I've heard about and seen Blue Ridge Light Forms' work in all the magazines and blogs..needless to say, I am a HUGE fan of their AMAZING work. Event lighting creates a mood to your event that is truly intimate and unforgettable. We shot a few weddings this year that featured their talent. Aside from all of that, we've had the privilege of working on their promotional video/new portfolio website over the past year in a half. We have really enjoyed getting to know their staff and workers. We launched the brand new site just a few days ago!
We finished their promo video several months ago....you can view that video below, or on the new website. There is special guest appearance at the end of the video=)
I wanted to share that we were featured on Green Wedding Shoes today! If your into awesome wedding blogs, GWS is one of the top rated wedding fashion blogs in the country. It's almost sad that I know these things....plus two points for being aware of glam bridal blogs, minus two points for temporary abandoning my manliness =)
Honestly, just stoked to have our work displayed on such an awesome wedding resource! Thanks Jen, for featuring Clare and Justin's gorgeous rockstar wedding!
This was such a fun wedding to be a part of! Clare emailed me about a year ago, inquiring about her wedding...when we started emailing each other about their wedding details, she expressed how they wanted to have an outdoor wedding, and it definitely wouldn't be conventional. It would be a super stellar and fun reflection of their personalities. They would have lots of performing musicians as they were "performers" themselves...a blue grass band and a rock and roll band, a bonfire, fireworks, moonshine to drink ..much like a Woodstock theme, but instead it would be called "Love Fest". Several months later, on the night before we all met..Clare wrote me a confirmation email about where we were going to meet, which included their last names in the email....She hadn't included that information in her emails thus far, so I randomly googled them...and I was blown away with the search results!...I could go on and on, but this video we just edited pretty much sums up on how they met=)
...Justin and Clare are some of the nicest people I have ever met...seriously, and they go together so well.
Details leading up to the wedding day, the site of the wedding was at a private estate in Charlottesville, Va...as Justin grew up there. The ceremony site was by the lake, at the end of the dock. The backdrop was the blue ridge mountains and the couple were framed by a unique hand made arch made out of grapevine and decorated with vintage peach dahlias, white roses and vines. All designed and made by Bianca @ Ivy Corner, Charlottesville. There was a huge handmade sign titled "Love Fest". Our video production team even got these awesome backstage pass looking lanyards.
Both bride and groom's attire were completely custom made. Clare's gorgeous dresses were designed/made by herself and designer Jennifer Jacobs... Justin's suit was designed by himself and Rey Akino and made by Serj Tailoring in L.A. Clare personally styled all the bridesmaids, flowergirls, and paige boys. Hair was done by Asley Gaunt from London and makeup by YvetteBeebe .
Justin and Clare love the vintage vibe so they had us shoot several rolls of super8 and 16mm movie film. Justin and all the wedding party entered the ceremony site walking down a big hill to "All you need is love" a version custom recorded and arranged especially for the wedding.
During the ceremony, Jimmy Fortune performed a song and they passed their rings through the guests to be blessed.
The reception was spectacular! Great food, lots of drinking and dancing under a beautiful tent. They had fireworks and a huge bonfire burning all night! Everyone was given a personalized shot glasses to take home, Justin played guitar, Clare sang for him and the party didn't stop till 4am!! Totally rock and roll! This wedding was a one of a kind and we were blessed to be a part of it!
I have really enjoyed spending the last several months getting to know Joe Kalkstein and his new beautiful wife Melovee. We produced a promotional video and new website(launching in a few weeks) for their company, Blue Ridge Light Forms. Outside of owning such an outstanding event lighting company, Joe is one the nicest and hardworking guys you'll ever meet and Mel is oh so fun to be around! When they asked me to film their wedding, I was honored and thrilled!
Joe and Mel were married at the gorgeous Kluge Estate Winery in Charlottesville. Reverend and Charlottesvilleweddingblog.com columnist, Claire Goodman performed a beautiful ceremony. That day was probably one of the hottest evenings this summer, but everything flowed just fine though thanks to Reagan Kerr at Easton Events! The decadent food was prepared by Mosaic Unique Events. I always enjoy meeting new photographers.. Jack Looney and Aaron were a pleasure to work with! Of course Joe's staff did a fantastic job on the A/V and lighting that evening...including surprise confetti canons tucked under fabric treatments in the ceremony tent! Mel's cousin from NJ was the DJ that night and played non-stop awesome music! Joe and Melovee, I hope you enjoy the highlights!
We had the most amazing time filming this couples' wedding! James and Sarah had an epic reception at the luxurious Hotel Monaco in Washington, DC. Everyone involved in this wedding can attest on how accommodating James and Sarah were, even on their wedding day! You should see these two together, I could tell right from the start that they were meant to be. Aside from being a perfect couple and clients, James and Satah are part of a competition dance team in DC called "Capital Funk". The reception dancing was so very entertaing to watch=) I even cut a remix video from the stellar dancing footage....you can view on our Facebook page! Capital Funk is not just any dance group, they recently place first at the Main Event, a hip hop dance competition in NJ. James and Sarah, thank you for letting us be a part of your special day! Enjoy!
Ahh...Virginia Beach, I miss it so much. I wanted so badly to shoot this wedding but I had a prior booking...at least I was able to still edit this awesome wedding=) Lauren is the sister of Chelsea, who is a dear friend of ours as well as a past client. I knew Lauren and Drew's wedding would be the perfect fit for my new wedding workflow/platform, as both bride and groom were super fun, artsy and open to new ideas. That being said, this wedding was shot entirely on the new Canon 7d. These digital picture cameras have literally changed the video industry as we know it. I was absolutely blown away at the clarity, depth of field and resolution of this DSLR's footage! Lauren and Drew, I hope you guys enjoy your highlights as well as your finished video! I know a lot went into it=)
Lee and Megan Willard were married at The Water's Edge Country Club in Penhook, Va. Lee's father is the owner of this fine facility and golf course. I have never been to this side of Smith Mountain Lake before...this scenic country club is tucked away in a private development just off the main road. I heard that they don't have to many wedding there but hopefully that will change once this video surfaces;) I remember it being extremely hot that day, but that didn't stop us from getting some amazing details of this gorgeous wedding and couple. Megan kinda resembles a celebrity....Jessica Beal anybody?? lol Lee and Megan....I hope you guys enjoy your video!
I had the absolute privilege of producing this promotional video for Blue Ridge Light Forms out of Charlottesville, Va. BRLF is Virginia's premiere lighting company. They specialize in event lighting for corporate events/weddings. I will be debuting their brand new website in the next month or so. I have seen BRLF's work for several years now, and I have been completely blown away at the ambience and sheer magic this team of design experts are able to create with lighting fixtures. Each job that BRLF takes on is drafted and engineered to perfection. One of their featured clients in this video, was the Boy's and Girl's Clubs of America's annual dinner/auction fundraiser. This event was held at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Va. There are even a few distinguished guests in this video=)
I have been following these guys around for the past few months and filming some of their big set ups in the local Virginia area. Another job featured in this video was the grand opening of Tresca on 8th, a new local wedding venue in the Lynchburg area.
Stephen and Stephanie were married at the gorgeous Foxwood Inn, just outside of Beckley, WV under beautiful sunny skies. There were so many great moments to capture and appreciate! We had an absolute blast with the couples' hospitable families! Amanda Reed is an awesome talent with the camera! I had a blast shooting this wedding with her!
We had an awesome time shooting this engagement session with Paul and Anna! Earlier in the year, I found this perfect spot in the back roads of Goode, Va. The weather and lighting were absolutely gorgeous. Anna said that the area where we shot was just minutes from where she grew up..."it fits us well" she said.
Sam Stroud was the talented photog on hand. Sam does a great job at keeping things fun and flowing. Anna and Paul, I am really looking forward to your wedding at Tresca this fall.
I thoroughly enjoyed filming the wedding of Ryan and Barrett Divina. These two were awesome to work with! This was probably the biggest wedding party I've ever seen!...10 attendants for both the Bride and Groom! The couple was married at St. Johns Episcopal Church in Lynchburg. Also, their reception had quite the gathering atBoonsboro Country Club. I watched as this small country club turned into an absolute Rave! Good lord these people know how to party! The night was filled with awesome music, great food and drinks. The band and amazing talent that night was "Trademark", out of Richmond, Va. Barrett and Ryan, thank you guys for letting me be apart your special day! May God bless your life together!
I am super excited to share this video with you! This was the first international wedding for Shaking Hands Productions, and man did we have a blast!! Gretchen is an actress in NYC, Joe is a director and current film student at NYFA. Their wedding took place in the beautiful Mexican Riviera...Puerto Morelos to be exact, which is 30 miles south of Cancun. They reserved the entire venue for all guest while we were there. Unfortunately, it had several torrential downpours while we were there....even the day of the wedding. Gretchen and Joe did not let the weather dominate the outcome of their wedding. Despite the on and off rain, Gretchen decided she wanted to get married outside. It's funny, cause it was consistently raining throughout the day and all sudden, it stopped... I feel God granted them favor for their nuptials=)...the rest of the day had on and off rain.
Gretchen and Joe...thank you for letting me capture your special day!
So I was planning a trip to Orlando, to help out a friend with a 24hr film festival entry, then I noticed via facebook, that Scott and Adina Hayne were doing a workshop in the Orlando area. They were having their workshop on a Friday, well I was flying into Orlando that same Friday. Some messages were exchanged and plans were slightly rerouted... so what was to be a vacation turned into a work day.... but I really enjoyed it! Scott and Adina are uber talented and I have worked with them before(Holly & Billy), as I used to live in the Hampton Roads area.
Scott and Adina are coming to lynchburg in August, to teach a workshop/seminar for the Virginia Association of Professional Photographers!
Check out the promo video I produced for their No Rules Workshop!
We just finished another website, this time for Petal Flower Company here in Lynchburg. Elisha Dudley and Lara Winn are floral artists! They can do arrangements for the traditional or modern bride. You can really see their creativity through out the new site. I love their work, my Fiancee Lyndsey loves their work....so we definitely booked them for our wedding this September! Their website has a portfolio based style to it. The girls did an awesome job with picking the color schemes for the photo galleries. Thank you to all the local photogs who contributed beautiful pictures of their amazing work!
On a side note, Petal Flower Company and Shaking Hands Productions, just became members of West Manor Event'sVerified vendor program. Be sure to look for our ad in the new Soirees & Style magazine coming this fall. Well I am heading out to Mexico tomorrow to film a wedding. My first destination wedding, I am stoked=)
I am really excited to share that I will be working on a promotional video as well as new website for Blue Ridge Light Forms....they are an amazing event lighting company out of Charlottesville. I have been following them around at their set ups here in Virginia, including the local debut of Tresca on 8th in downtown Lynchburg. I had no idea how much goes into the preparation of these lighting fixtures. BRLF's can build anything the mind can imagine...and from scratch. I cannot wait to show you the final product! Below are some frame grabs from some of their recent setups. This past weekend they were hired to create the lighting for the Boy and Girls Club's annual black tie event.
Howie Long and Terry Bradshaw were among some of the distinguished guests that night. I pulled them aside for some quick comments on BRLF's amazing set up....just a funny little snippet from their full comments.
We had a blast producing this promotional video for Kallima Photography. Rebekah Hood is an exceptional photographer in West Palm Beach, Florida. I actually came in contact with her through facebook, oddly enough. She shot a wedding here in Lynchburg that Lyndsey and I both loved. Emails were exchanged and we flew down to Florida a few months later to shoot her promo video...Also, Beka took our engagement photos while we were there(below).
Just to be out of Lynchburg for awhile is refreshing. Hands down, South Florida is where we want to reside. Living in Virginia Beach for 12 years was nice, but to have warm weather year round...you can't beat that! I used to travel to Florida's coast a lot to surf and shoot footage for my surf video called "All The Hype".
Getting back to the Kallima video. We shot most of the footage at the gorgeous "W" hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I have seen a lot of nice hotels in my lifetime but I have never quite seen a facilty like the "W" Hotel. I could seriously make a seperate video off the footage I captured while I was there. This place is unreal! They actually had a transparent pool where you could see the people swimming above you! Great wholesome shows like Real Housewives of Orange County have filmed at this location. Seriously though, places like that makes the creativity FLOW.
My proposal video & Trash The Dress promo was shown on an amazing wedding blog called Elizabeth Anne Designs. Ami @ EAD was kind enough to write up and globally share a blurb about our special day! I had hits from Singapore to Paris...it was awesome!
Go the visit EAD wedding blog. They have tons of great ideas, trends and information for brides to be...including a preferred vendor list where Shaking Hands Pro is featured in the videography/VA section.
Below you can view the finished TTD promo that we have been working on forever! If you are looking for a creative way to remember and immortalize the memory of your dress(instead of hanging it up to collect dust)...please contact us.....we would love to help you out =)
I have been planning this for months and finally that special day came.....
This past weekend I got engaged to my best friend and love of my life. We met two years ago and my life has never been the same since. Lyndsey, I love you more than you'll ever know and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you!
...Your probably wondering why she is wearing a bride's dress and your also probably wondering why we both are in water. I decided awhile ago that I wanted to offer "Trash The Dress" shoots next year. I wanted a super fun and really edgy video to promote this service...so I hired Tim Gosnell(photog) and Adam Miller(videographer) to get the job done!..Not only did they document the shoot but they were able to capture the proposal as well....thanks again guys=)!
Here is the video from the proposal....post-TTD session...
