Well, I asked my sister, a seasoned filmmaker. Love her and glad she got video… but… bad idea. She was very used to directing actors. Check out this clip from our first dance.

Theoretically, most people will know not to interrupt your first dance. As you can see, we were kind of in our own little world, so the dancing continued.

Little caveat, I’m not saying not to hire a seasoned videographer or cinematographer who films weddings. They know how to stay in the background.

Little caveat #2, after years of crying that I had no video from my choreographed first dance, I’m incredibly grateful to have found any video at all. Don’t want to sound like a brat. Oops. Too late.

See how we can help you capture and enjoy your big day for a lifetime. Learn more about DIY affordable wedding video at our website or feel free to give us a call at 800-831-1649.

Ariane

• We posted this video to the Facebook page yesterday and it was HUGE hit! You’ve got to see these adorable grandparents share a toast to their grandson and his new wife Grandparents: The Wedding Toast

• I think this wedding trend is totally awesome – and now I really want to attend a wedding that has a food truck! Food trucks bring ‘something new’ to modern weddings

• I’m not sure how this cake was kept over the past year (frozen? dried? vacuum seal?) but apparently this one year old slice of cake is worth a lot of money!  Slice of Kate Middleton and Prince William’s Wedding Cake Up for Auction

• I’m all for treating dogs like humans and pampering them as much as possilbe…but this is certainly something new. The good news?? This entire party was thrown in order to raise money for an animal shelter! Now that’s something I can get behind!  Dogs get $5,000 ‘first-class’ wedding bash

Don't want to miss a moment of your wedding? See how you can get your own affordable DIY wedding video with Storymix.

-Laura

• I’ve posted some Twilight features before, and if you love Twilight…fine. But officially changing your last name to “Cullen”?? This one takes the cake…‘Twilight’ Wedding: Abigail Kirk, Andy Weeks Change Last Names To Cullen




• This Groom busts into Justin Bieber at the CEREMONY…but I have to admit, it’s cute Groom catches ‘Bieber Fever’ at the altar, serenades bride

Don't want to miss a moment of your wedding? See how you can get your own affordable DIY wedding video with Storymix.

-Laura

We wanted every couple to have an easy way to get a memento from the video that their friends and family shoot at their event. It’s too hard to do anything with emailed cellphone video. You can’t easily download it from YouTube or Facebook. And here’s what happens to those lovely 2 hour tapes unedited tapes (or DVDs) from relatives:

• they don’t get watched (this was us)
• they get stored in the basement and flooded (this was us, just a couple of months after the wedding)

In my mind, we had no wedding video. We may have watched 15 minutes of each tape (VHS, taped over PBS) once before the flood. What I didn’t know, is that my gorgeous husband had painstakingly unrolled the tapes and dried them out, saving them, hoping to do something… someday. This was WAY before we ever started editing video. So, I knew nothing about it and he didn’t even remember.

The Value of Your Memories

Why was it so important to me to have video?

• Our wedding was a (high end) DIY extravaganza
• We had a LOT of friends and family fly into town whom we hadn’t seen in years
• Our photographer was awesome but didn’t get ANY photos of our historic venue
• Looking at Mike on that day, I thought it was definitely not possible to love him more, and now I can tell you I was totally WRONG

We had what, at the time was a sizable budget, due to generous parents and both working at good jobs. We decided to spend the majority of it on an awesome bar band, The Killer Flamingoes, and on one of Mike’s relatives… Uncle Jack Daniels. Our band budget was larger than anything else. Our booze budget was larger than food. I think it was actually double the food budget. So, you can see that our budget priority was having fun.

That meant DIY for almost everything else. So, I learned to sew and made the dress. We learned to emboss and made the invitations. I had been a cake decorator, so I made the cake. DIY is definitely NOT for everyone. And not all of our attempts were successful, so please don’t think I’m suggesting to cut pro’s out of your wedding budget.

I’m from the east coast with family all over the country. Mike also had family all over the country. And a LOT of them flew into town for our wedding. And had a LOT of fun… see the note about Uncle Jack Daniels. I wanted to see the video of them getting a little crazy on the dance floor. There’s the video of Mike’s cousin blocking my cousin during the bouquet toss so that his girlfriend could catch the bouqet. There’s me dancing with our friend Surf, who died in an accident just a few years after the wedding. They’re all memories I wanted to see again.

Our poor photographer had a VERY long day. Getting ready started at 6am. Our ride for the location shots bailed, so he wound up driving us around. By the time of the reception, he was pooped. I don’t blame him at all. He did a fabulous job of making two very non-photogenic people look great in the same photos at the same time. So, I’m absolutely not complaining about not having any shots of the Masonic Temple of Detroit. But, I was sad about it. I thought there had been some good video of the interior on the tape my sister shot… but it was gone.

And to examine the last point, the video shows how incredibly in love we were. I love seeing the way we looked at each other. And yet, 13 years later, I can tell you that it only gets better. The love deepens in ways you couldn’t conceive. And you get these funny rose-colored glasses that make me swear as good looking as he was back then… he’s 10 times more gorgeous now! Thank you for sharing in my anniversary gift to my husband.

See how we can help you capture and enjoy your big day for a lifetime. Learn more about DIY affordable wedding video at our website or feel free to give us a call at 800-831-1649.

Ariane

Image by Rose Schaller Photo

BUT here’s what you DON’T want to do

Your box of cameras arrives from Storymix a few days before the wedding. The night before the wedding, you surprise your wedding party with the fact that they need to “get video of your wedding”. Or, the morning of the wedding, you “instruct” your wedding coordinator that you ordered this great wedding video service and she needs to “make sure the guests get video”.

That is what’s called being a bit of a bridezilla. It’s not fair to spring this on them. Getting candid video of your wedding is fun, but does require literally just a few minutes of planning.

WeddingMix is NOT the same as disposable cameras

Leaving a disposable camera on the table is leaving it to chance that someone will pick it up and take photos. And hopefully that someone will not be (a) 10 years old or (b) so drunk they can’t stand up.

As I said, getting wedding video clips needs a few minutes of planning. Literally… a few minutes.

Just a Minute of Planning

We ship the cameras with big postcards full of  tips on getting good video, who to ask to hold the cameras, questions to ask wedding guests…  You want to give your friends a minute to look these over and get excited about all the cool moments they can get on video. You also want to make sure they know which moments you’d like to get on video.

We make this pretty easy with the iPhone app – there’s a shot list built right in. And, I got a great tip from one of our fabulous bride guest bloggers – Kelsey. Her mom bought a 5 camera package as a gift for her. She asked a few different people a few days ahead of time to capture different aspects of the wedding. Her mom wrote little note cards with what they were hoping to capture and tied them to the individual cameras.

While you don’t have to tie note cards to cameras, simply asking a few trustworthy friends and family members (or at least asking your wedding coordinator to do so) a few days ahead of time, will save you having to think about it on your wedding day. And it will certainly let them have fun planning the moments they will capture… like the flash mob dance, or the pre-wedding golf trip, or the post-wedding after party craziness, or the “impromptu” re-enactment of the cop pulling you over during the road trip from spring break, or the… you get the picture. So what cool moments do you hope your friends will capture?

See how we can help you capture and enjoy your big day for a lifetime. Learn more about DIY affordable wedding video at our website or feel free to give us a call at 800-831-1649.

Ariane

I am so excited to be one of the new Storymix Bridal Bloggers!!

Let’s get acquainted!  A little about myself, my name is Liz, I’m a mid-20′s, Texas girl, planning my traditional, Catholic wedding.  I am also the writer behind the blog, South Texas Wedding.

I love all things wedding (as most Brides-to-Be do)!  From reading wedding blogs to Pinterest, it pretty much takes up my time outside of work.  You know, minus the time I spend with My Mr.

So, on to us winning this contest!

So exciting!  We made a video together that we had a ton of fun doing.  We literally printed our message on paper, cut it out, taped it to index cards, played a song on our phone, and recorded using my laptop camera.  Definitely not professional, but it’s US!

Why did we make this goofy video and display it publicly on the internet?

Because we wanted to win!  I mean,  who doesn’t like to win?  It was way more than that though.  We have been going back and forth on video for our wedding.  My original thought was YES YES YES, his was MONEY MONEY MONEY.  Obviously we both had good points.  Several of my friends have recently gotten married and one of them said that their biggest regret was not having video.  SEE!  You should have video!  It’s just that it was the very last thing that we had to plan and we were very low on the budget.  So when we heard of a contest to win a FREE video, we signed up!!

We can’t wait to use this for our wedding!  We haven’t worked out the details with the chruch yet, and may still get a professional for the ceremony since no one is allowed on the altar, but professionals can be up in the media area, but we will see.  It’s hard to spend any money on it now that we have this package.  As for the reception though, can’t wait to be able to use it!  I know that I have gone to multiple weddings where the professional sits us in front of the camera and asks for us to send a message to the Bride and Groom…awkward!!  I think that our guests will feel much more comfortable interviewing each other, seeing  how they actually know each other.  I think that using Storymix is not only going to catch all the desired video of the night, but have a much more personal feel to it than what a professional could get.  Can you tell I’m excited?!

Again, as you can see in our video, we are not trained professionals, in anyway, just a normal, everyday, engaged couple, just like y’all!  And if WE can figure out how to use the Storymix app, y’all definitely can!!

When my husband Endre and I got engaged, I think we knew that a traditional wedding, while lovely, wasn’t in the cards for us.  So, after we had looked tirelessly at several venues and none seemed to fit the fun and laid-back feel we wanted, Endre joked, “Why don’t we just get married at the zoo?” A phone call was made and BOOM! Operation: I Do at the Zoo was born.

Our wedding was, in a word, bananas. I should have prefaced this story with a note that I never thought about what my wedding would be like growing up. I certainly didn’t imagine that it would turn out insanely wonderful. I mean, we met a giraffe named Fezzik on our wedding day. My husband rode a camel in his tuxedo. When does this happen in real life?

 But the whole event was so heartfelt and goofy and awesome. From our vows, to our friends posing with a boa constrictor, to guests randomly dancing in a fountain, the night was amazing. We’re actually really glad we found out about Storymix when we did. We hadn’t seriously considered a videographer during the planning because it was just too pricey and we figured photography would suffice. My husband and I were cracking up at the funny moments we missed when our family and friends were walking around with the cameras.  It turned out to be another great way to remember our wedding day.

Don't want to miss a moment of your wedding? See how you can get your own affordable DIY wedding video with Storymix.

-Laura

3 Tips On How To Be A Penny Wise Bride and Not Pound Foolish

 
What’s the purpose of investing so much time, energy, money, and emotion into one special day . . . if it isn’t ”to throw the most incredibly fun party for your friends and family?”
 
“Survey Says…”
 
What your guests will remember about your wedding is: “the fun they had at your reception” – and that’s second only to food and drink.
 
The “noise” in today’s wedding market is so prolific that many brides take their eye off the “Prize,” that is, for everyone to have fun!
 
Consider that a wedding is nothing short of a well choreographed ballet requiring the skills, talent and expertise of project minded individuals – but not every bride is an experienced project manager. Now consider the choices coming at you, from all directions, all at once, and changing relentlessly. It’s no wonder some brides get anxious about “the budget.”
 
Believe me when I tell you: “I’ve seen the road to ‘happily ever after’ and it is strewn with tons of un-eaten broccoli and too many disappointed brides suffering buyer’s remorse.“

Being thrifty and having a “Vision” of a storybook wedding isn’t enough. But don’t worry; you don’t need a business degree to manage your wedding project. There are a few easy things you can do to make everything work to your advantage . . .

Tip 1

Put everything in perspective based on the impact and importance it has on the end-result. You want the biggest bang for your buck! Right? So, focus your resources on the things that contribute the greatest impact.
 
You may decide you want to include:

• the veggie tray with ornately carved fruit creatures
• the eccentric artisan cheese platter you provided during cocktail hour
• the gracefully melting swan ice-sculpture..

 
Remember though, everyone is there to “Eat, Drink and be Merry” so those are the elements where your financial attention should be focused.
 
I’m not saying to omit ice sculptures or anything else – I’m just trying to help you keep it all in perspective.
 
Case in point: If you’ve ever watched 4 Weddings, you know that your DJ is worth more to the success of your wedding than raw broccoli or a block of frozen water that can’t even be added to a Rum & Coke.
 
When it comes to booking wedding vendors, the typical pecking order is: Church, Reception Venue, Photographer, Caterer, DJ/Band, Cake, Florist, Videographer, etc. Along the way, you are going to be challenged with numerous additional choices: Invitations, Dresses, Tuxedos, Honeymoon, Favors, Aisle Runners, Bridesmaid & Groomsmen Gifts, etc. It’s overwhelming and can quickly get out of control.
 

To help you avoid getting to that point of sheer desperation, where you have an exhausted budget and seemingly never ending expenditures, and you’re resorting to typing “Cheap Wedding DJs” into Google, and now you’re losing weight from all the stress of worrying whether “Tom, Dick & Harry DJ” will even show up, let alone be any good . . .

Tip 2

Set reasonable budget expectations for those services you identified as having the greatest contribution to your wedding’s success. It’s all too easy to let minute details ambush and hijack your budget. Before you know it, all those little things quickly add up to hundreds of dollars.
 
 
Let me reiterate . . . no one’s saying forego signature details that personalize your wedding and reflect what’s unique about you. By prioritizing and allocating your budget to the “value-rich” services that ensure the WOW-Factor your guests are expecting, all those “details” that truly will enrich the whole experience will become obvious.
 
To help you set a realistic Wedding Budget check out: Cost of A Wedding. Not only can you get estimates for your overall wedding budget, but you can also refine them specifically to you local area, as well as focus in on individual vendor/service categories.
 
Keep in mind that “averages” are mathematical calculations that even out the highs and low for a series of numeric data and provide no insight to quality or value provided at that price.
 
Brides and grooms should always meet with prospective service providers and never select a service based on price alone – which leads me to my final point . . .
 

Tip 3

Don’t judge a book by its . . . price. Is “average” or “cheap” how you really want your wedding to appear? You deserve the best and you can have it too. You might be surprised what you really can afford when you begin by first focusing your budget’s attention on the things that genuinely make a difference.
 
You know better than anyone what you can afford and what you are willing to spend. But keep in mind that the old adages that have stood the test of time are often your best advice . . . “If it seems too good to be true then it probably is” and “You get what you pay for.”
 
 
 
A “Cheap DJ” is no bargain if no one has fun at your wedding.
 
When surveyed after their wedding, nearly 85% of brides wish they budgeted more for their DJ. Your DJ has a far greater impact on the success of your entire wedding celebration than to be simply thought of as someone who plays music for 3 or 4 hours.
 
Contact Raleigh Event DJ today to learn how you CAN “have your cake and eat it too!” Our wedding experts are ready to help you throw the most incredibly fun wedding party for your friends and family and make the most of your budget.

Don't want to miss a moment of your wedding? See how you can get your own affordable DIY wedding video with Storymix.

-Laura

Everyone @ our wedding was visiting from out of town, so we got to enjoy 3 days of vacation with all our friends and family. The girl in the grooms party is actually Justin’s favorite cousin, Carey. She was the “best person,” the co best man with Justin’s brother. They are really close, so it was really special to him to have her be there.

We kicked off the weekend with a sunset cruise complete with a Jimmy Buffett impersonator and got to enjoy a beautiful sunset. The day of our wedding was stormy and super windy, but the sun came out just as we arrived at the beach and we were able to have the beach wedding we were looking forward to for the 2 years we were engaged. Cocktails followed and then everyone enjoyed dinner and a fabulous band on the terrace overlooking the beach.

We had our own after party, and we kept the party going till 2 am. On the last bus to the hotel, our guests had a rousing sing a long to “Country Roads” by John Denver. It was pretty awesome. My favorite aspect of the weekend was having so many friends and family all in one place. We had guests (and one of the maids of honor) come from as far as Paris, and it was so incredible to have everyone we love altogether.

It was an awesome wedding weekend, definitely everything we wanted it to be and more!

Don't want to miss a moment of your wedding? See how you can get your own affordable DIY wedding video with Storymix.

-Laura