’s an overview of the day. The highlight video is a great product to show to your friends and family and best of all, it’s free with any package. We’ve used some generic music for this sample, but couples are welcome to make their own music selections. Enjoy!

The Value of a Wedding Video

May 1, 2011   /   by Reel to Real Productions   /   in "Reel" experience

We love hearing from happy clients after they watch their videos, but what really makes us feel good is when we hear from clients on their wedding anniversary. Today we got a Facebook post from a bride on her first wedding anniversary:

“I just want to thank you guys so much for capturing my royal wedding one year ago. It was so nice being able to re-live our special day. I couldn’t have asked for a better couple to make my wedding day something truly magical. Thank you for giving me something that makes my anniversary a day to reflect on one of the happiest days of my life.” — Carolyn and Matt

Looking through your wedding album on your anniversary is great, but wouldn’t you love to go back and re-live that day as it actually happened? Not just look at a picture of you laughing, but actually see what you were laughing about? There’s a saying that, “We don’t remember days, we remember moments.” Sure there are moments from your wedding that you’ll never forget, but so much of the day is forgotten in the blur of excitement and as the years go by it gets harder and harder to remember. It’s on your anniversary that you really see the value of a wedding video because it takes you right back to that moment and all the emotions.

Congrats Carolyn and Matt on your anniversary! And thanks for sharing your experience!