Why You Need Video - Words from a Bride

on Oct 12 in wedding video

“Enlisting Jessica Pi for videography was a last minute “splurge” I made one week before the wedding and I could not be happier with that decision! I’ve heard/read that so many brides regret not having a videographer to capture the day and I decided that was one regret I didn’t want to have.

Jessica was recommended to me by my amazing photographer, Kristi Odom, and I was extremely lucky that she happened to be available on such short notice! Jessica was awesome to work with - even though we didn’t get a chance to meet until my actual wedding day! Upon waking up the morning after the wedding, my first thought literally was, “THANK GOD WE HAVE VIDEO TO RE-LIVE THAT AMAZING DAY AND SEE ALL THE THINGS WE DIDN’T HAVE TIME TO SEE/APPRECIATE YESTERDAY!”

My wedding day was so magical and wonderful and Jessica captured everything in the video. She did such a wonderful job that I start crying (happy tears) all over again when I watch the video and I’ve watched it more than I want to admit!

Thank you so much Jessica! You’re so talented and I will definitely be singing your praises to future brides!”
-Allison and Brian

Outdoor Wedding on the Eastern Shore, MD

on Sep 07 in Wedding Planner, wedding photographer, wedding video

I love hearing from brides after they received their DVDs. Allison wrote me within days and I was so happy to hear that I made her cry!

“Hi Jessica,
Thank you so much!!! We LOVE the wedding video! It made everyone cry all over again and you caught all the wedding day details I was hoping to see. Is it possible to get 2 more copies of the DVD?
Thanks!
Allison
P.S. Is there anywhere in particular you’d like me to write a review for you?!”

Check out this recap of their beautiful day. Maybe it will make you cry.

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A Diamond Events Wedding in Occoquan, VA

on Jun 22 in Wedding Planner, wedding video

I just finished editing an HD wedding video of a beautiful wedding in Occoquan, VA.

Here is a glimpse of all the best moments of the wedding day recapped in one song.

The bride and groom were lovely, and I had a great time working with them.  Michael Alvarez was my second camera person for the ceremony and we captured a lot of great details in our high definition footage.

But what made this wedding special was the planning and the design by Stephanie Hughes, of Diamond Events. The following video is of the photo session/cocktail hour.  You can see a lot of touches of design put into the flowers and decor at the reception at the Harbor View, in Occoquan, VA.

Stephanie and her crew were great to work with.  As expected, the day ran like clockwork and everyone was where they were supposed to be when they were supposed to be there.  More importantly, Stephanie is just a pleasure to be around, always with a smile on her face.  And no wonder - she threw such a beautiful and fun wedding event, she had every right to be smiling!

To find out more or book a planner,contact Stephanie.

Stephanie Hughes
Diamond Events
Exquisite Weddings & Other Fine Events
facebook.com/WeddingsbyDE
twitter.com/DiamondEvents
www.WeddingsbyDE.com
540-650-3900

After the Wedding

on Jun 03 in wedding video

I am busy! This time of year I am videotaping a wedding just about every weekend. I am going to have so many beautiful weddings to blog about, just as soon as I finish editing them!

One question I get asked a lot is what’s involved in editing a wedding video? The short answer? A lot!

The first thing I do is contact the happy newlyweds. I talk to them, post honeymoon, about the day’s events. Were there any moments that stood out that absolutely have to be highlighted? Were there any people whose actions might need to be downplayed? Did you love every word the priest, rabbi or officiant spoke, or could we cut out that section about exactly how many children you should be having? And, of course, what music do you want for all the montages in your video?

Once I get a few simple, but important, answers to how you want your wedding video edited, I capture and log all the footage. This basically just means I go through all 4, 6 or 8 hours of footage I shot, get it all into my editing system, and organize it by which camera, what part of the wedding day, and what type of footage it is.

Then comes the fun part. When I edit a wedding video, I really am trying to tell your story. I open the first montage with an establishing shot to set the stage - whether it’s a shot of the program, a shot of the church, or a shot of the bride’s house - this is where this story begins. Then we introduce all the main characters and establish what they are doing before the moment when the wedding march begins.

The ceremony pretty much writes itself. After finding out how much and which parts of the ceremony the couple would like included, I just have to choose the best shots for each second of footage, and, of course, level the audio from the microphones on the grooms lapel and around the room.

Check out these two clips from an outdoor ceremony at Whitehall Manor. The first shows just one camera angle and is unedited.

The second one shows the edited version utilizing both camera’s footage.

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Your Wedding Short (and Sweet)

on May 07 in Destination Weddings, Wedding, wedding video

The world is still aflutter about the royal wedding, devouring and dissecting every detail, reliving the moments through the abundant video footage. Still, even this most glamorous ceremony and all its pomp and circumstance have been edited down to the highlights of the day for the countless replays.

For years now, I have offered couples the Recap (in addition to the longer edited video). This brief video montage is set to music and shows the big moments from the ceremony and reception. Clocking in at about 3 minutes, the Recap is a glimpse into your wedding and a great reminder of your celebration for your guests to enjoy.

The Highlights Reel is a new offering to share more of your day. This option lets you relive your wedding with your family and friends, and is a wonderful way for those who could not attend to watch you exchange your vows, see your first dance, and the hear the words offered in toast to you. Or, use this as the trailer or preview to your full-length video. In the 10- to 15-minute Highlights Reel, video, music, and audio are woven together to showcase the joy, excitement, and details of your wedding. The Highlights Reel captures the iconic events and elements as well as some of the smaller ones that help set the scene - smiling relatives, the bride getting ready, decorations dancing in the breeze.

Check out the Highlights Reel from this wedding in the Dominican Republic.

Their destination wedding was a weekend-long affair, and the video includes footage from their rehearsal, as well as personal messages to one another.

View another example of the this Highlights Reel from a Persian wedding reception at the Andrew Mellon Auditorium.

There are clips from live music and dance performances, as well as toasts, and traditional wedding moments.
Contact me to discuss the many ways we can share your special day.

Second Wedding with Autumn Colors

on May 02 in Wedding Cake, wedding video

A lot of brides are booking me these days for September and October, so I wanted to spend a minute to highlight a wedding I shot last October.  This was a second marriage for both the bride and groom, and their grown children were the bridesmaid and groomsmen.

In the video, you will see beautiful Fall colors in the western Virginia landscape, as well as in the gorgeous cake made by MallowDrama.  It was really hard for me to not take a little taste when I was shooting the close ups!  You can also see a quick shot of one of my favorite deejays, Wayne Boyland, with A Sound Plan.  As always, he did a great job with the music.

Autumn is a great season for weddings in Northern Virginia.  The colors in the landscape, as well as in flower choices, decorations and the cake, can all come together to be a beautiful wedding production, and, of course, wedding video!

The Bliss Collection 2011

on Apr 14 in Awards/Honors, Wedding Cake, wedding photographer, wedding video

I have had many opportunities in the past decade to meet a lot of wonderful wedding vendors. Brides always ask me, specifically, if I get along with their photographer. It seems like such a funny question to me, because I usually love the photographers I work with and get along great with just about everyone. For the most part, this is a pretty friendly industry.

When it comes to referrals, I have a lot of great people to choose from in nearly every category. I try to find out the bride’s tastes, budget, and concerns, and then recommend the most fitting vendors for her needs.  Often, those vendors are fellow members of The Bliss Collection, Northern Virginia’s finest wedding professionals.
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Miles Stiebel Band

on Mar 16 in Corporate Video, wedding video

I have another life outside of wedding videos.  I produce corporate videos.  I write and perform commentaries for WAMU.  I write and perform stories at various storytelling venues.

Like me, Miles Stiebel, of MSE Productions, has an alter ego.  Miles is a Jazz musician, and the Miles Stiebel band makes beautiful jazz, for audiences all over the country.  I recently got to videotape them performing on the Mall, and it was a great performance.

Check out this highlight reel to see and hear just a little jazz from a great show:

To find out more about the Miles Stiebel Band, click here.

To find out more about booking a deejay or musicians through MSE Productions, click here.

Sharing your wedding with those near - and especially far

on Feb 20 in wedding video

When a couple gets engaged, there almost always follows a flurry of phone calls, get-togethers, and electronic communiqués to announce the happy news. In response, there will likely be two questions: “When?” and “Where?”

And as you ponder the possible answers to these questions -

• commemorating an anniversary or meaningful date,
• a favorite season, time of year, or a holiday weekend,
• the availability of that special place that you’ve always dreamed of having your wedding,
• your hometown or your fiancé’s,
• the place you live now, or
• inviting your guests to fly off to some location full of exotic beauty, history and Old World charm, or ocean breezes -

your thoughts may turn to “who”. Of course, the date, location, and many other circumstances, may make traveling impractical or impossible for some of your special guests, but they can still share in your wedding as it happens.

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Bristow Manor Ceremony

on Dec 21 in Wedding Planner, wedding video

Jessica Pi Productions recently worked with the wonderful event planner, Myrna Grossman, of For All Occasions.  Myrna planned a beautiful wedding at the Bristow Manor Golf Club.

Michael Alvarez, an associate videographer, captured the ceremony and reception.  Here is a short clip from the wedding video.

Myrna had this to say about the wedding:
“Jen and Frank were a full plan.  I worked with them for over a year after meeting them at a bridal show at Bristow Manor. They were delightful to work with every step of the way, having their definitive ideas of what they envisioned their wedding day to be, yet, always open to suggestions. I just finished watching Jen and Frank’s video and loved it.  Thanks so much.”

Myrna Grossman, CWS
For All Occasions, Inc.
Wedding Planning and more…
Fairfax, Virginia

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