Friday, September 24, 2010

Robert + Tina // Cheese Lines Do Work

There's nothing more rewarding than being able to show our friends such an important day in their life in a way that it is seldom seen. When Robert + Tina approached us to film their wedding, we were honored and yet nervous at the same time. The pressure always seems to be so much greater when it is people you have known for the better part of a decade. The fact that they trust us to tell their story just ramps up the heat in the boiler room that much more.

8 years ago, these two began their courting. . . a courting that started with, well, let's just say not Robert's best line. Then again, now that we think about it, they are married, so perhaps it was his best line? In any case, Robert + Tina's passion for life, friends, and family made this wedding pop and we would be lying if we didn't say we are proud of this one. Congratulations to the newlyweds and we simply couldn't resist making the cake toppers the still screen shot for your trailer :-)

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Christie + RJ // Tale of the Teacher

In constantly striving to develop every couple's story and unfold their day as it happens, we often stumble onto unexpected threads. In the case of Christie + RJ, it was the handkerchiefs that Christie gave to her mother and grandmother prior to the ceremony while she was getting ready.

A small and simple gift, yet such an emotional moment that had to be included in this trailer. As you can tell by the title, Christie is a teacher and found her Matron of Honor through their profession. As you'll see, RJ doesn't mind helping Christie out in getting the classroom ready either. A wise husband indeed :-)

Congratulations to Christie + RJ and just wait until you see the feature film. . . . .

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Jill + Jamar // A Studio Backlot SDE

One element that certainly caught our attention when we first were contacted by Jill + Jamar was the answer to the question, "Where is your reception going to take place?" When the answer was CBS studios, we were intrigued. . . . very intrigued.

Such a unique setting for a wedding and the imagery. How cool to be in a residential neighborhood on this block, and then downtown NYC on the next? Once we met with Jill + Jamar and saw how easy going and incredibly sweet they were, we were sold. And yesterday, in front of friends and family, we were thrilled to share this SDE with them.

The day began at MAC with a little makeup session, which became the bookends to the edit. The girls then traveled to the chic Belamar Hotel in Manhattan Beach where Jill became acquainted with the perfect wedding day accessory, which also happened to be her wedding day gift from Jamar. Another element of the day that we felt should be included in the edit was the travel. While the ceremony took place in Manhattan Beach, CBS studios is in Studio City. For anyone who doesn't live and/or work near LA, the commute between these two cities is 35 minutes without traffic, but one good accident and it can easily mushroom into a 2 hour commute. Travel was definitely an element to the day, thus an element to the SDE. Finally, we arrive at the reception, where the venue is truly unique, but the details laid out into this wedding easily overshadowed any studio set. From the floral to the cake design, this wedding was to the 9's, so we wanted to show some of the labor that went into the setup.

Jill + Jamar, what a wonderful day that was shared by all and we truly are honored to call you one of our couples! Congratulations and we hope you enjoyed your Same Day Edit!

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Melissa + Eduardo // Boy Meets Girl

Sometimes when we are filming, there are those moments where you go, "wow, that was awesome". In the case of Melissa + Eduardo, that moment came during the Best Man's toast. Ramon decided to explain Melissa + Eduardo's story in a very simple, broken down fashion that was so effective, it became the driving narrative for this trailer.

When we met with Melissa + Eduardo, one thing that stood out is their calm and laid back feel.Calm. Cool. Collected. They are so easy going, so we choose the song in this trailer for its easy going nature.

They decided to have their reception at the Red Horse Barn in Huntington Beach and it couldn't have fit these two and their personalities any better. Horses are calm.cool.collected. As Melissa + Eduardo walked through the stables, the energy just fit the setting. As the shave ice refreshed the guests (Melissa's family's business), the tasty barbecue dinner filled the bellies. And what better way to work off dinner than with salsa lessons?

A very special thank you to Jesi Haack from Jesi Haack Weddings. Creativity doesn't begin to do this girl justice. If you are even considering a DIY style party, call Jesi. Enough said.

Also, sincere thanks to Amelia Lyon from Amelia Lyon Photography for being uber-easy to work with and for helping to setup some really great imagery!

Congratulations to Melissa + Eduardo and we sincerely thank you for your generosity, love, and faith in our work. . . . and the shave ice :-) Enjoy!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

If you are in Lisbon, goto GoCar!

So just a few short weeks ago, the wife and I were in Europe. Yes, we know, rough life. But hey! What's the point of living if you don't live, right? So, one of many stops landed us in Lisbon, Portugal. Some of the friendliest people we have ever met that don't speak English.

So go back to our first anniversary. Jackie (wife) and I took a quick flight up to San Francisco where we were first introduced to GoCars. Basically, you ride around looking like a tourist in a fun little neon yellow go-cart. There is a satellite guided tour that tells you what you are looking at as you drive by certain places. The nice thing is it also tells you where to turn next. The GoCar looks something like this:

Jump forward to a couple weeks ago. Turns out there is a GoCar in Lisbon! So, naturally, what better way to see a city when you only have a few hours than to jump in one of these fun little go-carts!

One fun thing about Europe is they don't use Lysol. So. . . . . .when you put on their helmets, what do they do to sanitize them???? Make you wear fun blue little hair nets. They look like this:

Underneath the world's coolest helmets, they look like this:

When driving the go-cart, they look like this (note the bridge in the background, NOT the Golden Gate Bridge! more on that in a minute):

here are some of the sights to be seen in Lisbon:



So then, we stumbled upon a peculiar bridge. Turns out the same company that built the San Fran-Oakland Bay Bridge (not the Golden Gate), constructed this bridge in Lisbon in 1966, some thirty years after the Golden Gate. It is considered the sister bridge to the American version and literally looks IDENTICAL. It is called the 25 de Abril Bridge to commemorate the date of the Carnation Revolution of 1974 in Portugal. Check it out!


Unfortunately, our time spent in Lisbon was short lived, but we certainly were able to make the most of it thanks to GoCar! Made some great friends with Patrick and Leonel (the GoCar guys!) and thank them very much for their hospitality in Lisbon!

Burt + Lily // A Beachside SDE

Two great people. Perhaps keeping it simple is best. Burt + Lily are truly generous in all that they do, so when 400 or their closest friends and family showed up to see them exchange vows, it is no surprise to us that there was a huge outpouring of love and support.

Filmed and edited on location in Huntington Beach, this edit incorporates some of the storyline of the day. The girls discussed placing for the ceremony over pizza and the guys pointed out the engravings in the wedding rings.

You'll notice a very cool part of the Persian ceremony in which women grind sugar over the heads of Burt + Lily. In Persian tradition, this is to symbolize how their lives will be filled with sweetness and happiness.

A very large shout out and congratulations to Burt + Lily!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Tracie + John // The Life in the Years

Living like Lincoln. The first thing that comes to mind when we think of Tracie + John. There was a toast that was made by Tracie's father at the reception and he quotes a couple very choice words from our 16th president. Tracie + John live out those words every day of their lives. We would be lying if we didn't point out that we were very much looking forward to cutting this trailer. After an evening with these two, their family and friends, and more energy than could have been imagined, this wedding was busting at the seems with story and just waiting on the edit line for this post.

He likes the Red Sox. She likes Animals. He has no fear rocking manties (you'll see). She eats cereal with a fork. He needs but a simple excuse to celebrate. She used to be a competitive figure skater. This list goes on and on and the sentences only become better and better. Instead of writing and writing, we'll let you simply watch. . . . . . and watch.

A very special thank you to Lisa Moon of Lisa Moon Events for making the day so much easier. Also, thank you to Tasos Tsirtsis from LSM Entertainment for all of his help at the reception. If you need a event planner extraordinaire or a great DJ, look no further than these two!

Congratulations!!! You made it. . . was it hard to find??? In any case, here lies our most recent creations. That's right. . . like it or not, here you will find everything Weddings by SML. From trailers to tidbits, this is where everything not found on www.weddingsbysml.com ends up.

So laugh, cry, do whatever you do when you watch our stuff. Hope you like it, and please, be sure to leave a comment or two. We love feedback, and we love the fact that you are here to check us out, so enjoy!!!