Most Original Wedding Details... at DVinfo.net

Katie Fasel · September 7th, 2011, 12:37 PM

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 :-)

Joe Thompson · September 7th, 2011, 01:02 PM

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.

Noel Lising · September 7th, 2011, 01:16 PM

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.

Chip Thome · September 7th, 2011, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Thompson

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 ??? :-)

Travis Cossel · September 7th, 2011, 03:02 PM

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-...y-studios.html

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

Rodrigo de la Garza · September 7th, 2011, 03:40 PM

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.

Don Bloom · September 7th, 2011, 04:38 PM

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.

Chris Harding · September 7th, 2011, 05:55 PM

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

Katie Fasel · September 7th, 2011, 06:23 PM

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!

Don Bloom · September 7th, 2011, 08:34 PM

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
\--/

Joe Thompson · September 8th, 2011, 04:04 AM

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 ....

David Schuurman · September 8th, 2011, 08:13 AM

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.

Chris Harding · September 8th, 2011, 08:47 AM

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

Don Bloom · September 8th, 2011, 09:40 AM

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
\--/

Michael Bray · September 8th, 2011, 10:27 AM

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.

September 7th, 2011, 12:37 PM	#1
Katie Fasel Major Player Join Date: May 2011 Location: Grand Rapids, MI Posts: 236	Most Original Wedding Details... 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 :-)

September 7th, 2011, 01:02 PM	#2
Joe Thompson Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Ireland Posts: 70	Re: Most Original Wedding Details... 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.

September 7th, 2011, 01:16 PM	#3
Noel Lising Major Player Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 789	Re: Most Original Wedding Details... 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. __________________ Noel Lising

September 7th, 2011, 03:02 PM	#5
Travis Cossel Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 2,933	Re: Most Original Wedding Details... 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-...y-studios.html I thought it was a really cool interactive idea and a great way to help a couple with their relationship too. __________________ Black Label Films www.blacklabelweddingfilms.com

September 7th, 2011, 03:40 PM	#6
Rodrigo de la Garza New Boot Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Playa del Carmen, Mexico Posts: 19	Re: Most Original Wedding Details... 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.

September 7th, 2011, 04:38 PM	#7
Don Bloom Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,609	Re: Most Original Wedding Details... 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. __________________ What do I know? I'm just a video-O-grafer. Don

September 7th, 2011, 05:55 PM	#8
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Most Original Wedding Details... 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

September 7th, 2011, 06:23 PM	#9
Katie Fasel Major Player Join Date: May 2011 Location: Grand Rapids, MI Posts: 236	Re: Most Original Wedding Details... 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!

September 7th, 2011, 08:34 PM	#10
Don Bloom Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,609	Re: Most Original Wedding Details... 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 \--/ __________________ What do I know? I'm just a video-O-grafer. Don

September 8th, 2011, 04:04 AM	#11
Joe Thompson Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Ireland Posts: 70	Re: Most Original Wedding Details... 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 ....

September 8th, 2011, 08:13 AM	#12
David Schuurman Major Player Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Hamilton, ON Canada Posts: 369	Re: Most Original Wedding Details... 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. __________________ http://www.davidschuurman.com http://www.dsweddingcinema.com

September 8th, 2011, 08:47 AM	#13
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Most Original Wedding Details... 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

September 8th, 2011, 09:40 AM	#14
Don Bloom Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,609	Re: Most Original Wedding Details... 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 \--/ __________________ What do I know? I'm just a video-O-grafer. Don

September 8th, 2011, 10:27 AM	#15
Michael Bray Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Byron Center, MI Posts: 128	Re: Most Original Wedding Details... 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.