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During our first conversation, Laura said that she appreciated how I show a range of emotions in my wedding films because, she said, "I'm like that." I won't ever forget how Laura broke into tears after hugging her mom and soon to be mother-in-law, two women she deeply respects and loves. Or her red lipstick and sunglasses. Or how Ryan compliments Laura's colorful extroversion with steady care for her and others, a twinkle in his eye. Laura and Ryan's film is unique because Laura had a specific song in mind she wanted used in the film. The song was written by her friend, who graciously agreed to its use, saying it would be a wedding gift. I really liked this singular vision, and their wedding day followed suit. Laura is a gifted writer and artist. She wrote beautiful lines for their officiant script, and decided they would be led through seven traditions from her and Ryan's family heritage, which included eating tasty pastries (I think everyone should take a moment to eat something sweet in the middle of their ceremony!). Everything was personalized. Ryan and Laura are gem collectors, and a bowl of their favorites greeted guests as favors at the entrance to the reception. Ryan's nieces and nephews wrote and sang him a song. The florist was a friend of the family and the flowers were out of this world, as vibrant as the couple.
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On a wedding day there are always layers to the story beyond, in its barebones form, that of getting married. For Elizabeth and Michael's wedding there were especially strong and emotional layers present. Their wedding day was their 10 year anniversary. Elizabeth is the eldest of seven, and their father had recently passed. Her grandfathers had also passed, and so Elizabeth's great grandfather, who was battling cancer, walked her down the aisle. This family has dealt with a lot, and it was evident the entire day that they are so good at taking care of each other. You can see this care in Elizabeth's youngest sister's speech, and how Michael's father stood with her holding the mic and wiped away her tears. How Michael wiped away Elizabeth's tears during the ceremony. How everyone hugged and laughed and danced. While I was editing the film, I checked in with Elizabeth to see how she felt about including spicy and hilarious late night dancing. Her reply was, "Of course! We are who we are, right?" I so appreciated their embrace of each other and life as it is.
Belinda and Daniel's wedding was a beautiful reminder that a couple doesn't have to be extroverted in order for it to not only be possible but so easy to capture their genuine emotionality and love. As said in Bee and Daniel's film, sometimes, "grace grows in silence." This I knew, but after taking a few years off from filmmaking to raise my young daughter, perhaps I had somewhat forgotten.
I'll be honest, I was a little nervous heading into the day. On the phone, Belinda and Daniel were so kind and so lovely, but collected. They told me that on their day, they wouldn't be saying vows. Their venue was grand and the guest count was high. None of this is 'wrong.' I can be more of a private person myself. I was worried that without vows and in such a big space with so many people, the details of who Belinda and Daniel are, and what their love looks like, would be hard to locate.
I got there and knew right away that I had nothing to worry about. Belinda and Daniel's love for each other was so apparent, especially in quiet moments they enjoyed together, such as their first look, after their first kiss during the ceremony, at their sweetheart table, and at the nearby beach we took a walk to during the reception.
So it was very important to make space in their film for those quiet moments. I love the mix of musical and non musical scenes, as quiet can be so essential, to make space for on your day, and because life is always a mix of both.
click to view film
click to view film
During our first conversation, Laura said that she appreciated how I show a range of emotions in my films because, she said, "I'm like that." I won't forget how Laura broke into tears after hugging her mom and soon to be mother-in-law, two women she deeply loves and respects. Or her red lipstick and sunglasses. Or how Ryan compliments Laura's radiance with steady care for her and others, a kind Irish twinkle in his eye.
Laura and Ryan's film is unique because Laura had a specific song in mind she wanted used in the film. The song was written by her friend, who graciously agreed to its use, saying it would be a wedding gift. I really liked this singular vision, and their wedding day followed suit. Laura is a gifted writer and artist. She wrote beautiful lines for their officiant script, and decided they would be led through seven traditions from her and Ryan's family heritage, which included blessings from their parents and eating tasty pastries (I think everyone should take a moment to eat something sweet in the middle of their ceremony!). Everything was personalized. Ryan and Laura are gem collectors, and a bowl of their favorites greeted guests as favors at the entrance to the reception. Ryan's nieces and nephews wrote and sang him a song. The florist was a friend of the family and the flowers were out of this world, as vibrant as the couple.
Belinda and Daniel's wedding was a beautiful reminder that two people don't have to be extroverted in order for it to not only be possible but easy to capture their genuine emotionality and love. As said in Bee and Daniel's film, sometimes, "grace grows in silence." This I knew, but after taking a few years off from filmmaking to raise my young daughter, perhaps I had somewhat forgotten.
I'll be honest, I was a little nervous heading into the day. On the phone, Belinda and Daniel were so kind and so lovely, but collected. They told me that on their day, they wouldn't be saying vows. Their venue was grand and the guest count was high. None of this is 'wrong.' I can be more of a private person myself. I was worried that without vows and in such a big space with so many people, the details of who Belinda and Daniel are, and what their love looks like, would be hard to locate.
I got there and knew right away that I had nothing to worry about. Belinda and Daniel's love for each other was so apparent, especially in quiet moments they enjoyed together, such as their first look, after their first kiss during the ceremony, at their sweetheart table, and at the nearby beach we took a walk to during the reception.
So it was very important to make space in their film for those quiet moments. I love the mix of musical and non musical scenes, as quiet can be so essential, to make space for on your day, and because life is always a combination of both.
On a wedding day there are always layers to the story beyond, in its barebones form, that of getting married. For Elizabeth and Michael's wedding there were especially strong and emotional layers present. Their wedding day was their 10 year anniversary. Elizabeth is the eldest of seven, and their father had recently passed. Her grandfathers had also passed, and so Elizabeth's great grandfather, who was battling cancer, walked her down the aisle. This family has dealt with a lot, and it was evident the entire day that they are so good at taking care of each other. You can see this care in Elizabeth's youngest sister's speech, and how Michael's father stood with her holding the mic and wiped away her tears. How Michael wiped away Elizabeth's tears during the ceremony. How everyone hugged and laughed and danced. While I was editing the film, I checked in with Elizabeth to see how she felt about including spicy and hilarious late night dancing. Her reply was, "Of course! We are who we are, right?" I so appreciated their embrace of each other and life as it is.