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Will You Marry me? On Valentines Day…

Well, it’s that time of the year. Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, and all of the romanticists out there are excited to have a reason to express themselves to the one’s they love, or hope to be loved by.

It’s rather remarkable actually, the marketing behind tomorrow. But I won’t get into all of that. I’ll speak to the purity of what and how is being sold, LOVE.

I’m sure there will be plenty of engagements tomorrow, and I hope to hear from those of you that do agree to spend the rest of your lives together.

Here are just a few observations and tips.

I’ll skip the specific proposal idea today, and just say, if you are convinced that the person you are with is the ONE you want to spend the rest of your life with, then when you propose, just speak from the heart.
Fancy and prepared proposals are great, but so are intimate ones, shared between you and your special someone.
A fireplace.
A walk in the park while it’s snowing or the wind is howling.
On the beach.
At your favorite restaurant.
Wherever it happens, will become special.

Just because a dance mob doesn’t encircle you as you pop the question, doesn’t take away from the beautiful moment it will be remembered as. Just make sure you speak from the heart.

Covering hundreds of weddings over the years, it’s one thing I notice. Genuine love.

It’s a beautiful thing. You can see it without words, but when spoken it’s even sweeter.

I notice patterns and idiosyncrasies with so many couples that I work with, and it always amazes me. The way a couple will often describe their spouse in such a similar way. Sometimes with the same mannerisms, cupping their hands for emphasis.

Every video I film and edit is special to me, but there are certain ones that always inspire me a little bit more than others. Sometimes it’s simply the musical choices, or the location.. but regardless of what I think of each video, it’s always motivating and rewarding, not to mention inspiring, to hear back from couples who have just watched their wedding video for the first time.

I sometimes think that I could return a video with no enhancements, or music, or much editing at all, and couples would still love it. Not because of the work, but because it’s so personal to each individual, and represents something much greater than any videographer or editor could put a spin on, were the content not so captivating as is.

That said, I do take pride in spending countless hours sifting through hours of coverage to find the right moments to accentuate all the best elements of each couple’s wedding day.

It always comes back to love though, which tomorrow is all about.
When love is in the air, anything is possible.
So tomorrow, whether you’re gonna pop the question, ask your secret crush to be your Valentine, take your girlfriend/boyfriend to a romantic dinner, or even surprise your mom or sister with a bouquet to brighten their day, do and speak from the heart, and you can’t go wrong.

Happy Valentines Day everybody!

Proposal Idea of the Week

So I realize this has been the season of engagements, as is the early stages of any new year, following the holidays. So before I go too long without one, here’s one just in time for Valentine’s Day.
Send her flowers. Or even edible arrangements, which are flowers cut from fruit, and covered in chocolate (optional, but THE way to do it.) With the flowers, send a card.
Create a treasure hunt of sorts. Literally if you want to. Leaving a clue at each pre planned stop as to your ultimate destination is. Or. Tell her you have a surprise for her. Ask her if she has an appetite? Maybe a joke to save her appetite if you send her the fruit.

Keep her guessing, but make it a night full of surprises. Maybe you set up a photo session (which could double as an engagement session), maybe you are taking her to the site of your first date, maybe it’s snowing and you want to go ice skating, or make snow angels. With the ring in your coat or back pocket, you can turn and one of these stops, into a romantic proposal spot.

The best proposals are ones that come as a surprise, so keep her waiting until she thinks you are out of surprises. Tell her the final surprise is your dinner destination, and make it a good one.

Of course, before the night is over, you blurt out, “Oh you know what, i forgot. I do have one last surprise.”

Get down on bended knee… pull out the ring, and ask for her hand.

As always, try to have a friend or someone nearby ready with a cell phone camera to capture it on video. Always a great moment to relive.

Okay, back to working on Jenn and Herb’s wedding video, to be posted here soon.
Have a great day!

Amity & Russell’s HalloWedding Movie Trailer

Amity & Russell for married on the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. It was a perfect atmosphere for a Halloween weekend wedding. The haunted house had fire explosions on one side, while the ocean streamed on the other. I had the pleasure of working with Karen Leah (karenleahphotography.com) and her husband, Brian, on this wedding, as I have many others. We actually were both able to dress up. If you look close enough, you’ll notice me wearing a black shadow outfit, complete with a hoody and sheer face mask, for the first dance. I was a bit sweaty, but it was a fun night. In case you curious, Karen was a squirrel. 🙂

Jamie and Taylor’s Feature Length Movie Trailer Montage

You could just feel the fun in the air at this wedding. Jamie and Taylor made my day and job easy. I had a lot of fun working with Nicola Borland Photography as well on this one. Filming at St. Bede’s in La Canada was a pleasant memory as well, as I hadn’t been there in 6 years, when I had at that time filmed the church’s manager’s daughter’s wedding. (Did you get that?) She was there and remembered me fondly, which is always a great way to start off the day. I remembered her vividly too because her daughter got married on New Years Day, and the minister, during her Catholic service, said he wanted to hurry it along because he had a Bowl game to watch. 🙂
It also rained that day… Not for Jamie and Taylor though. It was a beautiful day in every way that counts.