In the Wedding Soup

Have you seen Liz Guthrie's Bay Area Wedding Soup? Liz, the creative mind behind San Jose Wedding Consultants, offers planning tips and introduces you to the San Francisco Bay Area's best wedding vendors week after week. And she does it so cleverly, by marching through the alphabet from A to Z. She never skips a letter - not even Q or Z!

Some of Liz' posts are informative:

"G" is for Gratuity: How Much to Tip your Wedding Vendors

"K" is for Kids at Weddings

"N" is for Name Change - a list of places you need to notify if you change your name

"Q" for Q&A - How much does a wedding cost in the San Francisco Bay Area?

Other posts help you find unusual services:

"B" is for Bagpiper

"C" is for Cigar Rollers

"F" is for Feng Shui

"T" is for Tarot Card Reader

Along the way, Liz dishes about behind-the-scenes in the Bay Area wedding industry. Thoroughly entertaining and informative. 

Savadelis Films was lucky enough to be featured this week. Thanks Liz!

Style Me Pretty Features Savadelis Films

We're so happy to be featured today in Style Me Pretty's Little Black Book blog! You may recall seeing our post about Emily and Danny's amazing wedding at the Ritz Carlton at Half Moon Bay entitled Let's Make a Movie. They are so personable and we loved all the details they so carefully planned, so we sent Style Me Pretty the 3-minute movie trailer and an inspiration board of still images. 

We could not create beautiful movies without the participation and cooperation of our esteemed colleagues. Jubilee Lau did an outstanding job of designing and coordinating the wedding. The weather threatened rain until 12 noon. She was thoroughly prepared for an outdoor or an indoor wedding. That's the mark of a true professional - going beyond what is expected to what is required.

Tony White at the Ritz Carlton and his superb staff pulled out all the stops to give top notch service and create a smooth day despite the international women's golf tournament that was held that day on the golf links. Peculiar Pair's graphics were so luscious that we animated their logo to start the movie. Nancy Liu Chin did a great job with the flowers. John and Megan Woods at Enhanced Lighting are lighting geniuses, Classic Party Rentals' linens and tableware were unique and festive and Susan Morgan's Elegant Cheesecakes were beautifully styled and tasty. And so it went for every professional.

Here's the article.

Savadelis Films Presents...Tango at the Ritz

March 31st, 2009 • Related • Filed Under

Chuck and Jewel Savadelis sent us such a FUN film clip from Emily and Danny’s October wedding. It’s just fascinating to see how they totally captured the essence of the day with their unique style of filming and production!

Here are a few quick screen shots from the film…

First, a little bit from Jewel Savadelis …

Emily and Danny, a well traveled couple that share a passion for great food and company, held their nuptuals at the beautiful Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Half Moon Bay on October 7, 2008. Emily celebrated her independence by choosing to walk down the aisle by herself, before exchanging personalized vows with Danny on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Emily’s favorite uncle sketched the ceremony as it was happening and presented the newlyweds the finished drawing during the reception. Their wedding featured a modern Asian Zen garden theme with details such as Taiwanese mung beans creatively incorporated into the floral arrangements that represented their culture and heritage. The ballroom at the Ritz-Carlton was transformed into a warm and inviting setting, with champagne colored drapery, Asian lanterns hung above the dance floor, and a mixture of kings, queens, and round tables topped by orchids, hydrangeas, roses, and river rocks. The 260 guests were treated to an elaborate 4-course dinner consisting of unique choices like Lobster Salad, Crispy Suckling Pig with Cassoulet, Baby Lamb Chops and Seared Sea Bass. After dinner, the guests took to the dance floor, piled into the photo booth, and enjoyed the elaborate dessert buffet which featured 17 specialty items such as green tea panna cotta, coconut tapioca, and passion mango gel.

So now … be prepared to grin for three straight minutes as you watch their movie! {make sure the sound is on}

Tango at the Ritz from Savadelis Films on Vimeo.

How fantastic was that! SO fun.

If you go over to Savadelis Films’ website, you’ll see that one primary concern of Chuck and Jewel’s is that they want to get to know you before your wedding day. They’re not just there to take a video of the events … they’re there to capture the emotions, the expressions, the feelings … of the entire celebration! But that is a mere fraction of the art of their movie-making … after all is recorded on film, the real artistry begins. Putting it all together in a fashion that is unique and suited to each couple’s personalities is when the real skill comes in.  And that is where the Savadelis’ shine. A huge thanks to Chuck and Jewel for sharing Emily & Danny’s movie with us!

Vendor Credits: The Cheeseballs, Jubilee Lau Events, Taylor Pham, Enhanced Lighting, Classic Party Rentals, Heron Freed Toor, Lisa Leigh Photography

Little Black Book Members - Elegant Cheesecakes, Nancy Liu Chin Designs and Peculiar Pair Press.Fantastic Work!!

Northern CA Brides Mag: Jewel's Top Venue Picks

I was asked by the editor of Northern California Brides which venues make a great backdrop for producing a beautiful wedding movie. You can see the answers in the latest Spring/Summer 2009 issue on page 142. But let me not hold you in suspense.

Jewel's Pick for the Best Resort: 

Cordevalle, San Martin

This little-known gem is surrounded by picturesque meadowlands, tree-covered hills and a vineyard. The villas are spacious and the entire resort is luxuriously casual. Kristi Hogue is just so nice and she and her staff really know how to serve and pamper their brides. 

Can I let you in on a little secret?  The latest and a simply wonderful new property will be opening in April, 2009 on the Peninsula, the Rosewood Sand Hill. As part of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts which includes Cordevalle and The Carlyle in New York City, this property will place the emphasis on superb service.  Todd Outhouse is the Director of Catering and is one of the most gracious and courtly people in the wedding industry. If the name is familiar it is because he worked at the St Regis in San Francisco, which is also very well known for its superb service. 

Other great resorts in wine country: 

Meadowood, Lori Wickersham

The Carneros Inn, Brooke Baglietto

Calistoga Ranch, Jennifer Beranek

Solage Calistoga, 

Jewel's Pick for Best Mansion:

Ralston Hall Mansion

It's tough to choose among the Montalvo Arts Center, Kohl Mansion, Flood Mansion and other beautiful mansions in the Bay Area. 

We chose Ralston Hall Mansion because of its affordability. And because of Karen Boquist-Gelineau and Denise Winkelstein who are so gracious. They make you and your guests feel so welcome. They encourage you to put out framed family pictures on the several mantles and side tables throughout the lovely mansion.

Jewel's Pick for Best Hotel:

The Palace Hotel

San Francisco offers brides so many great options of luxury hotels. including the St. Regis, Ritz Carlton, the Westin St Francis, the new Intercontinental, Four Seasons, Fairmont, Mandarin Oriental, and Mark Hopkins.  We chose the Palace for its opulent appointments such as the stained glass ceiling and beautiful crystal chandeliers. 

Alltop and Savadelis Films Tie the Knot

Wahoo! We've made it into the big time! We are now listed on the Weddings.Alltop page. What an honor! We join our faves:

The Flirty Guide

Away Soiree

Style Me Pretty

Here Comes the Guide Blog

DIY Bride

Wedding Wire

Project Wedding, Project Elegance

'Tis the season to be jolly.  Oh wait!  Didn't that just pass? No! We woke up to another Christmas morning when we saw that Project Wedding had written a flattering blog post about us.  Go here to see what they said.  We're blushing!

This is one of our favorite wedding websites because it is the complete package.

1.  The website is nicely designed, visually streamlined and easy to navigate.

2.  Project Wedding has a very complete list of wedding professionals.

3.  It has a lot of reviews of wedding professionals BY BRIDES! It's like Yelp for Weddings.

4.  They present fresh, creative ideas in 'the Guide', 'What's New' and the 'photos' sections.

5.  They offer free wedding websites to brides.

6.  It has a chat room so you can discuss what's important to you.

7.  It has a wholly calm and positive energy. Love it, love it, love it.

If we had just one word to describe Project Wedding it would be elegance, where elegance is the attribute of being unusually effective and simple; frequently used as a standard of tastefulness and refined grace.

Project Wedding = Project Elegance.

P.S.  Thanks to Events by Evonne, our secret Santa who brought us to Project Wedding's attention.

Look Who's Smitten

smitten [smit-n] - adjective

1. very much in love

Smitten.  That's how we feel about Smitten Invitations and Melissa's Smitten Blog.  We've been fans for a long time of this very talented invitation designer who has a very stylish line of custom 'couture' letterpress invitations, STD cards, note cards, and all things to do with stationery and pretty paper.  

She also has a big heart.  She understands brides who crave style, but are on a budget.  So, she has came up with an incredible idea.  She created artwork which you can purchase to design your own invitation.  You personalize the design (STD, note card, or program), send it in and it will be reviewed by a typographer.  The final art will be mailed to you on a CD.  Then you print the invitations.  Mission accomplished! Style on a budget. What a thoughtful lady!  

We were thrilled to be mentioned in Melissa's Smitten blog this morning and we thank Evonne of Events by Evonne in Hawaii for mentioning us to Melissa.  Evonne's blog is also full of wonderful ideas that any bride could adapt to her own wedding.  We are so lucky to know so many wonderful people in the wedding industry who understand brides and grooms and genuinely care about them.

Elizabeth Anne Designs

There are two ladies, Ami Elizabeth and Rebekah Anne who have been friends from childhood. They see the beauty in life all around them. They share their observations, insights and the submissions of many like-minded ladies in their two wonderful blogs about design in weddings and design in everyday living. We are not alone in admiring their sense of style because they are, without doubt, one of the Top 50 Wedding Blogs in the country.

They have also compiled a Library of the Best of the Best professionals in the wedding industry and surprise! We woke up on New Year's Day to find we were added to Elizabeth Anne Designs' illustrious Library! We are honored to be in the company of people we admire in our own field and in other fields.

The Flirty Guide

My ears were burning! Stacie Tamaki, founder of The Flirty Guide blogged about us yesterday. She has her finger on the pulse of 100's if not 1000's of professionals in the wedding industry in the San Francisco Bay Area. She's very selective about who she chooses to feature on The Flirty Guide, so we were all the more honored when she chose to shine a spotlight on us. Here is what she said:

"Savadelis Films never does anything the fast or easy way, they only know one way to do things: The right way.

The amount of preparation they devote to each client is, to me, beyond impressive. Their professionalism always leaves me in a bit of awe because they are uncompromising in producing films of the highest quality no matter how much effort it takes for them to do so.

Their impeccably edited wedding films range in style from modern, romantic, documentary, to period pieces. You can view two samples here and can also visit their website portfolio page to view more trailers. Especially view "Come What May." It's only 1 minute and 22 seconds long and is one my favorites. From the moment the groom sweeps his bride off of her feet at the top of the staircase, the reception montage is high energy and exciting because of how beautifully it was filmed and edited..

"Fever" (A fun, high energy, dance, reception trailer)

Chuck and Jewel Savadelis are absolutely passionate about creating films that tell the story of the wedding day. I know a lot of companies in many industries say they are passionate about what they do but Savadelis Films doesn't just talk the talk... They produce films that back it up. They work exclusively in High Def and a third camera at each event is standard, not an option. There is nothing accidental, lucky or left to chance when it comes to gathering the elements they'll need to create their finished films. Rather it is planning, forethought and intention that guarantee the quality of their content. After, they insist on editing each and every video in-house to ensure the highest level of quality and control during the editing process.

"Memoirs of a Wedding"
(A venue, pre-ceremony, ceremony, reception montage trailer)

Watch one of their video trailers and you might not know what to call them or what they do. To many of their fans their work transcends traditional videography. Recently, after viewing their "Fever" trailer, I listened to one bride describe their work using words like "cinematography" and "mini-movie" to another bride who had asked her about a videographer recommendation.

I'm so proud to have them on The Flirty Guide and to be able to introduce them to you here today :D"

Thank you Stacie! By the way, Stacie was just interviewed by Ralph Mucci on The Wedding Planning Audiocast because she is widely considered to be one of the Top 10 wedding bloggers in the country.

She's right up there with Abby Larson of Style Me Pretty (we're featured in San Francisco and in Napa),
Christy Weber of Junebug Weddings,
Vane Broussard of The Brooklyn Bride,
Melissa of Melissa's Smitten and
Janie Medley of The Bride's Cafe.

Look Who's Talking, Part II

One of our most favorite officiants, Diana Morgan, surprised us recently and blogged about us on February 28. Thank You Diana!! Here's what she said.



I have had the opportunity to work with some amazing people in my travels. Today I want to talk about two of those people, Jewel and Chuck Savadelis, owners of Savadelis Films.

I recently had the opportunity to view one of the amazing Savadelis Films of a wedding in which I participated. It is particularly relevant that I was the officiant because of my experience of viewing the movie.

Let me see if I can begin to describe this experience. I was at the wedding. I was there the entire day. Yet when I viewed the movie, in some ways, it was as if I hadn't really been there. It was almost like I was watching the full experience that I was involved in, but had only experienced maybe 30% of it in person. From the views of the ceremony site to the reception site, to the different stages of the day, it was like reliving the experience of being at the wedding and viewing it for the first time all at once. I kept thinking, "I don't remember that... ", "How could I have missed that?"

Subtle things...like I was noticing the drops of condensation dripping down the outside of the glass of champagne and the sparkles of the bubbles in the glass... I didn't notice that the first time.

On the wedding day, I didn't get to see the bride and groom each individually getting ready for the day. Who does, except maybe the moms...and the photographers? But Jewel and Chuck captured every moment of emotion on film.

I didn't get to see so many things, but the movie captured EVERYTHING! As I watched the movie of this wedding, my eyes welled up with tears. I felt like I was there and it was happening all over again.

All I can say is if I had my wedding to do all over again, the only thing I would change is that I would have Jewel and Chuck create my wedding movie. Then I would actually watch it over and over again, and show it to people. (Unfortunately, all I have is the video that a kind friend shot which I watched a few times and tucked away for posterity... sigh...)

Take a look at their site and call them!

Look Who's Talking, Part I

One of our most favorite event planners, Jubilee Lau surprised us recently and blogged about us on February 23. Here's what she said. Thank You Jubilee!!



There's No Take Two!

Are you considering a wedding video? If the answer is no, may I urge you to RECONSIDER! I think this is the #1 regret of many couples. After the wedding day, they realize how quickly the day had gone by and they wish they could relive it all over again. Well, you can. Sort of. By hiring a wonderful, fabulous cinematographer like Chuck and Jewel Savadelis you can come close to reliving the most special day of your lives.

I've had the pleasure of working with Savadelis Films on many weddings, and they have always amazed me in their ability to capture in the most genuine way the love, the joy, and all the different emotions that arise on the wedding day. Their videos are movies, but in no way are they surreal. In fact, the movies are so tastefully shot and edited that it can even bring tears and laughter to a total stranger.

'How do they do that?' you may ask.

I think it lies in their passion for what they do. They shoot each wedding with heart. Prior to the wedding day, they go to great lengths to understand the couple. They try to grasp the couple's vision of the wedding, they note who the key family members and special guests are (as well as where they are seated at the ceremony and reception!), and they treat each wedding as a very special, unique day. They don't go by a 'must shoot' list, because they capture each detail as it unfolds naturally. Yet, they never miss an important moment...like when the groom first lays eyes on his bride. There is so much preparation that they do prior to the wedding day, such as meeting with me to go through the timeline intensively because they do not like to leave anything to chance.

I've heard so many couples say that they can relive their wedding through the photos. Let me tell you, I have the greatest respect for photographers but you must realize that it's a completely different medium! Tell me how photographs can make you relive that toast by your Best Man that made everyone roaring with laughter. Tell me how photographs can make you relive that beautiful first dance as husband and wife to that special song you picked. You can't! You may remember the toast a year from your wedding day, maybe even five years. But 30 years go by, and how can you remember? How can you describe it to your children, to the children of your Best Man?

Every couple deserves a wedding video. Remember, on your wedding day there's no 'Take Two', so get the best videographers you can to capture it!

Sample video from a wedding that I did with Chuck and Jewel at the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay:

MAC Version
PC Version

We Love Our Brides

There is nothing we like more than to hear that our clients are delighted with their wedding movies especially when the bride and groom are professional photographers who have a very artistic eye. We find it so difficult to explain BEFORE the wedding how much a couple will treasure their wedding movie AFTER the wedding (if you have a suggestion, let us know). It always seems so self-serving, even if it is so true. Before their wedding, Jenny & Mike weren't at all sure they wanted a wedding movie, but Jubilee Lau, a fabulous event planner, assured them that they would be sorry if they didn't have one. Today we received a lovely note from our sweet Jenny and Mike.

Dear Chuck and Jewel,

Thank you SO much for the amazing, amazing video! We have been traveling, so it was difficult to email, for which I apologize - we wanted to email you immediately and tell you how great it was. We absolutely LOVE it! Thank you so much for the multiple copies. The presentation boxes, the "extra" slideshow, the editing, we loved all of it. I felt almost voyeuristic watching the part of the wedding that occurred before I walked down the aisle - it was so amazing to be able to "see" the parts of our wedding that we missed. You guys have made me a firm believer in wedding videos. I can't believe how much work you put into our video. Thank you for everything, your thoughtfulness, your caring, and all that you did for us, before, during and after our wedding. You will both always be a part of one of the most special days of our lives.

Please stay in touch!
Jenny & Mike

Just to show how interrelated we all are...Samantha and Alvin were considering engaging us for their wedding but wanted to know more about us, from a bride's perspective. Jubilee, who was their event designer, gave Samantha Jenny's cell phone. Jenny was on her honeymoon in Tahiti at the time. But Jenny immediately called Samantha back and talked for quite some time about how much they enjoyed working with us and with Jubilee. Samantha and Alvin not only engaged us, but invited Jenny and Mike to their wedding in order to surprise us! Did I tell you...WE LOVE OUR BRIDES!!