Wedding Webcast

Every now and again we like to tell the world what we've been up to. This week we put out a press release about a wedding we filmed recently. We love talking about our passion - making movies - but we are always a bit uncomfortable talking about ourselves. In this case, we overcame our discomfort to write a news piece in the hope that a bride somewhere will read about the possibility of webcasting and solve the problem of how to take the sting out of dear relatives who cannot make it to the wedding.

PRESS RELEASE

Savadelis Films may have made history by successfully webcasting a bride's outdoor wedding ceremony to her mother's hospital room 2500 miles away using full-motion video. But best of all, they made a Mother and daughter very happy.

Just days before Pam and Phil's wedding, Pam's Mother Sue shattered not just her leg, but also her dream of watching her daughter walk down the aisle. Pam and Sue were heartbroken. Pam frantically searched for a way to get her Mother to the wedding. But given the nature of the break, there was no way her Mother could travel. Sometimes, though, a miracle can happen in a way you never expected.

When the couple's wedding videographers, Chuck and Jewel Savadelis of Savadelis Films learned of Pam and Phil's predicament just 48 hours before the wedding, they vowed to do whatever it took to broadcast Pam and Phil's wedding ceremony live over the internet. Magically, the pieces started to fall into place.

On Friday, as Pam and her bridesmaids drove to the spa for a day of relaxation, Savadelis Films contacted the head of technology at the hospital in Ohio where Pam's Mother was receiving care. The hospital was able to provide a computer from which Sue could view the live webcast of the wedding. Then Savadelis Films called on Event by Wire to provide the streaming technology to webcast the ceremony live from a California winery to an Ohio hospital. Although slated to play in an annual golf tournament, Dan Grumley, owner of Event by Wire, committed to forego the tournament to personally oversee that the broadcast went flawlessly.

Ten minutes before the wedding, just as Pam and her bridesmaids were ready to walk down the aisle, the internet broadcast went live. Sue, dressed in the pale pink chiffon dress she had chosen, and adorned with a corsage, saw guests gathering under a stand of stately redwood trees on a brilliantly sunny day at a private winery near San Francisco. Then she saw a sight she'd been praying to see: her daughter floating down the aisle on her father's arm. Sue saw her husband gently kiss Pam's cheek as he presented her hand to Phil.

As the couple approached the minister Phil whispered to Pam, "You are so beautiful. You take my breath away." As Pam spoke her vows to love Phil in joy and in sorrow, he wiped her tear away. Then they exchanged rings and kissed. Sue saw and heard it all. At the moment that it was happening. From 2500 miles away.

Afterwards, Pam said, "I truly felt like my Mom was there in the crowd of family and friends who surrounded us. Knowing that she was watching freed me from worrying about her, and allowed me to fully experience all the joy of our wedding day." Pam's Mother put it more simply: "It felt like I was there. I really was there, sharing every moment with my children."

First-Class Wedding Professionals

99.99% of the people we meet in the wedding industry are talented, caring, diligent, principled folks. Here are a few we met in or who we have recently worked with who stood out:

Event Designers

Jubilee Lau
Jubilee Lau Events
www.jubileelauevents.com

Maxine Andrew
Instead of You
www.insteadofyou.com/

Kristi Amoroso
Kristi Amoroso Special Events
kristiamoroso.com

Stephanie Beer
Covenant Coordinating
www.winecountryweddingsite.com

Jean Marks
Jean Marks Weddings
www.jeanmarksweddings.com

Duncan Reyes
Duncan Reyes Event By Design
duncanreyes.com

Marie Rios
Creative Occasions
www.creative-occasions.com


Caterers

Rolando Mafnas
Alex's Catering
www.alexscatering.com

Elaine Bell
Elaine Bell Catering
www.elainebellcatering.com

Audrey Hardy
Paula Le Duc Catering
www.paulaleduc.com

Tom Henderson
Thomas John Events
www.thomasjohnevents.com


Floral Designers

Arianna Nichol
Robert Fountain Design
www.robertfountain.com

Nicole Sillapere
Sillapere
www.sillapere.com

Edward Bellingeri
Edward B Design
www.edwardbdesign.com

Anthony Levy
Julie's Flowers
www.juliesflowers.net


Rentals

Jon Retsky
Got Light?
www.got-light.com

Youngsong Martin
Wildflower Linens
www.wildflowerlinens.com


Photographers

Melissa Bagley
www.melissabagley.com

Darcy Padilla
www.weddingsbydarcy.com

Lisa Crawford
www.lisanjames.com

Wendy Maclaurin Richardson
www.wmrphoto.com


Invitations

Pavan Kochar
Alia Designs
www.aliadesigns.com

Sabrina Moyel
Hello Lucky!
www.hellolucky.com

Missing In Action

Time flies. I can't believe the last time I posted anything was in January, 7 months ago. During the winter we were editing weddings from last year. Then, the wedding season zoomed into high gear. I popped my head out of the gopher hole, and now it's August. I'll try to catch up over the next several weeks by telling you the places I've seen and the people I've met.

I've seen a few new venues worthy of your consideration. The first grouping are all on the contemporary, modern, maybe even on the edgy side in a few cases. I'll start with edgy first.

Dog Patch Studios
www.dogpatchstudios.com
A hip, modern open and light space in San Francisco which you can transform into anything you please. Got-Light did a fantastic job of lighting each space on several different floors in a different way.

Hotel Vitale
www.hotelvitale.com
Candace Palec, a very charming lady, oversees weddings at the chic, contemporary venue which has several levels of rooftop terraces which overlook the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero in San Francisco, with a spectacular view of the Bay Bridge. A creative idea that Candace has pioneered is offering substantial hors d'ouevres rather than a sit-down dinner so that guests can continuously mingle.

Carneros Inn
www.carnerosinn.com
Brooke Baglietto is simply one of the nicest people in the wedding industry. A recent bride herself, she completely understands a bride's mindset, and her desires. The Carneros Inn in Napa has a relaxing, elegant simplicity. Imagine sheer white curtains fluttering in the breeze under the portico which looks out onto a large grassy lawn. The infinity pool reflects the beautiful mountins and vineyards which form a perfect backdrop. And the apple orchard is a charming place for the ceremony.

Natural, Wine Country Feeling

The next two venues each have a unique feeling. Sometimes these things are hard to articulate, but you "know it when you see it".

Bear Flag Farm
www.bearflagfarm.com
Tina is such a nice person and this working farm is quite unique. Your caterer can harvest fruits from the trees and vegetables from the earth on the 25-acre farm in the morning, and prepare and serve a tasty meal by evening. Two of our favorite caterers work closely with Tina: Rolando Mafnas at Alex's Catering and Jennifer Bowman at Elaine Bell Catering. If you are looking for an organic, earthy feeling to the wedding (though there's nothing to stop you from hanging chandeliers in the trees), then Bear Flag Farm may be for you. They only do about 12 weddings a year, so check it out sooner rather than later.

Nicholson Ranch
www.nicholsonranch.com
Sarah Roach does an outstanding job of making you feel right at home. This working winery has a distinctly Tuscan feeling to it. Everyone at the Ranch is relaxed, and makes you feel warmly welcomed. This winery also only hosts 12 weddings per year and books up quickly.

Old World Charming Wine Country

Right in the middle of wine country, there are several large stone buildings that make for grand weddings. You can rent three, but the fourth I must tell you about anyway.

Ledson Winery
www.ledson.com
Gina Batti the Director of Hospitality (such an appropriate title) has the charm and grace befitting such a splendid venue. Ledson Castle is an imposing structure in Kenwood, just north of Sonoma. And yet, since it was a family's home for a time, it has a warm feeling.

Jacuzzi Vineyards
www.jacuzziwines.com
Yes, there really is a Mr. Jacuzzi. He invented water well pumps and eventually the Jacuzzi Whirlpool Bath. The Jacuzzi family just finished building a lovely Italianate villa with a large fountain in the central courtyard. Chris Merino and Jennifer Alvarez who also run events at Cline Cellars across the street, are simply delightful ladies to work with.

Sebastiani Vineyards
www.sebastiani.com
Sebastiani, another family whose roots run deep in the wine country, have a very beautiful stone building and a small casa for weddings right in the center of the town of Sonoma. Piper Andersen is the very sweet and soothing person who assists you with your wedding.

Next time, I'll post some notes on some lovely people I've met in the wedding industry.

Time Magazine Person of the Year

Tongue in cheek, we wrote a press release based on Time Magazine's most recent selection of "you" as the Person of the Year. They are referring to the millions of people who participate in social networking on places like MySpace, post their videos on YouTube, or put out more current information than the professional newsmakers in their individual blogs. So, enjoy!

San Francisco, CA -- January 16, 2007 -- Savadelis Films has been named Person of the Year for its participation in the new digital democracy. "Yes, we are one in a billion, of internet users that is, but we are no more deserving than the other 999 million users," said a modest Chuck Savadelis co-owner of Savadelis Films. "Time Magazine named all of us as Person of the Year for "seizing the reins of the global media", citing YouTube, Facebook and MySpace as the prime examples."

Savadelis Films has done their part to earn the moniker in 2006 by being the only wedding videographers tapped by two of the most prestigious wedding magazine websites to provide their wedding videos online.

Conde Nast's newly redesigned omnibus website, Brides.com, features two Savadelis Films wedding videos at www.brides.com/videos. The website combines articles from Elegant Bride, Modern Bride and Brides Magazines along with original material, attracting well over 200,000 unique visitors a month. Theresa DiMasi, Editor in Chief of Brides.com said, "A Savadelis Films wedding movie is an exquisite work of art that tells a story and deeply affects you. In fact, it is more accurate to call their métier wedding cinematography because their work looks just like a movie."

Grace Ormonde, Editor in Chief of Grace Ormonde Wedding Style Magazine, personally selected a Savadelis Films movie trailer as the first online Featured Wedding at www.weddingstylemagazine.com/featured/ to inaugurate her newly redesigned website which was launched on September 29, 2006. Ms. Ormonde said, "Savadelis Films is one of the premiere wedding cinematography companies for brides who want a wedding movie which is as stylish as every other aspect of their wedding. Their work is beautiful, tasteful and elegant. Stylish brides have discovered the Savadelises and are close to having a feeding frenzy over them."

Grace should know. She is the doyenne of the ultra chic wedding magazine that recommends the best professionals internationally. Grace Ormonde has a knack for discovering new talent, giving established wedding industry artisans a forum to express themselves, and inspiring them to take their creativity to a new level. Artists whom Grace has encouraged include wedding gown couturier Reem Acra; celebrity photographer Mike Colon; event designer Colin Cowie; caterer Paula Le Duc; and cake designer Sylvia Weinstock.

"We are delighted to be associated with visionaries such as Grace Ormonde and Theresa DiMasi who have long provided insightful and useful information to their readers in print, and now have grabbed hold of the future by offering videos and other interactive experiences on the internet to serve and enrich their brides." said Jewel Savadelis, the other half of Savadelis Films. "Perhaps they more than we deserve to be Person of the Year because of the way they are shaping the web in meaningful ways."

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!!

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.