I was recently reading the 24p/60i/30p thread and noted how someone said we who use this forum mostly talk about all of our technical questions, issues, and concerns, and really could care less if a dress was "white or ivory"...etc. So I thought it might be interesting to start a non-technical thread about something I've been thinking of...OK, and it's kind of "girly" too but it might be interesting.

Going to so many weddings, we very rarely come across anything too original...sure people put their own spin on traditional things, but there are not too many things where we leave thinking "that was a great idea"...but there were a couple of great things that stood out from a couple weddings we did this summer:

One was the flower girl at one of our weddings...instead of throwing petals on the aisle, instead she had a huge basket of gerber daisies that she passed out to the guests as she walked up the aisle. It was really sweet, and something I had never seen before.

The other was one of our ceremony exits...instead of rice or bubbles, this bride was big into cheerleading, and was her local High School Coach, so her cheer team passed out pom poms and everyone shook them and cheered as they left the church for the limo.

Just two things that stick out for me as original...I'm curious to see what other people have seen this wedding season that sticks out to them! And if this non-technical thread doesn't interest anyone, that's cool too :-)

Witnessed a bride driving her own dad to the ceremony, in her own car at a wedding recently, which i thought was very original, individual, and cool. Nothing too flashy about it at all. Afterwards, she drove her hubby to the reception in .... you guessed it, her own car, without any fuss or ribbons.

Poodle acting as the ring bearer, that's a first for me. I find it cool when the Bride & Groom did a hip hop number for their first dance. It sure made the crowd cheer.

Witnessed a bride driving her own dad to the ceremony, in her own car at a wedding recently, which i thought was very original, individual, and cool. Nothing too flashy about it at all. Afterwards, she drove her hubby to the reception in .... you guessed it, her own car, without any fuss or ribbons.

Geeze..... I wonder who's going to wear the pants in that family ??? :-)

We recently had a couple do a 'wine box ceremony' which I had never seen. We share the video here on the forums: http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/wedding-event-video-sample-clips-gallery/499854-marcel-kirsten-skydiving-wedding-highlights-serendipity-studios.html

I thought it was a really cool interactive idea and a great way to help a couple with their relationship too.

I had a wedding a couple of months ago were the entrance song suddenly switched from Pachelbel's Canon to MJ's Thriller and everyone (groomsmen, bridesmaids, groom and bride) walked in dancing to different fun music.

I had others walk in to hip hop music.

I also saw a wine box ceremony recently, very cool indeed.

Finally I had a large family all line up looking out at the ocean right after the ceremony, say some things about those who could not be there with them because they had paassed away, and then they all threw seashells in the ocean. It was nice I think.

About 6 years ago I did the wedding of one of the big name radio DJs here in town. It was a New Orleans style wedding in the sense that all the groomsmen and bridesmaid had the Mardi Gras masks and danced down the aisle to some very soothing NO style jazz. The GM wore long coat tuxes and the BMs had long fitted dresses with gloves that went over the elbow. It was really different but what really made it cool was the bride wore a Victorian style wedding dress; color: RED! Yep RED! No one saw the dress prior even the photog and me since she didn't hire us for prep. She wore high laced boots that were also in the victorian style. It was actually quite cool and fit the experience really well.
Now for the BEST parts. First Dateline was there filming as well for a segment they were going to run about Bridal Boot Camp. I guess the bride was in it and lost a lot of weight AND one of the bridesmaids had decided that she needed to lose the last few extra pounds so she hadn't eaten for 2 days before the wedding and...wait for it. She passed out while standing up at the altar. Luckily she was 2nd from the far end and the pastor didn't miss a beat but did ask for someone to call 911. The paramedics arrived about 20 secinds before the end of the ceremony and went up the side aisle to tend to the young lady. Before you ask no I didn't shoot that but my 2nd and 3rd camera ops did. No I didn't use it it was so dark in the room (ceremony was not at a church) as it was a candlelit ceremony and even nightline had to set up and run a 600W frensel set about 12 feet up. I really helped me out but the wedding party was pretty spread out and wasn't lit.
Anyway, that was the first and up to now the only red wedding dress I've ever done in over 2100 weddings. It was pretty cool though.

Hi Katie

Great thread!! I think it was me who said that..the point I was making was really that we tend to get too technical for our own good.

I had a bride last year who had a bright yellow pickup truck and drove Dad to the Church (the wedding cake also had a tiny yellow truck on it). The tradition of tying cans to the back of the wedding vehicle is seldom seen in Australia (I think it's illegal actually!!!) but the bride also tied a big bunch of soda cans to the rear of the truck and then went clattering down the road after the ceremony!!

Chris

Thanks Chris, it was you who said that...I am having fun reading all of the interesting stories. The Wine Box ceremony is very cool, I remember watching that highlight and thinking how nice it was. Very interesting thread though, it makes me think my own wedding was none too original haha...of course then I had no idea I would someday be going to so many weddings in my life either!

Thanks for the fun stories, keep 'em coming!

I think at one time or another we all get or have gotten so hung up on the technical side, that we forget the most important thing. Getting the shot! Exposure, color, composition doesn't mean anything if we don't get the shot. I've done it, I would bet we've all done it.

I like things that are a bit out of the ordinary at weddings because it reminds me to not worry so much about the tech side and to get the shot. Not saying the tech stuff isn't important but it don't mean a thing if you ain't got the shot! Can't edit what we don't have.

IMO the value of the shot is just as important as the quality of the shot and while the quality is important of course, if I miss the shot because I was busy fiddling with things like f/stop, shutter, NDs whatever then I haven't done my job.
Just throwing it out there. Different is good but if we don't get it recorded I guess it doesn't matter how different it was.
Like I've always said, weddings are like a breaking news event. It happens fast, it happens once. Hours of boredom, moments of terror!

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming!

O|O
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One thing Ireland is famous for is it's rain, especially on wedding days, and there's a very good chance it will piiss down out of the heavens during those crucial moments. Another unique idea i came across in the past, when guests least expected it, was for the bride and groom to open the boot of their wedding car, and the wedding party to start handing out umbrellas, by the bucket load.

With all guests safely under the cover of their umbreallas, the wedding party starting pouring champagne, and directly handing around the bubble themselves. There was a substantial distance to travel between church and hotel, but this kept the group together and from scattering to their cars for shelter. It kept everyone in high spirits, and bridged that gap in the day nicely.

Who needs a dry day, or a fine day, to have an outside champagne day ....

i had a groom who wanted his own entrance to the ceremony so he had an epic entrance with his groomsmen to the theme from 300.

Very True Don!!

A perfectly exposed shot of just the end of the bride's train as she disappears out the door makes for a very unhappy bride....much rather get her before she leaves even if it's not perfect BUT get the shot!!

Back to the topic...just about every wedding I go to people ask me " You must have seen some really funny stuff at weddings...Real "funniest home videos" material ...Truthfully I never have...is it just me or do other people have weddings where the entire bridal party slip and fall into the pool or the best man faints and falls into the flowers????

Anyone had a "funniest home video" type of wedding????

Chris

No real "funniest home video" stuff but I've seen and or heard pretty much everything as I'm sure you and many others have. I've had BMs/GM/Grooms/Brides either pass out or almost pass out. (liquor and adrenalin and no food make a bad combination). I once had a priest pass out. It was his first time to perform a wedding and he was more nervous than the groom. Just before the bridal party walked in, BAM! He hit the floor. He didn't get hurt and was awake immediately brushed himself off and carried on. He even made a joking reference to his mishap during the ceremony but funny stuff, not so much. A lot of stuff I ask myself "why did they do that?" but other than that, nothing really worthy of a TV show except maybe stupid human tricks!

O|O
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Maybe not completly original as more and more couples are working a dance routine into their ceremony or reception, but we recently had a bride and her girls reenact Lady Gaga's video Bad Romance during the reception. They were spot on. Their dance moves were choreographed exactly like the video. It was definitely entertaining to watch.

This past summer was at a wedding where the organist failed to show up. The whole church was unaware so as they started to walk down the isle in silence the congreation started to hum "Here Comes The Bride"
I remember thinking how at some weddings this would have been a major disaster, shrouding the rest of the day. This family took it in stride and didn't let it bother them at all. Kudos to them..

I recall a best mans speech that rocked the house - he said that the father of the bride was happy with his daughter's choice as there had been some unsavory types before that and he believed there was a couple of front door keys still missing - he said now would be a good time to pass those back and gradually just about every man at the reception bought a key up to the main table - the last one was the grooms grandfather!

Hi Paul

I must definately tell my couples that one!!! They often ask for something to break the ice and that would certainly do it!! The usual is the best man says " My speech tonight is going to be about the same length of time as it takes for the groom to make love......Goodnight!!"

It's tough being a groom I guess!!!

Chris

That reminded me of when my daughter got married (15 years ago). My S-in-L best man did the same thing. All the guys came up with their keys and even some of the wait staff and cooks did also. I knew everyone there since it was a place I had done a number of weddings at before so they thought it was great and joined the fun.
My wife also just remined me that at our daughters wedding when the S-in-L went to do the garter removal, he had placed a small box of things under the chair my daughter was sitting in and since they had chair covers you couldn't see the box. First he pulled out a rubber fish, then an old license plate, then a giant pair of underwear. I mean H U G H! There were a few other little things that he pulled out before he got the garter. It was good for a big laugh.

Great stuff! Love thispost.

Recently I filmed my Nieces wedding as a gift. Right at the instant the minister asked for the rings…. My 6 month old grand nephew who was being held by my sister tugged the ribbon holding the rings…. They hit the concrete and the grooms ring rolls into the nearby swimming pool! One guy tries to reach his hand into the pool to get the ring with no luck…. enter my burly Harley riding brother-in-law, with a voice like Darth Vader. he says, "For cryin' out loud" and enters the pool, boots and all to get the ring! Everyone including the bride and groom were rolling with laughter…and as Don Bloom says, "I got the shot!"

Shot a wedding yesterday where the bride after saying her vows said, "everything is better as a song!" then she pulled out a Ukelele and proceeded to sing a sweet song to the groom, it was so nice to see something original during the ceremony.

funniest wedding- civil service in the grounds of a castle 30mins north of madrid. lovely sunny day, guests all milling about. 7pm, scheduled start, no sign of the groom. 7.30pm, still no sign but no one is worried. 8pm still no sign of him and folk are wondering what is going on. 8.25pm the groom's sister confides to me and the photographer that the groom had forgotten the rings at home. he'd got to the castle's gates before realising and having to turn back. problem, he lives 30mins to the south of madrid, an hour away. sometime before 9 he turns up looking very sheepish and heads straight up to await his bride in a kind of bandstand where the ceremony is being held. the guests are all laughing saying he's gonna get it from the bride. the bride turns up 3 mins later. she's spitting feathers. absolutely raging, cursing under her breath. she storms up the aisle, her eyes burn with rage, she curses the groom on seeing him but the ceremony starts. everyone is doing their best not to laugh but it's monty pythonesque, and bodies are shaking trying to suppress laughter . i'm 2 metres away from the couple listening to the bride swearing in my headphones, trying my hardest to concentrate and not shake from laughter. the vows are said, she almost says no but they get to the rings... he slips a ring onto her finger.....everything stops for a second as she looks on in disgust. it's not even the real ring! it turns out he couldn't find it! she immediately rips it off and flings it to her dad. she's about to burst with anger. people are doing their best not to crack up laughing it's so over the top.
anyway, they get through the ceremony and before they leave the bandstand the groom grabs the mic and says
"i'm really sorry. i really, really f**ked up!" . cue roars of laughter and the bride finally breaking out her rage to see the funny side. they ended up having a really fun wedding with running jokes through the whole night.
hard work keeping a straight face though.

i'm not sure if forgetting the rings can be classified as original but it made for a different wedding!

Wow andrew that's rough! Grooms forget things it seems. I had a situation not nearly as bad as that but the groom forgot the marriage certificate about an hour away. Back then I played in a string quartet for weddings and we had to repeat our repertoire 3 or 4 times before they got there AND I had to be another place after this wedding and obviously we were running late so I had to sneak out after the processional. I've been to a few weddings that've gone as planned and kept to schedule and I love it!

The Chicken or the Beef.

As usual that's the menu, or it was when I had to step in and shoot the wedding of a friends son last year.

Just after the main course was served to the wedding party at the bridal table, I explained to them what I wanted, then using a handheld HV20 with a Canon wide angle lens, I went along the front of the table and each of the 3 bridesmaids looking direct to camera said their name and what they were having .. the chicken (or the beef) Then going to the other end I did the same with the 3 groomsmen again working into the centre .. then lastly the bride and groom seated at the centre of the table.

What happened was, each knew what was coming, one of the bridesmaids gave such a humorous reply, the next girl laughed so much she could hardly get hers out, she did eventually. One of the groomsmen was almost under the table (stoned) his buddy looked his plate over and said 'George is having the beef'' George looked up and said with a sheepish grin .. 'ah yes so I am'

The bridegroom took it in his stride and started by saying in a 2 shot, 'this is our first meal together as a married couple and I'm having the Beef ', then introduced his pretty bride to the viewers .. she blushed, batted her big eyeslashes at the camera and said coyly, 'the Chicken'

To add to the effect, just as the waiters started serving their table, I opened this sequence with a table wide shot and the graphic THE CHICKEN or THE BEEF at the bottom of the screen, then supered the name of their dish under each person just as they said it. I first did this because one girl was a bit too quiet in the general hubub, but it worked well and I changed the font for the guys.

At the video premiere after the honeymoon, I thought the brides (society) mother was going to have a complete seizure, but the brides father roared laughing and later, said it was a real highlight. A year later it's as fresh as the day I shot it, and brings a big smile to whoever watches it .. comments are, it's great because you never hear from all the bridesmaids and groomsmen.

Feel free to use it :) but don't ask anyone beforehand, just do it as I did in case the parents say no. And make sure you shoot covering stuff in case the sequence goes south for whatever reason, and you don't use it.

Cheers.

Had this last year... funny best man speech in a song. I posted it in another thread earlier, worth a look again :-)


http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/wedding-event-video-sample-clips-gallery/484832-best-man-speech-song.html

I've had a skydiving groom and groomsmen, swoop down to a field where the bride and guests were waiting.

And at another wedding, being from Vancouver, the groom was a BIG Canucks fan. So the bride surprised her new hubby by bringing the Canucks' national anthem singer Mark Donnelly to perform at their reception. Everyone LOVED it!

This past summer was at a wedding where the organist failed to show up. The whole church was unaware so as they started to walk down the isle in silence the congreation started to hum "Here Comes The Bride"
I remember thinking how at some weddings this would have been a major disaster, shrouding the rest of the day. This family took it in stride and didn't let it bother them at all. Kudos to them..

I once had a ceremony were the tape of the wedding march was busted (very old church with very old equipment) during the walk down the isle and the bride couldn't stop crying, not because of the emotion, but of the music mishap. Neither to say, she got a nice surprise and was very happy when she saw her video marching down the isle with the music on the background.

That's why brides like us!!!

My wedding 2 weeks ago had the grandfather come down the aisle before the bridal party and the poor man could hardly walk ....the bridesmaids made it to the front of the LONG aisle but the bride was only half way down when the wedding singer finished her song...(surely she could have added one more verse and chorus???) In post I simply split the audio and shortened the walk so the song finished in the correct place!!

If the bride is using a CD it's actually a good idea to grab a copy of the song as I have also had many cd players stop or stutter or die completely during bridal entrance....dubbing over the original makes the bride happy!!!

Chris