jaime + eric- mission inn

This was one of those "circled on my calendar" weddings. The bride , Jaime, is a visual effects coordinator with a mile long list of Hollywood movie credits. This of course provided a lot of personal incentive for me to make sure I did something extra good for this couple.

Gauging by their tearful reaction, I think I did ok. :)

Because Jaime and Eric are such gracious people, I was extremely gratified by their reaction to the video. Led Zep's classic "Thank You"

ellen + sam - occidental college

I love this couple. Honestly. Just a wonderfully genuine, warm, fun-loving couple. I wanted to create something that reflected them and what they were about. And after 4 straight weeks of Shania Twain, I was so looking fwd to doing this wedding as they chose one of my favorite songs, Howie Day's "Collide" for their Cinema Reale'. (Sorry my Shania brides!)

Knowing they were having another reception in TX next week, I tried something a little different and added some vows to the beginning to give it a little more depth and substance.

One of my favorite edits of the year thus far. Enjoy!

anton + lisa - pacific palms

Anton and Lisa; another in a long line of awesome couples that Carolyn Chen from The Special Day. Carolyn always seems to hook me up with the best couples and Anton and Lisa were no different.

Carolyn and her crew, as always, made the day run flawlessly. As someone who does same day edits almost every wedding, it is always nice to know that things will run smoothly in the midst of the craziness of putting together a clip to show at the reception.

Though I had played a couple golf tournaments there, I had never shot a wedding at the Pacific Palms Hotel. I must say, I really enjoyed the set-up there. They had a gorgeous bluff location for the ceremony (with a view that even the fires could not ruin) They also had a very big reception hall complete with a huge 15 foot screen to show their clip.

Being a HUGE USC fan, the highlight of the night for me was having the USC marching band come in and perform for the couple and their guests.

Continuing with my "All Shania October" theme, Anton & Lisa chose the song "Forever & For Always". (Again , not one of my favorite songs, but the couple loved it and that's all that matters! )

An email from the couple:

"WOW! Thanks for the wonderful photo montage and cinema reale! We loved our Shania song with the edited video. We thought everything was perfect! :-) Our guests were amazed by the same day edit and can't stop talking about it. We especially loved the awesome camera angles. Thank you so so much! Anton & Lisa" )

donna + scott - spanish hills country club

Wow. This was a special day for two very special people and their friends and families. The Spanish Hills Country Club is such a beautiful place to host a wedding and everyone there was so accommodating and helpful. Hallie coordinated it and did a fine job of keeping everyone loose. I also got a chance to work with photographers Harrison & Kim Douglas and their son JD. They were so down to earth and just fun people to be around. This made the day that much more enjoyable.

I have to admit, when Donna first told me she wanted Shania Twain for her Cinema Reale, I wasn't too excited about using it. (I am not a big fan of hers!) She even got one of her music producer friends to make her a special version of the song. And in all honesty, it fit the footage perfectly.

There were a lot of special moments caught and my favs are the ones with their kids. Especially little Jackie who stole the show.

sishir + kristi - the berkeley

Kristi and Sishir are warm, genuine, sweet people. It was such a blast to be around them and their wonderful families and friends. They were both so relaxed and seemed to be soaking in every moment. I love shooting couples like this. It definitely makes my job so much easier.

For their Cinema Reale, we went with a couple of beautiful instrumentals.

johnny + elicia - casa romantica

Elicia and Johnny are very sweet couple and very much loved by their family and friends. There was a lot of emotion at this wedding with some of the most heartfelt toasts I have ever heard given by their bridal party and families.

This clip is somewhat unique because they wanted Big & Rich's "Lost in This Moment" as their song but they also wanted to do some special voice overs for each other to be played back for their Cinema Reale. We decided to use some instrumental for the beginning with their recorded sentiments and then go into the song.

To end this special night, the bride and groom drove off on a Harley complete with his and her custom helmets!

josh + delinda - museum of art

Josh & Delinda are unique. From the brides pics in her dress and soccer cleats to the groom's and groomsmen's brown converse, this was just a different wedding...and I mean that in a good way. It was just a breath of fresh air. They are such a fun-loving couple and were just a pleasure to work with. Got a chance to work with my good friend Jay Reilly which is always treat. Great guy and incredible photographer.

Ivy's "Edge of the Ocean" was the perfect song to encapsulate this day.

My First Super8 Clip

I bought a Super8 cam awhile ago and was dying to try it out at a wedding as I am going to start offering it as an add-on to my current services. So when one of my old friends approached me about shooting his wedding which was going to have a "1940's vibe to it" I thought it was the perfect candidate to try out my new (old) cam.

Nick and Liz are a fabulous couple who are very much in love and it showed throughout the day. Here is a little footage shot in Super8 and digitized.

freddie + alicia - newport marriott

Okay, I am going to have a tough time coming up with enough superlatives to describe this couple and their wedding. Simply put, Freddie and Alicia are just incredible people. From day one, they treated me, not as a vendor, but as their friend. So it is very easy to see why they had so many friends and family out at their wedding supporting them and cheering them on. They are special people.

They came to me after seeing what I did for their friends Billie and Kimmie a couple years ago and wanted to not only do a same day edit but also a funny concept video. They came up with some great ideas for what they wanted to do and we finally settled on a "mock Survivor" type thing. We all had a blasting shooting this video in May with all of their bridal party and screened it at their reception prior to their being announced for the first time. The crowd loved it!

And here is their Cinema Reale' complete with excerpts from one of the best first dances I have ever seen!:



Thank you to Freddie and Alicia for being truly one of the best couples I have ever had the pleasure of shooting!

chris + natalie - turnip rose

You guys might recognize the bride Natalie as the model for my First Bridal Music Video so I was excited to finally shoot her wedding. She is beautiful girl and of course made a beautiful bride. The Turnip Rose is a perfect setting for a wedding and allowed us to get some very cool creative angles for the video. Got a chance to work with Jim Kennedy for the first time. Him and his second shooter Morgan were a lot of fun to be around and shoot with.

matt + amanda - shutters

An amazing day. Matt and Amanda were a wonderful couple to work with. For starters, the bride just looked stunningly beautiful and it was impossible to get a bad shot of her. That always helps. Also got a chance to work with Terri Castillo from Bellisimo Events for the first time which was an awesome experience. She is a fabulous coordinator. Easy going yet right on the spot to make things happen, a perfect combination. First time I had ever worked at Shutters and am sincerely hoping that it will not be my last. Gorgeous location. People were helpful and most of all, the food rocked!

The song is Aqualung's "Brighter than Sunshine" which is a song that begged for some different editing. I am really pleased with how this came out. Feel free to comment on this one...

john + kelley - long beach museum of art

Where do i begin with this couple? From the moment I met them at Chili's several months ago, i had really looked forward to shooting their wedding. The reason is, without trying to sound too cliche', they just "get it". They are a sweet couple who valued and appreciated what a good video could do for their wedding. I always love when i meet clients who really look forward to seeing what I will do for them. It pumps me up and makes me want to go the extra mile. We had such a great first meeting and immediately i bonded with them so naturally i wanted to do the most kick-ass same day edit ever for them because i knew they would really appreciate it. John is a real film buff and had "visions" of how he wanted to do an intro for the video. I thought it was a cool idea so went with it and I thought it turned out great.

harlan + courtney - rancho valencia

Truly an incredible wedding for several reasons. The bride courtney had just lost her mom a week prior to her wedding day so there was a lot of emotion going into the day. I asked her if she wanted to do a short tribute for her mom that we could lead into the same day edit with. She agreed and sent me some pics of her mom. I had never ever met this woman prior but I immediately felt like I knew her. She just seemed to radiant beauty and I was drawn to her. Needless to say, I really wanted to do something special for this couple. Harlan and Courtney were just a joy to work with.

Crazy time constraints, drunk guests on the dance floor, sound issues and an obnoxious sound tech could not keep this one from being shown. It had to be. So we all gathered and sat on the dance floor to watch...

If you are having trouble seeing the clip..Click Here for downloadable version in Windows Media format.

seth + amanda - 777 wedding

Okay, I had looked forward to this wedding for a long time. Amanda got my info from Danielle from Skye Blu, one of my all time fav photogs! Amanda was just so sweet and special from day one was very excited about my work and doing a Cinema Reale for her wedding. I knew her wedding would be a blast to shoot. It did not disappoint! It was held in her parents beautiful home which gave it such an awesome intimate feel. Working with Danielle and Suthi is always such a blast. They are extremely talented but not an ounce of pretension in their little bones. Love that.

After the wedding, Amanda & Seth sent me a very nice card with a gift card to my all time fav resturant..The Cheesecake Factory! Very Cool!

jenn + johnny - la jolla cliffs

What a beautiful day this was. Jenn & Johnny are such a sweet couple. i know it sounds cliche but it is true. They were a pleasure to be around and it was truly a blessing to be able to share their day with them.

brian + tenica- same day edit at the ritz

Another wedding at the Ritz. Another wedding with Carolyn Chen. Same place same thing right? Not at all. This one was quite unique in a lot of ways. For starters, the ceremony for this one was held at the Horseshoe Gardens this time which gave the footage the incredible backdrop of the most scenic part of the hotel. It was hot but the sky was so blue and speckled with white clouds as you will see in the first shot on this clip. It's one of my favs of all time.

The reception was held in the Viennese Ballroom and decorated to look like "undersea fantasy land". It looked gorgeous.

The bride and groom were nervous but also in the moment and enjoying their day. Tenica, the bride, was able to crack jokes which kept me and everyone else loose. A perfect example of this was when they had their first sight on the bridge that wasn't the most emotional first meeting because as the bride said "thats not how we roll". Love it!

Here is their clip set to Faith Hill's "Breathe"

tommy + nicole - greek/irish wedding celebration

I always love doing weddings where two distinct cultures merge together. There is just something about how the two families come together and share in each others cultures that always makes for a very interesting and rewarding day. This one was no exception. It was held at the beautiful and very unique Seven Degrees in Laguna Beach. It also marked the first time, and hopefully not the last, that worked with Natalie Moser a truly wonderful photographer. Check her blog to see the pics that she took of Tommy and Nicole. There are some poses in one of the rooms at the 7 degrees that are so unique and ultra-cool. Tommy and Nicole are beautiful together and the cameras simply love them. See for yourself.

Their Cinema Reale' is set to U2's "Sometimes You Can't Make it on Your Own".

ray + anna's - cinema reale

This one was at the Ritz Carlton Pasadena which usually means one thing; I got to work with Carolyn from Special Day once again. She is an awesome coordinator who, along with assistance from Shannon and Erin, always make everything fun and go so smoothly. This was no exception. Ray and Anna's wedding ceremony was held at the Japanese Gardens at the hotel which because of its unique setting, always allows me to get some cool creative shots. Ray and Anna are a very cute couple and very much in love as evidenced by their clip, set to "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol

Family Vacation -AZ/Palm Springs

As much as I love my job, burn out is still a very real problem if you are not careful. For the last 3 years I have been either shooting or editing, 24/7 , 365 days a year. June 30th was my first Saturday off in awhile, and it was time for a long overdue vacation. I had never been to Grand Canyon, so we decided to do the "Rails to the Rim" through AAA Travel. The train trip itself was pretty cool, but the accommodations were less than accommodating. Crappy old hotel specializing in cafeteria food that would make Denny's look gourmet. So we decided to stop off on the way home in Palm Srings for a real vacation in a real hotel. Also got to take the kids to Knotts waterpark that just opened out there. 112 degrees.

Shoot with Natalie-First Bridal Music Video

Okay so I wanted to start offering these as a package upgrade but didn't have any samples because, obviously, I have never done one. So, I approached one of my September brides about doing one and she was more than willing, even though i told her it would require her to "act it up a bit". This is because I knew I wanted to do something that actually had somewhat of a plot to it rather than just "twirling eye candy". Nothing against those kinds of clips, I am going to offer them as well, but the criticism with those has always seemed to be "its great but got old after awhile" and i wanted to avoid that.

So this sample will be for those "i always wanted to be an actress" brides that I run into occasionally out here in Hollywoodland. I wanted to give them the option to do something like this that they can surprise their grooms with or just have fun with knowing that they will probably never get a chance to do something like this again.

Jeff & Linda- June 9 Hilton Torrey Pines

Truly an amazing place to have a wedding. The ceremony was outdoors in their beautiful courtyard. The symmetry of the buildings as they wrapped around the courtyard made for some really spectacular shot opportunities. It doesn't hurt when you have a really good looking couple either. :)

Jessica & Trent - The Bell Foundation

Just an incredible day. Perfect Orange County weather, outdoor ceremony at a very sweet location. Finally got to work with my buddy Gavin Holt who does both video and photography. Of course , with me doing the video,he was handling the photography on this one. Because Gavin came into it with experience behind both sides of the lenses, the collaboration was very smooth and natural which made for a very enjoyable shoot. Here is their video we showed that night at their reception on a 12ft screen.

Caohien & Endren - June 2nd Rancho Palos Verdes

Caohien & Endren are such an awesome couple and I really wanted to do a great job on their same day edit. From their traditional Tea Ceremony in the morning, to their American Ceremony in the afternoon, until their raging party at the reception, this day was just FUN. Speaking of fun, we got a chance to work with photographer Michael Norwood for the first time and that was an awesome experience. Him and his second shooter Travis are just great people. Michael has a feature that offers to his clients where he gets them his and her ipods and puts all of their pics from day on them and gives it to them at the end of the night. When he approached me and asked if I wanted to include my video from the day in their iPods, of course I was more than willing.

Manpreet & Tamara-Beautiful Indian Wedding

An incredible day at the Castaway in Burbank . In my 7 years of doing weddings professionally, I have shot a myriad of culturally diverse weddings but have never done an Indian wedding. The colors at this wedding were just amazing. This is the same day edit we showed that night at their reception on the big screen.

mark + lisa - full edit

This is a very large file (450 mbs) so to save you from frustration, do not try and watch if you still have dialup! Please click to play and then pause it for a couple minutes and allow it to buffer for a bit. This will ensure smooth playback!