“Duets” and a crazy Proposal Idea of the Week
Okay, so I’m taking a quick break from my marathon editing session (two weddings, a sweet 16, motivational speaking video, and convention promotions for CRN- tho today I’m trying to finish the Sweet 16!!)- to write about the new show, Duets.
I had the opportunity to film a red carpet event promoting the singing competition/reality show with Glamour.com correspondent, Jessica Radloff. We had a great time, and I must say, I’m really looking forward to watching it tonight.
It stars Robin Thicke, who is super cool and much more down to earth that I honestly would have thought… Kelly Clarkson, who is as sweet as could possibly be and so easy to like… John Legend, who while soft spoken to a degree, is a very cool dude… and lastly Jennifer Nettles, who I wasn’t familiar with before hand, but after meeting her and listening to her for a few minutes, I suddenly want to run out and buy her Sugarland CD. She was super witty and sweet.
Anyway, all coolness aside, the show’s premise sounds fun, where not only the contestants are competing, but also the mentors. (I met every contestant as well, and they are seem extremely humble and gracious, and they are all YOUNG, so I look forward to seeing what they have.) That said, I recommend if you have nothing better to do tonight, you check out the series premiere on ABC. I believe at 8pm.
Okay…
So that got me thinking, music is such a moving art form, and draws from and elicits so many different forms of emotion. How great would it be for a couple to sing a duet on their wedding day? I was about to write I’ve never seen it done, until I just remembered Sylvia and Michael, who sang along with Paul McCartney and the Beatles after their grand entrance a few years back. BUt how about a true duet?
Anyone out there daring enough to try and pull it off? Any karaoke singers who think they could use the bar as a practice setting? I think a duet, sung by a bride and groom, would be amazing….
I digress…
So how do we make this a proposal idea?
Okay, this will be an idea for anyone out there with experience singing.
This will probably be most easily done at a karaoke bar…. a piano bar would be a good choice as well. But hey, if you wanna sing A capella, anywhere will suffice.
Figure out a song you’d like to serenade your girlfriend/boyfriend to. Preferrably a song you both have emotional attachments to, and/or a song you have sung together previously.
Now, the trickiest part… REWRITE at least one verse in the song. Replace the words, using the same musical score, with your proposal speech…
Just think of it as your own “Roses are Red, Violets are Blue” poem, but set to music.
A lot of love songs may already spell out what you want to say, and if you have one like that, maybe you only need to change a single word, or NAME in the lyrics. Either way, make it your own.
Second, plan it out with the restaurant or bar owner. Heck, you could even have a string quartet pre arranged to accompany you. BUt make sure management knows about your plan, and are helping you stage and execute it properly.
As for the duet part, it gets a little trickier. If you aren’t both singers, and or one of you is shy and doesn’t love singing… well A) this might not be the right proposal idea, or B) make it as easy as possible on him/her. A few drinks before the big moment will always make for an easier transition from listener to duet partner, but so will a little preparation.
Go to a karaoke bar and feel out the comfort level, or lack there of. If it ends up being a solo act, no worries, that’s just as good. Truth be told, I just had to segue from duets to a proposal idea, so it fit… but a singing proposal, especially with hit tv shows like “Glee” and “Smash” today, would be a winner, either way you slice it. If you get your soon to be fiance to join in midway through, that’s icing on the future wedding cake.
Bottom line, when you get to the moment of truth, and the lyrics bring you on Bended Knee, the words, or your voice, or the place… won’t matter nearly as much as the touch of your hand, and the look in your eyes.
Happy song writing, and have a great Memorial Day weekend!! I am back to editing now!
Myrtle Beach Wedding
Got back from Myrtle Beach the other night, and walked in the front door to a beautifully clean house. Thank you Marie. 🙂
The bread is actually put away, and the refrigerator is clean, not to mention, the patio and car she had cleaned while I was away. Anyway, I digress…
The wedding. I show up Thursday night, with a bag and a half dedicated to equipment, and ready for a fun ceremony on the beach, after seeing forecasts of good weather on the way.
Things change. Weather reports had severe thunderstorms projected for Saturday, pretty much all day, as soon as I checked on Friday. I have equipment in place to be okay with that, though not as much as if I were in Los Angeles (with my fully loaded car). However, I know no bride and groom want rain on their big day, ESPECIALLY when it’s outdoors and ON THE BEACH.
I pretty much stressed about it all day, while recruiting my brother (who lives there), to assist me, should I need the help, if it should indeed rain on the big day. And not only the rain, but the fact that the actual ceremony was on the sand, just before high tide was set to hit. Battling wind, sand, and now potentially elements from above are not the most fun conditions to work in. I’ve done it, even filming thru multiple hurricanes, but it’s not fun, and I often end up very wet…
With it being at a beach house, at the very least, a safe haven was only a few yards away.
Well, to cut to the end of the story in a heartbeat, when the thunderstorms did finally hit in grand fashion, it was like a party! All of the main events had already been completed, and all that was left was dancing! Dancing they did. Dancing in front of the loud, thunderous, lightning bolts, was actually a blast for the crowd, and just as much fun for me to film… under the safety of the porch overhead and inside.
So, as you can see, moral of the story, don’t waste time stressing! Just prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and live on in the moment.
Theresa and Shannon’s wedding went on and thru without a hitch. Only an hour after the ceremony took place on the beach, the high tide water level had erased any evidence of footprints on the sand. The biggest moon I had ever seen cast a beautiful light streak along the ocean’s surface.
Testimonials with the moon AND the lightning going off behind people was just icing on the cake.
Overall a great day, and many thanks to the help of wedding coordinator KathE, of Katherine Weddings, who made sure nothing was going to keep the wedding day from going off smoothly… and dryly. You can contact her at kathe@gayleweddings.com.
She is located in Hawaii, so if anyone in Hawaii is reading this, know that I will give you a great deal to come film your day there as well. 🙂
Looking forward to my next wedding in Myrtle Beach, and beyond…. Now time to get back to editing, Europe is just around the corner!!
Thanks Theresa and Shannon!
Here’s a few pics…
Proposal Idea of the Week: Travel!
Take your girlfriend or boyfriend to a place you have never been. A place where you have both dreamed about, or at least, talked about visiting before. A beautiful country or a winter cabin… Just make it somewhere memorable and special.
As I have started to explore parts of the world I never thought I would growing up, I realize how eye opening, and enlightening it can be. And while pictures do their part in preserving memories, nothing could top a proper proposal (hmmm, say that 3 times fast)… at a destination you’ll already never forget.
So pick a place. A place she’s dreamed of visiting.
Pick a date. A date where the excuse for going is believable, and a proposal is not so easily expected or detected.
Pick a ring. A ring she will love. 😉
Book it.
Plan for it. Plan the details for the night you’ll propose.
A limo? A ferry ride? A rooftop restaurant overlooking Paris?
Make it all happen… and when the time comes…
get down On Bended Knee…
And try to make sure someone is warned and armed with a camera to snap a few pictures of that moment. There will be very few in your lifetime more worthwhile of the click of a camera.
Weddings Worldwide!
It’s official. I’ll be adding two more countries to my wedding count this June.
I’ll be filming the wedding of Derrick and Amanda in Seville, Spain on June 16th. I will follow that up with Patricia and Noel’s wedding on the island of Mykonos in Greece, on June 27th!
I’ll then rush back to Los Angeles that weekend for another wedding, after a brief stop in London, to check out the city just before the Olympic games begin.
Needless to say, I am rather excited, as this will be my first trip EVER to Europe. While my experience in Sri Lanka last summer was amazing, ( https://vimeo.com/26862007 ) my excitement level for this trip is ratcheted up anther notch.
Anyone have any advice or tips that might be useful for this trip?
My one fear of this trip is being able to move comfortably while hauling all of my equipment from country to country, not to mention safeguarding it. I am already looking into purchasing equipment more appropriate for travel.
Seeing that my goal is to see as much of the world as possible by filming weddings in different countries, I guess investing now on premium travel equipment is not such a bad call. The beauty of the DSLR camera is that it does travel well, and why I filmed entirely on that while in Sri Lanka.
Anyway, that’s enough babbling for now. Time to get back to editing, as I want to be caught up when June rolls around. Especially since I’ll be in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for Theresa and Shannon’s wedding next weekend. Looking forward to that as well! 🙂
I’m gonna come up with a proposal idea later today…
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