After a few weeks of planning, the Pyramids decided that they were brave enough to face a bridal show at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans. It was a free event and we had a few details locked down (like the date and venues), so I figured it was worth a shot to see plenty of vendors all at once. Sphinx was one of about two other grooms there - oops, how was I supposed to know it was all geared towards brides and their moms? He's a trooper though, and we got through it.
We tasted some cake, easily avoided any booths for receptions as we were already signed with the Board of Trade, and grabbed cards from photographers, videographers, and florists. Eventually I went through all of the cards we received and checked out websites, but that very night I went home and looked up one videographer who stuck out in my mind. Brock, of Brock Gomez Productions, wasn't pushy when we walked past his booth and watched the video they had playing on screen, which was the wedding trailer for Emily and Chris.
It is a fifteen-minute trailer, so skip down a little further for a teaser video if you're short on time. If you love indulging in wedding videos for people you don't know (like moi), I hope you enjoy.
Brock explained some of the details of the wedding they were featuring: the groom is an Army veteran and the wedding was held on Veterans Day weekend, so that's why they incorporated the parade at the beginning of the video. I loved how they included that, and I also was a fan of the equal distribution of time shown for prep/first look, ceremony, and reception in the feature film.
After checking out some of the other videos posted on his blog, I had to contact him - and luckily they were available for our date. Brock gave us the option to meet up at a coffee shop or a pub for drinks - uh, beer, please! Picking a Pyramid-approved ale house definitely helped us to feel comfortable and get to know each other before we got around to the business talk. We watched another of their recent videos and talked about some of their techniques, packages, and our wedding plans thus far. Overall, we clicked really well and Sphinx and I returned home confident that we were going to go with Brock as our videographer.
And no suspense here, we did decide to book BGP!
I know a lot of brides face the dilemma of getting video or not, but for us it was always in the cards. I guess I've drunk the Kool Aid after seeing so many beautiful videos from real-life friends and those on the Bee (Toadstool, Wallaby, and Turkey to name a few faves). I knew that videography doesn't mean a boring four-hour movie shot from the back of the church and a corner of the reception. We made it a priority just like photography and included the expense in the budget early on.
Some people leave choosing a video vendor until later on, but once I realized how much videography cost, I wanted to make sure that we were getting our first choice here. I sure am glad that we did - Brock recently mentioned that our date is one of his most requested since we booked! I think it's awesome that they're gaining popularity - they're not totally new (a few years in the biz, if I remember correctly), but they weren't as well known last year.
We decided to go with a package that included two shooters, eight hours of wedding day coverage, the feature film (like the one shown above) and a full documentary edit in chronological order of the wedding day footage. So we will have the long video that covers everything, but we also have the short trailer that will recap all of the important moments and will be easier to share.
The aforementioned shorter teaser video shows how they really pay attention to the details of a wedding day and the intricate features of a church. Everyone says how quickly the wedding day goes by, and I know we will appreciate having a video that shows off the little things we may have forgotten or missed from the wedding, as well as the people who were there celebrating with us.
I love that everything is so cinematic and it really comes together to tell the story of the couple and of the wedding day. I also noticed that BGP often incorporates the prayers and homily by the priest in their videos, which I found was sometimes overlooked in other trailers that I viewed.
I never expected myself to be so pro-videography, but once it came down to it I guess I am! When we were still searching for venues, I relied heavily on local wedding video blogs to get a better look at a venue without having to get up off my couch. Seeing all of those videos really helped me realize that I wanted one too and it shaped the type of video that I was drawn toward. Wedding day pictures are beautiful, but they don't make you start to tear up over a complete stranger's vows like a video can. And if these are the feelings evoked for someone I don't even know, then this is the perfect medium to be able to relive our special day and to share with our children years in the future.
Do you love watching wedding trailers too - what's your favorite type of "scene"? It always gets me when the audio for the vows or a personal letter to each other is played over footage of the couple dancing or the bride getting ready. Aah, excuse me, I must have something in my eye...
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