Destination Wedding Videos

Shirley+Mayhew // Landmark Vineyards

8/20/2024

Kenwood California, the destination for this week's wedding. I feel so privileged to partner with so many amazing vendors. When Orchard Avenue Events reached out to ask if I wanted to be apart of this wedding, I jumped at the opportunity. I arrived bright and early, about an hour before my scheduled start time. Whenever I film at a new venue, I like to arrive early enough to tour the entire property. The lovely Landmark Vineyard staff were kind enough to show me the various event spaces. Our bride and groom were to start getting ready at a house located a short drive away on the other end of the vineyard. While our groom, Mayhew, would eventually get dressed in a cottage connected to the tasting room, both were currently located at the house. I made my way over to the cottage and found Mayhew outside practicing his mother-son dance with his mother Catherine. Unfortunately, I hadn't yet unpacked my cameras, so I missed capturing this moment. After a brief introduction, I jokingly informed Mayhew he wasn't allowed to have any other camera-worthy moments without me being there. He showed me inside where I found our bride, Shirley, in the midst of her hair and makeup process. After an introduction, she had a bridesmaid show me where I could find her flat lay details and wedding dress. After capturing these details, I told Shirley Id be back shortly to capture her getting into the dress moment, but since we had some time left in the hair and makeup process, Id head over to capture Mayhew getting dressed. Back at the cottage, I grabbed some shots of Mayhew's suit, which featured some custom embroidery on the neck and cuffs of his dress shirt and some additional embroidery on his jacket. I love these small personalized details. With the help of his dad, also Mayhew, our groom got ready for the day ahead. As I wrapped up the final shots, I looked out across the vineyard and saw what I thought was a bride in her dress on the front porch of the house. After a short drive-over, my suspicion was confirmed. Shirley had gotten anxious and decided to get dressed. Anne-Clair, the photographer, had also arrived at that time and, like me, was briefly panicked when seeing Shirley already in her wedding dress. We both shared a laugh and asked Shirley if she wouldn't mind recreating the moment for our cameras. Mayhew soon arrived, and the two shared their first look and took some portraits. We headed back over to the main property to grab some additional family and wedding party photos. Being so close to the reception area, I also used the opportunity to capture Orchard Avenue Event's staff setting up the reception tables and ceremony site. I always love to grab this content. It offers the bride and groom some behind-the-scenes perspectives, and it also serves as great content to start the film with. Hidden away, the first bus of guests arrived. They made their way to the courtyard, signing into the guest book before making their way to the ceremony site. The couple opted to have a 3-piece band for their procession and cocktail hour. As the band played, the bridal party made their way down the aisle, followed by Shirley and her parents, Anne and Sam. The ceremony was officiated by their mutual friend, Scott, who was also responsible for their meeting. Scott crushed the ceremony, offering some unique words tying in the couple's professional careers as video game developers with some marriage advice. I highly recommend having an officiant that knows both the bride and groom personally. Following the ceremony, the marriage license was signed, and the couple made their way to grab some sunset photos. The sunset was truly magical, and we took full advantage of every second of it. After being introduced, the couple shared their first dance and gave a thank-you speech to their guests before sitting down for dinner. As the sun set, a few speeches were given. One of which was by the best man who created a custom crossword puzzle with clues and answers about the bride and groom. The couple cut their cake and made their way inside to start the party. After grabbing some shots of the dance floor, including an amazing dance off to Van Halen's Jump by Mayhew and one of the other guests, my night came to an end. Until next time, California!

The Team

Venue: Landmark Vineyards
Coordination: Orchard Avenue Events
Photography: Anne-Clair Brun
DJ: Fog City Entertainment
Guitarist: Clay Bell
Rentals: Encore Event Rentals
Transportation: Pure Luxury Transportation
Catering: Park Avenue Catering
Floral: Vanda Floral Design
Cake: Flour and Bloom
Makeup: Bella Bridal

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Katrina+Patrick // Le Rêve Estate and Vineyard

8/2/2024

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Le Rêve Estate and Vineyard. Our destination for today's wedding. It's so wonderful to partner with some of the best coordinators in the industry and to have the honor of being on their videographer shortlist. Huge thank you to Kendall Melissa Events for the recommendation! I arrived on property about an hour before my official coverage window to get a lay of the land. Whenever I'm filming at a new venue, I try to give myself some extra time to give the venue a proper tour. As I wondered around the sprawling estate, the beauty and the opportunity to create a truly special film were evident. While the wedding day would all take place at this one venue, the site offered exclusive areas for all the major parts of the day. There was a stunning colonial-style house for the bride and groom to get ready in, a beautiful ceremony barn in the middle of a lush garden for the ceremony, a larger barn for the dinner portion of the evening, and a smaller party barn for the cocktail and dancing portion of the reception. In addition, there were about a million places to capture portraits. From the lush garden to the ripe vines, the sprawling alfalfa fields, to the cherry blossom-filled orchard, the opportunities were endless! Excited, I made my way to the house to start filming the getting-ready moments. As I entered the home gate, I ran into my creative co-partner for this wedding, Katie with KM Photo. Prior to every wedding, I spend about an hour talking with my clients about their vision for their film and the events they have planned for their big day. When I joined our virtual meeting, I was unaware that Katie was also on the virtual call. I proceeded into my normal topics of conversation, taking over the meeting with all things video. After about 15 minutes, it was brought to my attention that Katie was also on the call, and I had completely taken over a meeting meant for both of us. Embarrassing. We joked about the mix-up in person for a few minutes before making our way inside to start coverage. Getting ready would be a bit backwards today as it was the groom on property to start things off. When I say this place was stunning, it was truly stunning. We guided Patrick into a private study where the lighting was just perfect. We ran him through the getting ready process, working his dad and best man into the moment. As we wrapped up, a bus arrived outside with our bride and coordinator onboard. I gave Kendall a hug and introduced myself to Katrina. We all made our way upstairs to start her getting ready process. As stunning as the downstairs was, the upstairs was even better. The large bridal suite let in tons of natural light, and the white walls didn't cast any unwanted hues on our bridal party. We walked Katrina through the process, working her mom and bridal party into the moment. Outside, Patrick patiently waited for his chance to see Katrina. The couple opted to have this moment private, so I left my microphones off. After their first look, the two shared their vows and worked through some couple and bridal party portraits. With the cherry blossoms falling in the background, my slow motion camera captured all the magic of the moment. Though the wedding day would take place on property, the different venues were spread out. After capturing the necessary content, I began my trek to the ceremony site on the other end of the property. I made my way through the garden and into the barn, where I was greeted by another familiar face, Bryan Greenwalt with Music and More DJ's. It had been several years since I had the privilege to work with Bryan, but I knew he was top-notch and a lot of fun. Kendall had put together a solid team for this wedding. As beautiful as the space was, it would offer a challenge for our cameras. The barn doors opened up to the bright white midday sun, and the interior was more intimately lit with warmer tungsten lighting. When pointing our cameras toward the doors for the procession, we would have to choose between setting our cameras up for the interior or exterior lighting. Katie opted for flash; I opted to take a slight angel shooting across the aisle rather than down it. One by one, the bridal party made their way down the aisle before the doors closed to welcome our bride. Knowing the blast of the white light wouldn't lead to the most appealing shot, I opted to shoot Patrick's reaction instead. Once Katrina was inside, I shifted my focus to her as she made her way down the isle. The ceremony was short and sweet and ended like all ceremonies do, with a kiss. Guests made their way to the first barn for cocktail hour as the couple captured some family photos at the ceremony site. I split time between the two spaces. Once the family photos were complete, it was time for the part of the day I was most excited for. The couple portrait session. Lucky for us, the venue provided us with a cart to get us to all the different sites on property. We started with the garden, then made our way to the orchard before ending in the alfalfa field right as the sun set. Magical. The couple made their way to the dinner barn, where all their guests were waiting. They shared their grand entrance and first dance before Katrina's grandfather blessed the meal and read a short poem. Following dinner, we transitioned back into the cocktail hour barn that had been transformed into a party space. The couple shared dances with their parents before the party really got underway. I ended up staying way past my coverage because this group really knew how to party! The night came to an end as I said my goodbyes to all of my industry friends. Fingers crossed I'll get to shoot this magical venue again soon.