Category: Weddings

You Will Change The World // Courtney and Mitchell’s Wedding Film from Pecan Springs in Brookshire, Texas

By on May 7, 2014 in Houston Weddings, Videos, Weddings

The minister summed it up best when he described this wedding to the guests as “the best thanksgiving weekend of your life.”  I wholeheartedly agree with that statement. Let’s talk about how I ended up spending my Saturday after Thanksgiving filming this day.

It all started when I agreed to film Bailey and Joel’s wedding way back in March 2013. Courtney is a good friend of Bailey and when Bailey mentioned she was having me film her wedding, Courtney gave me a call too. After  whirlwind of conversation including how her and Mitchell invited 650 people to a venue that holds 400, his proposal in front of 10,000 people, and a lot of talk about Jesus, we were booked and ready for the day. You ever hit it off completely with a total stranger and find yourself completely at ease like an old friend? That’s how it feels talking to Courtney and Mitchell. Yes, both of them. And now they are married.

Pecan SpringsSo I showed up with my crew that Saturday morning after Thanksgiving at Pecan Springs in Brookshire, Texas – just a little ways west of Houston. Incidentally, I’ve shot at the Springs Events wedding venues four times now, and they have always been great! But back to the story; one of the purposes of a wedding is to celebrate a joining of two people while they are surrounded by their family and closest friends. This celebration is normal and I see it every time I film a wedding. What was abnormal about Courtney and Mitchell’s wedding was just how vocal their friends and family members were about their love for them. I couldn’t go five minutes without one of the family members saying something great about them, how much they loved them, and how they were admired.

The minister continued this trend when he spoke about how they would change the world through their love of Jesus and his plans for them. He was echoed by Mitchell’s father telling them, “You will change the world, and through your children the world will be further changed.” The weight of that statement was felt by every person in the room, and I believe it only added to the excitement and joy of the day. The guests at this wedding were attending far more than just a normal wedding ceremony, they were witnessing the union of two world changers. That may sound cheesy, but if you meet Mitchell and Courtney you would believe it in a second.

First KissOn a less serious and more technical note, there were a lot of things that made this wedding fun to film. The weather was beautiful in a way that only an outdoor Texas wedding in November can be. The air was cool but not cold, the clouds streamed by quickly overhead, and the alligator played in the pond behind the venue. The venue owners said that a flood brought the gator to them, but I am still holding out hope that they name it and make it a venue mascot. “Gator Springs” has a nice sound to it! Incidentally, I brought my Konova motion controlled slider along to film timelapses, and managed to capture some really great ones of the venue. In the night timelapse of the pond with the stars overhead, you can actually see the alligator swimming around.

This is the first full wedding edit I have posted on my blog. I feel that it is one of the best stories I have told through my wedding films, and I didn’t want to lessen the message by sharing only the highlight film. That said, if you would like to watch the highlight film too, you can watch it below.

 

Special thanks to Taylor Stanley and Kylie Best for helping me film this wedding.

Download Courtney and Mitchell’s wedding film and highlight at whoismatt.com.

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It is a big help to me when you use any of the above product links to Adorama, Amazon, and B&H and when you get anything. It costs you nothing, and helps me keep my site running. I have bought from all of these websites and I highly recommend them for their service, quality, and shipping speed.  I recommend them all personally.

Interested in having me film your wedding?  Please contact me!

Turner Into A Bearden // Gracie and Blake’s Wedding Highlight Film from Northwest Bible Church and the Dallas Frontiers of Flight Museum

By on April 21, 2014 in Dallas Weddings, Videos, Weddings

“Turner into a Bearden” were the words chanted as Gracie and Blake left their wedding reception last November.  In case you didn’t get it, her last name “Turner,” sounded remarkably like “Turn Her,” which is exactly what the wedding did – it turned her into a Bearden. I knew immediately that I had the perfect title for their wedding film.

When I first spoke to Gracie about their wedding, she told me that they were going to “Felegant,” a mixture of fun and elegant. This became readily apparent when I learned that they were having their reception at the Dallas Frontiers of Flight Museum. With a father that is a pilot, I love airplanes and jump at any chance I have to film a flight themed wedding. This wedding had more than planes though, and it came with a packed dance floor, goofy groomsmen, and laughing bridesmaids throughout.

I should also mention that I knew over 3/4 of the people at Gracie and Blake’s wedding. These are friends from church, school, and College Station. Most are also incredibly goofy and great in front of the camera.

This was also the first wedding I’ve shot with the Sony FS700. It makes a beautiful picture much like my Sony FS100, but the 700 brings super slow motion video to the table, which really added to the fun of the wedding film.  Special thanks to Taylor Stanley for investing in this camera and shooting with me.

All these factors added up to a fun and elegant wedding, with Gracie and Blake making their vows in front of family and friends and then partying the night away. If you’re having a “felegant” wedding in the future and interested in having me film it, please get in touch!

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Cameras

Lenses

Equipment

It is a big help to me when you use any of the above product links to Adorama, Amazon, and B&H and when you get anything. It costs you nothing, and helps me keep my site running. I have bought from all of these websites and I highly recommend them for their service, quality, and shipping speed.  I recommend them all personally.

Interested in having me film your wedding?  Please contact me!

They Met On Match // Sara and Ryan’s Wedding Highlight Film from Olde Dobbin Station in Montgomery, Texas

By on April 2, 2014 in Houston Weddings, Videos, Weddings

I love getting to know the people at weddings.  Some weddings have a goofy groom or bride.  Some have a funny toast or a choreographed dance.  But I loved Sara and Ryan’s wedding because I felt like everyone at their wedding knew one another so well that any joke that was made was instantly understood by everyone.  It was like there was someone telling inside jokes, but were were all in on it so it made it even funnier.  When you watch their film I’m sure you will understand.

That everyone at the wedding knew each other so well wouldn’t surprise you, especially when you meet Sara.  I swear this bride has never met a stranger.  I was not only welcomed as a friend at their wedding, I felt like I was part of the family.  Between her friendliness and Ryan’s genuine kindness, it was obvious that these two were perfect for one another.  Moreover, it was apparent that their families were happy to be joined together.

I had a tough time editing their wedding film because there was just so much good stuff I wanted to put in it.  One of the fun things I did was shoot a lot more timelapses.  Special thanks to Taylor Stanley for helping me shoot this too.

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:: Technical Details :: 

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It is a big help to me when you use any of the above product links to Adorama, Amazon, and B&H and when you get anything. It costs you nothing, and helps me keep my site running. I have bought from all of these websites and I highly recommend them for their service, quality, and shipping speed.  I recommend them all personally.

Interested in having me film your wedding?  Please contact me!

An Avengers Themed Wedding // Emily and Jake’s Wedding Highlight Film From Raveneax Country Club in Spring, Texas

By on March 21, 2014 in Houston Weddings, Videos, Weddings

I’ve known Emily for going on five years now, and Jake for three.  Her and I met at Spoon’s Yogurt in College Station when she was photographing desserts for a friend’s food magazine.  Several months after meeting them I was chosen to be Impact Retreat’s Media Exec, meaning I was in charge of the photos, videos, and the website for the camp.  I ran into Emily again on campus and asked her if she wanted to be the Photographer for Impact.  Several years, many videos, and thousands of photos later, we both run companies that film and photograph weddings.

Jake entered the picture in 2011 and it was immediately apparent that he was perfect for Emily.  He also loves video games, Marvel, and anything superhero related which meant he was super cool in my book too.  I had suspicions they would be married, and when Jake emailed me asking if I could film his proposal they were confirmed.  Fast forward to November, and their wedding date was upon them.

I’ve heard it said, “Leave it to people that film and photograph weddings do it right,” and Emily was no exception to this rule.  Their wedding embodied the word classy, while still satisfying her quirks like requiring Blue Baker cookies shipped in from College Station, and her need to hand-make most of the decor.  Everything that Emily touched clearly matched her style, while everything that Jake touched matched his.

Let’s take a minute to talk about Jake’s style.  As I said, he loves anything made by Marvel, so it is no surprise that the wedding had the following:

  • Jake’s groomsmen all had Avengers themed cufflinks – each of a different superhero.
  • Instead of a Grooms cake, Emily hand created an entire miniature cityscape of cardboard and had Avengers themed cupcakes on top of the city skyscrapers.
  • When Jake and Emily left the reception, they drove off in a custom Captain America Dodge Challenger painted in the classic red white and blue with license plates that read “CPT USA” and a horn that sounded the Star Spangled Banner.

Clearly, they love their superheroes.  Of course I do too, so that made this wedding all the more fun.  If you are having a themed wedding, I would love to film it, so please get in touch!

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:: Technical Details :: 

Cameras

Lenses

Equipment

Editing

Color Grading

Music By

It is a big help to me when you use any of the above product links to Adorama, Amazon, and B&H and when you get anything. It costs you nothing, and helps me keep my site running. I have bought from all of these websites and I highly recommend them for their service, quality, and shipping speed.  I recommend them all personally.

Interested in having me film your wedding?  Please contact me!

Ready For Anything // Candace and Tyler’s Wedding Film From The Heights Villa in Houston, Texas

By on March 5, 2014 in Houston Weddings, Videos, Weddings

I love hearing how people find my site and watch my videos.  They often say they were searching for a wedding videographer on Google, or they saw a friend’s wedding film I made and are getting married soon themselves so they looked me up.  Regardless of how they find me, I’ve heard many of them tell me they started watching a random couple’s wedding film and then start to tear up, laugh, and experience the emotion of the day with the couple in the video.  Then someone they know comes into the room and asks why they are having an emotional outburst over a couple they’ve never met.

Candace and Tyler were getting married at the Heights Villa last year, and after searching for wedding films they saw Melissa and Mason’s wedding film I shot there in 2011.  They completely fell in love with the film, and wanted something just like it.  I was happy to oblige, and I made them a film that I think has the same feel as Melissa and Mason’s, but incorporates all the improvements I’ve made as a filmmaker in the past two and a half years.

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:: Technical Details ::  Cameras

Lenses

Equipment

Editing

Color Grading

Music By

It is a big help to me when you use any of the above product links to Adorama, Amazon, and B&H and when you get anything. It costs you nothing, and helps me keep my site running. I have bought from all of these websites and I highly recommend them for their service, quality, and shipping speed.  I recommend them all personally. Interested in having me film your wedding?  Please contact me!

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