When Only the Best Will Do...

We have had the pleasure of working with so many wonderful professionals this year. Each brings his or her own creative talents and personality to the mix to enhance every wedding for which they are engaged. If you want the very best service and artistry, here are the best of the best in five categories.

Floral Designer
Edward Bellingeri
www.edwardbdesign.com
Edward designed and coordinated many celebrity weddings in Southern California before moving to Northern California. He was in great demand for his attention to detail which satisfied even the most discerning brides and mothers-of-the-bride. And yet, he is very warm, personable and thoughtful. He is the real deal, the whole package.

Couturier
Jin Wang
www.jinwang.net
A number of our brides have been 'Jin Wang' brides. Not only was every interaction with Jin personal and calm, but each dress was perfectly suited to each bride's personality. The dresses were so comfortable and flattering. We never saw a bride pull up the bodice or smooth a wrinkle all day. Not once. These dresses were perfectly fitted. And the dresses swished and flowed as you would imagine in a fairytale, looking as beautiful from the back and from the front. And now, Jin has added another bonus: no charge for alterations for her couturier gowns. That's Jin - adding a higher level of service before even being asked.

Caterer
Paula Le Duc
www.paulaleduc.com
I was at a reception held by Paula Le Duc to thank a variety of professionals for their support in the past year. Every aspect of the food and service was impeccable. If you ordered a drink from a waitperson, even if you moved around the very large space, they would find you and deliver your drink promptly and courteously. How do they do that? Every guest had a story to tell of how Paula and her staff surpassed all expectations. Her motto is so true, "Perfect will be just fine."

Cake
Shinmin Li
www.idreamofcake.com
I can't remember another professional taking their art to such a high level so quickly. Shinmin approaches every aspect of designing and creating cakes differently than anyone else. Just look at her showroom - it looks more like an exclusive shoe salon than a bakery. Her look is fresh and hip, elegant and classic, . If those adjectives sound contradictory, just take a look at her designs.

Floral Designer
Nicole Sillapere
www.sillapere.com
When people attempt to do two things well, they usually come up short. Not so with Nicole Sillapere. She is one of the freshest, most creative minds in the business AND she treats the planet gently by using biodegradeable and recycled materials wherever possible. Nicole produced the most recent Global Green event at the Bently Reserve, attended by Leonardo diCaprio, Salma Hayek, and Orlando Bloom among others, raising over $250,000 for smart solutions to global warming. But let's go back to Nicole's designs. They are crisp, contemporary, stylish. In fact, she is a trend setter. And when Nicole designs an event, she takes into account as far as the eye can see. This keeps the florals, the furniture and the accessories in proportion rather than having just one element screaming for attention which visually throws everything out of balance. Her crew are a cohesive group of talented individuals who, despite tight deadlines, are always calm, have fun with one another, and seem to be both at play and at peace.

YouTube

This was the year of YouTube. Video was everywhere. Some of it good, most of it not. No single photo would be able to convey the sense of movement, fun, surprise, or emotion that these videos do. Here are our Top Favorites:

Kiwi:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdUUx5FdySs

OK Go:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NINJQ5LRh-0

Free Hugs:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4

Come Into My World:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTrO6LYSHQQ&eurl=

Talk Talk
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcQIwbvGRKU

Can:
cjcphoto.com/can/

Urban Ninja:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2kJZOfq7zk

Tony vs.Paul
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJzU3NjDikY&eurl

Where is Matt?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNF_P281Uu4

9/11 Truth
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsMgYgpyQjI&mode=related&search=

Early Christmas Gift

We awoke to an early Christmas present. Our movie trailer of Nissa & Tom's Ceremony is the very first featured wedding video on the Brides.Com website! The companion piece, The Veiling, which preceded the ceremony is also featured. Theresa DiMasi. the Editor in Chief of Brides.com and Condé Nast Bridal Media is an extraordinary woman. She was the visionary and the heart and soul behind the legendary websites Epicurious.com, Concierge.com, Style.com, MenStyle.com and YM.com. And now, she's making great things happen at Brides.com (online home of Elegant Bride, Modern Bride and Brides Magazines).

We are the only wedding videographer to have wedding videos featured by the two leading wedding magazine websites, Grace Ormonde Wedding Style Magazine (another great visionary in the bridal media world) and Brides.com. You can view our movie trailers at www.brides.com/videos and at www.weddingstylemagazine.com/featured/. We are glad that there is a forum for us and our colleagues to show brides that the field of videography has changed. At its highest level, it has morphed into an art form that could more accurately be called cinematography.

No need for gifts this year, Santa Claus. We've already received ours.

Best Movies of 2006

Everyone's a critic! Now's our turn. Here are our favorite movies of the past year based upon how impactful they are, how well they tell a story and how well they are crafted (technical considerations), regardless of political outlook, lifestyle or likeability of the key actors.

1. Flags of our Fathers
2. The Queen
3. The Departed
4. Letters from Iwo Jima
5. Lucky Number Sleven
6. Perfume: Letters of a Murderer
7. Volver
8. Akeelah and the Bee
9. Mrs Henderson Presents
10. Deja Vu


Honorable Mention
Lake House
Cars
Happy Feet
Casino Royale
The Good Shepherd
Munich
Brokeback Mountain
Devil Wears Prada
Match Point
Walk the Line
Inside Man

Second Best Wedding Investment in the World

"Frightened Girl" by Roy Lichtenstein

We have observed a fair number of weddings. Many with excellent wedding coordinators. One or two with poor ones. Some without any at all. What conclusion can we draw? Almost every wedding can benefit from the services of a great wedding coordinator. Why? Most brides or the friend/family member she designates as the coordinator for the day, have little experience in hosting parties of the size, complexity and importance of a wedding. It is difficult to anticipate what can go wrong or how to deal with the challenges.

How bad can it be? Not to scare you, but here are a few things we've personally seen, in as random an order as they happened:
1. Cake arrived and looked like a disaster.
2. Bride forgot her veil.
3. Hair dresser locked photographer and videographer out of the house and refused to let them in during bride's preparations.
4. Florist's delivery truck was in a car accident on the way to the ceremony.
5. DJ played songs from the 'do not play list' and did not play songs from the 'cherished favorites' list.
6. Parents of the groom got lost, delaying the ceremony by an hour.
7. Power failure at the venue, so no hot food could be served and lights were out during entire reception.
8. Public address system did not work; guests could not hear the ceremony.
9. Limo broke down between church and reception.
10. Chair cushions were soaking wet from being left out overnight.
11. Bride's changing room was so distant from the reception area, that it took 45 minutes for her to change and to walk back to the reception. During that time, more than half the guests had left.
12. No one could find the toss bouquet.
13. No one could find the lanterns to be hung from the trees.
14. Officiant was one hour late.
15. Photographer and uncle of the groom got into a fist fight at the bouquet toss.
16. Band leader had a heart attack the day before the wedding.
17. Bride's gown arrived very wrinkled from the salon on the morning of the wedding.
18. Hair dresser left bride in half-done state because 'she had a more important bride to get to'.
19. Ring bearer started to relieve himself during ceremony.
20. Family dynamics of all kinds in blended as well as in traditional families.
21. Mother of the bride's surgical stitches started to open and bleed.
22. Drapery structure blew over in the wind and crashed into the string quartet 15 minutes before the ceremony.
23. Bride's aunt, who had made a half-hearted attempt to commit suicide the night before, tried to crash the wedding.
24. Disgruntled ex-boyfriend of bride called vendors the night before the wedding and told them the wedding was called off.

A Shower of Babies

We just received the picture of an adorable set of twins recently born to one of our lovely couples. So we thought we'd take a look at how many babies our wonderful brides and grooms have had since their wedding days. Over the last four years, 25 sweet babies have been born! A veritable shower of babies. Some babies we know through photos enclosed in Christmas cards. Others, through thoughtful emails. Here is a gallery of the little cuties who arrived this year:

Thuy and Robert welcomed their new son
Drais on December 10
6 lb 6 oz, 19.10"


Lisa, Albert and big sister Kira welcomed
Elena on November 19, 2006
6 lb 13 oz, 19.7"


Jocelyn & Jerry welcomed Martine & Noah
in November, 2006


Claire & Son welcomed Sean in June, 2006


Laura, Andy & big brother Patrick welcomed Kyle in April, 2006


Cindy & Tony welcomed Ryan
on February 25, 2006
5 lb 15 oz, 19.25"

Elegant Parties

YWD at Meadowood

The wedding season is winding down, so we gave ourselves permission to attend a pair of lovely events this week. On Monday, a magazine which is making its inaugural debut in Northern California hosted a 'coming out' party. Your Wedding Day Magazine (YWD for short), which is a stylish magazine, threw an elegant party at Meadowood in St Helena. They carefully invited just 100 of the most highly respected wedding professionals to join them for lunch (we were honored to be included! on such a list!). Editor-in-Chief Thea Lignos-Hargrove and her colleagues graciously greeted us on the veranda overlooking the croquet courts. It's just so refined watching a croquet match with all players in white.

After an hour of greeting old friends and meeting new ones, we moved into the ballroom for a light luncheon of a creamy squash soup and grilled salmon accompanied by golden beets and crisp salad. Dessert was an individual apple tartine, baked to a golden brown.

I was lucky enough to sit at a table with the ladies from the Sonoma Mission Inn, Auberge du Soleil, Calistoga Ranch Inn, Harvest Inn and the incomparable photographer Wendy Maclaurin Richardson and the wonderful event planner Jenne Hohn. I can see why brides have a hard time deciding on a venue. All of these properties are beautiful and each of the ladies in charge are so willing to go out of their way to make a couple's day so special.


Fabulous Food at the Ferry Building

On Wednesday, I was again lucky enough to receive an invitation from the venerable Paula le Duc who is acknowledged as one of the best, if not the best caterer in Northern California. Kathleen Deery designed an intimate private supper club atmosphere with custom linens and runners from Classic Party rentals, low table lamps and monochromatic yet vivid orange arrangements in chocolate terra cotta vases.

It's hard to describe how flavorful the unique combinations of foods were. On the menu were smoked duck ravioli, thai chicken soup with crispy shrimp and cardamom braised shortribs as well as tiny scallop sandwiches, truffled cheddar pearl brulee and chicken mole on a bed of red rice. Oh, but save room for the dessert bar of miniature pumpkin tartlets, quince crisp in porcelain spoons, choclate peanut butter mousse tartlets, raspberry macaroon sandwiches, and my favorite, the tropical panna cotta which was a creamy coconut cloud topped with tropical fruits in a shot glass.

The entire layout encouraged people to move around, to gather, to meet new people, and to enjoy the food, the wines, the company in an unhurried way. And when we were ready to leave, Ace Parking did a fabulous job of valeting and retrieving our cars swiftly. What a perfect evening.

The Good Life

We filmed a wonderful wedding in the wine country a few weeks ago. This lovely couple cared for every detail of their guests' enjoyment. They arranged a winery tour the day before the wedding. They started at Rosenblum Cellars on the square in downtown Healdsburg, on to Seghesio where many participated int he bocce ball tournament and had a scrumptious lunch, arranged by the bride's mother. Then onto De La Montanya and finally, Arista. Arista is an absolutely beautiful winery with beautiful tranquil gardens, run by a lovely couple. The pinot noir was very nice and their gewurtztraminer was not sweet at all.


The wedding day was like a fairytale. The bride and groom had stayed at the Hotel Healdsburg, a beautiful, very stylish hotel in the center of town. The weather was perfect. The wedding party were charming, and very artistic, since the groom is a fine art photographer. You can view his gorgeous work at www.chrishoneysett.com/

Each of the professionals did an outstanding job.
Venue - Trentadue, Donna Healy & Lori Behrens, trentadue.com
Caterer - Park Avenue, parkavecater.com
Officiant - Diana Morgan, blesingstoyou.com
Photographer - Todd Rafalovich, toddrafalovich.com
Florist - Zoe Farmer Bowers Floral Design
DJ - Michael Peterson, abierhoade.com
Beauty - Maria Chang, professionalmakeupartistry.com

Flight of Fantasy

We received a bit of good news. Grace Ormonde Wedding Style Magazine has just launched a new, spectacular website. Grace added the capability to show featured weddings in video format and we were the very first cinematographers to be selected to showcase our work. Grace is such a visionary. She is the first publisher of a major bridal magazine website to do so.

I remember having dinner with Grace at the Mandarin Oriental in San Francisco last November after a wonderful party Grace had thrown for the key players in the wedding services industry. We talked about many things, but in particular we talked about how underrated wedding video is, how many stereotypes and misconceptions exist among brides, and that not having a video is the #1 regret of brides. We explored options. I asked her, if Chuck and I can pioneer a new, exciting format, a 90-second movie-trailer for you to post on your website, would you do it? She promised me she would. She has fulfilled her promise in under a year. It was a massive undertaking and a major expense, but Grace kept her promise. I have admired everything about Grace - her intelligence, wit, deep understanding of brides, and now, I admire her integrity. Go Grace!

You can see our trailer at www.weddingstylemagazine.com/featured/ then click on Savadelis Films, Flight of Fantasy, then click Play Video. The first time you play the movie trailer, it stops several times to load. To get the full effect, please play the trailer a second time. Then it will have fully loaded and it will play straight through.

Beautiful Mendocino

We were so delighted to film a beautiful couple's wedding in Mendocino last week. Such perfect weather - 75 degrees and blue, blue sky. The first night we stayed at the Weller House in Fort Bragg
in the Tuscany Room. The innkeepers were very sweet. Reading through the 10 years of journal entries by other guests was amazing. From newlyweds on their honeymoons to couples spending their 35th+ anniversaries at this romantic bed and breakfast inn. But, getting internet access and cell phone coverage is a challenge. What did we do before these devices took over our lives?


Then, we stayed at the Little River Inn for 3 nights. Oh my! The view was fantastic. We were directly above Van Damm State Park and the sunsets, from our balcony were spectacular.

The wedding went quite smoothly and we had the pleasure of working with Kathy Scheer of Chameleon Photographix, www.chameleonphotographix.com. What a pleasure! We had a ball! And her work is just beautiful. The flowers by Mandy Scott, www.mandyscott.com, were very fresh, and delicate--matching the personality of our bride and her attendants.

Prior to the wedding day, we scouted about 12 locations to find just the right one for our bride and groom for a special shoot the day after the wedding. We found the perfect setting at Jug Handle State Park where the ocean crashed against the rugged rocks, with a field of golden grasses waving in the foreground. It was paradise. Central casting could not have found a more romantic setting.

Would we go back to Mendocino to film a wedding? In a heartbeat!

Boy Meets Girl

We filmed a sensational wedding last weekend at the historic 100-year old Julia Morgan Ballroom. Prior to the ceremony in the Jewish tradition, the groom is with the men and the bride is with the women. All the participants are joyously singing, dancing and praying for the couple's happy future. Then, the men, led by musicians from Joel Nelson Productions (including Joel himself!), join the ladies.


Now, in biblical times, Jacob labored for seven years to earn the hand of Rachel for his wife. Rachel's father tricked Jacob and gave him his other daughter, Leah, instead. So, Jacob worked seven more years to earn Rachel's hand. So ever since, grooms come in and make sure that the woman they are about to marry is 'The One'. If you listen very carefully, you will hear our groom say, 'It's her. She's the one." Then, he lowers the veil over her beautiful face. The bride's father then blesses her, as he has every sabbath for the past 24 years. Except this will be the last time he blesses her as an unmarried woman. The overflowing pride and happiness bring tears of joy.

Here is a 90-second clip from this part of the day, which preceded a beautiful wedding ceremony.
Quicktime: www.savadelis.com/movies/theveiling.mov
Window Media: www.savadelis.com/movies/theveiling.wmv

Enjoy!

Savadelis Films Wins Gold Award for Creative Excellence!

August 21, 2006

We are so thrilled! We just received the Gold Creative Excellence Award for a Wedding Highlight piece we produced earlier this year. Chuck was at the annual Wedding and Event Videographers Association convention in Las Vegas to receive it. As a proud wife, you will forgive my gushing. I am so happy our peers have recognized Chuck's remarkable technical genius and knowledge. And 'what goes around comes around'. Chuck has always been generous with his time to talk with, or even go over to another videographers' office to help solve a technical problem, particualrly when they were stumped and a deadline was looming. He is open and free with his knowledge so that we, as an industry, might all improve. I am so proud of my man!!

Hot Rods on the Hill

July 30, 2006

We just returned from a maaaahvelous day at the lovely Palo Alto Hill Golf and Country Club. The ever-lovely Director of Events, Barbara Lewis invited us and a few other luminaries in the wedding services industry. Let's see...there was Director of Events at the Julia Morgan Ballroom, Linda Hylen and huband Jay. Event planners extraordinaire Jubilee Lau and husband Alan; Morgan Doan and husband Win; Jean Marks and husband Jeff.

We were treated to wine tastings on the gold course amid vintage cars such as Bentleys, Rolls Royces, Thunderbirds, Jaguars and more from the 1930's, 40's and 50's. One one my favorites was Ambassador's Rolls' classic limo.

www.ambassadorsrolls.com

Then we sat amid the greens and had a lovely buffet dinner just as the shadows were lengthening. We did not want to say goodbye, so we lingered some more before sauntering to our own, more modern cars.

Great Professionals

Over the last few weeks, we've had the pleasure of working with some terrific professionals at some wonderful wedidngs. Here is our July hit parade:

Venue
Elisheva Basseri (catering manager), Ritz Carlton at Half Moon Bay, 650-712-7678
Kelly Savukinas (catering manager), Lodge at Pebble Beach, 831-647-7481
Emilie Rekart (director of catering), Fairmont, 415-772-5409
Elsie McAteer (senior event manager), City Hall, 415-554-6068

EventPlanner
Jubilee Lau, www.jubileelauevents.com
Carol Leslie, Carol Leslie Special Events, 510-654-5125

Caterer
Anna Williams, www.danmccall.com

Beauty
Nellie Muganda, www.nejacosmetics.com
Jim Avila, (image and style consultant) www.jimavila.com

Photographer
Wendy Maclaurin Richardson, www.wmrphoto.com
Michelle Walker, www.michellewalker.com
Kevin Chin, www.kevinchin.com

Florist
Michael Ritz, www.churchstreetflowers.com
Shawna Futagaki, www.flowerdivas.com
Susan Groves, www.infullbloom.com

Music
Larry Lynch and the Mob (terrific band--the crowd was jumping), larrylynchandthemob.com
Masa Moriyasu (quartet + terrific trumpeter for a dramatic entrance), www.lakeshoremusic.net/
Rich Amooi (DJ), www.heymrdj.com
Carl Mindling (DJ), wwwreachcarl.com
Vic Pelayo (DJ), www.e3music.com

Caterer
Last week, I went to one of the most fabulous tastings I've ever attended, hosted by Componere Fine Catering, www.componerefinecatering.com. Ethan and Tisa Mantle have an impressive pedigree, but they are also so sweet and down to earth. The result of their carefully combining tastes and textures, and artistically displaying each of 6 courses leads to an incredibly blissful experience. They are definitely the 'under the radar' caterer in the Bay Area. We will be looking to them for innovation in the future, and to join the 2-3 elite caterers who astonish their clients every time.

Cake
Sam Godfrey, (national reputation, and well deserved; try the chocolate snickers cake--oh my!), www.perfectendings.com
Susan Morgan (beautiful designs that taste terrific), www.elegantcheesecake.com

Officiant
Heron Freed Toor, (beautiful sentiments that are heartfelt), www.worksofheart.com

What You Get For the Money

Check out the Fall 2006 issue of Brides.Com Northern California. On page 124, you will see yours truly quoted on what kind of videography you can expect in the Bay Area at various prices.

$500-800 The Basics. Up to four hours of ceremony and reception coverage with one camera and simple editing.
$1500 Fuller coverage of the day, including bride's preparation.
$2500 8 hours+ of documentaion with 2 cameras at the ceremony, plus more creative editing.
$3500 Two cameras throughout the day and cinematic-style editing.
$5000-7500+ High definition exquisite 45-minute fully edited wedding movie.

Jewel in the Palace

I have gotten so hooked on a wonderful Korean soap opera, Dae Jang Geum. It, regrettably, is coming to a close. We are at Episode 51 of 54 episodes. I don't know how I came to know about it, except that maybe one night I was channel surfing and came upon it.

Dae Jang Geum, also known as “Jewel in the Palace”, was the most popular TV show all over Asia when it premiered in 2004 - and that's a lot of people. It is set in 14th century Korea and has all the elements of a great story: love and romance (of a chaste variety), treachery and intrigue (the Lady Macbeth-like character is always trying to poison her enemies, and sometimes succeeds), beautiful Palace scenery and court dress. But most of all, it extols classic human virtues of remaining true to your principles, being the best you can be both professionally and personally, assisting all those around you, staying modest, sacrificing personal happiness for the greater good, but finally, standing up for yourself and finding personal happiness.

Of course, our interest is also in the beautiful cinematography. Some scenes are sweeping epics, others are warm and intimate portraits of daily life. It is all the more compelling because it is based on an actual woman who started from humble beginnings, rose through the ranks to head the royal kitchens, and then through one plot twist or another, started as a servant again and became the royal household's personal physician at a time when only men could hold such a position.

With just 3 episodes left, the romantic in me hopes that the man (Sir Min) who has supported, nurturing, cherished and loved our heroine for years will be rewarded by her hand in marriage. That would be a satisfying ending for me and for Dae Jang Geum.

Enduring Marriage

We filmed a wonderful weddng this weekend at the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay. It is one of the most beautiful locations for a wedding in the Bay Area and every member of the staff set the standard for excellent service. The weather was absolutely perfect for our beautiful bride and adoring groom. They were surrounded by such warm families and friends. And, they incorporaed some fun activites. During the recessional, guests were invited to write their wishes for the happy couple on paper airplacnes and launch them in the direction of our bride and groom as they joyfully left the ceremony. Later on, everyone was invited to make s'mores out at the barbeque pit.

In addition to covering the wedding day, they asked us to do something a little different. We are preparing a short piece 'Enduring Marriage'. Our lovely couple wanted to hear how their close friends and family keep their marriages fresh, alive, ever-changing, and how they manage to weather the rough spots. We had our doubts about whether people would speak frankly enough about such intimate topics to be useful. Were we surprised! Our bride and groom knew their guests well. Everyone we spoke with was generous and articulate. They were funny, sincere, and genuine. Some had been married over 50 years. Others, for just 4 days. We learned so much, and it's already changed my thinking, and behavior in my own marriage.

This project had another impact. After reflecting on marriage and chatting with us, people were mindful of what marriage meant to them, and all the joys they had already shared. An atmosphere of a higher order of spirituality was created, of serenity, of gratitude, among all the guests. It was one of those times when everything seemed so perfect.

Without reviewing the footage, our general impressions were that a good marriage depends on consciously giving time and thought to the marriage and family; sacrificing and suppporting each other, doing small kindnesses for each other every day; letting go the little trifles; seeing the value of the differences between you; and being willing and able to change uncharitable thoughts to loving thoughts. Even the young flower girls, from observing their own parents' marriage, had some wise words to share.

We will condense the over 8 hours of conversations to a 20-minute piece which our lovely couple will present as a gift to their guests. We felt honored to be asked to work on this project, and felt blessed to come to know all those who freely shared with us.

We wish our wonderful couple a lovely honeymoon and a lifetime of contentment.

Gromit, Oh Gromit!

People ask us, where is your tortoise? When she is hibernating they wonder, what does she look like? Here she is. Isn't she a beauty? Such intelligence in those eyes.



Other questions people ask...

Q. Is she housebroken.
A. Yes.

Q. How does she get into the house?
A. Through the cat door. When she was younger, Chuck had to build a ramp so she could get over the sill of the cat door. Now she can navigate on her own.

Q. How big is she?
A. 3" tall, 4" wide and 5.5" long.

Q. How does she grow?
A. See those "plates"? They grow like tree rings.

Q. How old is she?
A. 10 years old. We got her after her predecessor, Cardinal Ralph de Bricassart died. He was over 30 years old and was over 20" long, big enough to slide open the doors and to shake our bed hard enough to make us think we were experiencing an earthquake. He was actually quite gentle and would nuzzle your bare toe, because it looked just like "mother" to him. Tortoises' respiratory systems are quite delicate and he succumbed to pneumonia. We actually acquired him when we bought our house. We had no idea we owned him until one day in the spring, he crawled out from under the deck. He was a Califonria desert tortoise, and it is now illegal to own one because they are on the endangered species list.

Q. Doesn't Gromit escape?
A. No, we have an enclosed yard. She can see the wonders of the greater world only if one of us carelesly leaves the front door open.

Q. Where does she hibernate in winter?
A. Next to the bathtub because the porcelain is cool.

Q. Where did she come from?
A. The Russian steppes.

Q. Who is she named after?
A. The cute animated dog in the Wallace and Gromit series.

Q. Is she a vegetarian?
A. Yes, because it's difficult for her to catch something that runs faster than she does.

Q. Does she make any noise?
A. Yes. She hisses like the air being let out of a tire when she's aggravated.

Q. Where does she hang out?
A. At the front door in the morning so she can warm up in the sun, crashing through the garden in the afternoon, and under the deck at night.

Extra! Extra!

Extra! Extra! Our latest press release is out. You can view it at...
www.emediawire.com/releases/2006/5/emw382902.htm.

The power of the web never ceases to amaze me. After 24 hours, our press release was picked up 465 times by media outlets, and at least 30 people were serious enough to print it or download the PDF file. And, no, it wasn't Mom who ran off 30 copies to have bragging rights with her friends.

As we anticipated, 75% of the hits came from Yahoo News and Google News. We also have a window into which search terms were most popular. Someone was looking for an event planner and I hope she found one in Jubilee Lau, one of our favorites who was liberally quoted in the press release.

I read an interesting article about the new rules of PR. You can reach clients directly through the web rather than having to go to the press which first filters information and then releases what they choose. This changes everything about how you write, optimize and distribute a press release. We're not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy.
www.davidmeermanscott.com/documents/New_Rules_of_PR.pdf

If you're wondering how to optimize your press release, here's some information.
How to Increase Traffic to Your Website Through Optimization
www.seo-pr.com/pdfs/guidetoincreasesitetraffic.pdf

Memoirs of a Wedding

We spoke with Sylvia and James tonight, our darling bride and groom who married on March 25 and just returned from their honeymoon in Bora Bora. We’re so excited!

They loved the Vignette and have played it on the 'BridePod' we sent them over 100 times within the first few days. They said they thought the movie trailer we produced was better than most movie trailers they see in the theaters because even if people don't know them, they will want to find out how the story ends. Here is their Vignette: www.savadelis.com/movies/memoirsofawedding.mov/

Life really must be like a movie…there are over 500 people on blogspot.com alone who have said their lives are like a movie. Hopefully, their movies are light comedies or romances, and not science fiction or horror flicks.

Life Is Sweet

Life Is Like a Movie will be a commentary of the people we meet, the places we go, and the things that happen to us that inspire us to think, "It doesn't get any better than this. My life is like a movie!"

Together with my darling husband Chuck, we own and operate a cinematography company. Every time we serve a great client or receive some recognition for our efforts, we're in a life-is-like-a-movie moment. These moments happen with moderate frequency since we film weddings, which are happy events.

We're excited because we just fedex'ed a new video iPod with a movie trailer to a fabulous couple in Boston, Sylvia and James, of their March 25 wedding. They should receive it today. We can hardly wait to hear their comments. Hopefully, life will be like a movie to them in a few hours.

Chuck and I are also so thrilled that Daily Candy mentioned us in their April 18 column. Who knew the power of the press? We had 10x more visitors to our website than usual and the phone was ringing all day. We had requests to film weddings as far away as Greece, and as near as an exclusive private estate in Napa. And all that from just a word from the fabulous Ashley McAdams, editor of the San Francisco Daily Candy. Thank you Ashley! And thanks for the other 364 columns you and your team write throughout the year. You always seem to find the 'next best thing'.