Kelvin and Shreya. 05.26.19
I couldn't sleep the night before Kelvin and Shreya's wedding. I don't know why exactly. I felt excited. This wasn't my first solo wedding in Asheville by any stretch, but there was a heavy sense of anticipation. I had toured Homewood back in January, and I just knew this one was going to be special.
What a frickin' beautiful venue. Can I just say that? I am saying that! Homewood in Asheville is stunning. And that's all there is to it.
I got to the venue much earlier in the morning just because I wanted to fly the drone and get a feel for the location in the early summer.
I returned early for my call time and arrived at the same Sarah Whitmeyer who was the photographer for the day. It's going to be very easy to recommend Sarah to anyone in the future. She was incredibly friendly right from the start and easygoing. We both have that team mentality as vendors go, and it makes it such an easier time getting the shots when everybody can work together like that.
Because Kelvin and Shreya had planned the wedding from afar, I was only able to meet them through the internet, so it was only there on the day that I discovered how genuine and free their smiles both are and how frequent their laughter. They are absolutely warm and kind in every way. I immediately felt the trust and patience that every vendor hopes to have from their clients. They were also there to have fun. This is always a good recipe for a successful video.
I believe the video speaks as a good summary of how the day felt and things looked, so I'll just skip to the reception here. THE RECEPTION. OH MY SWEET LORD, THE RECEPTION. The people were dancing. They let loose with joy and abandon, forgot the weight and worries of the day-to-day world, and they danced. The mixture of cultures and the absolutely perfect intimacy of Homewood's reception space made this easily one of the best receptions I've ever filmed. May I also say, Dow Oak Events, you killed it.
I went home and the next day went immediately to work on the sneak peek. Here's a piece of advice for a great wedding video. A genuinely invested officiant, a friend or a relative who knows you, can make a wedding video even greater. Kelvin and Shreya's officiant, Kenneth Trujillo did such an amazing job. His words provided a foundation for the story as it came together visually in the edit. I discovered this immediately in the sneak peek and then expanded that in the main edit.
Finally with the edit finished, there's always a moment where you send in the video and wait for the reaction. I had already felt like this was one of my favorite videos I'd ever made, so I was confident they'd like it. I waited all day for the reaction, but finally it came:
"Zach!! This was phenomenal!! I’m going to overuse exclamation points because there isn’t a better way to get across how awesome that was. You absolutely KILLED IT! I know I’m biased but I honestly felt like I was watching an award winning movie this is so good. Shreya lost it. I totally didn’t cry but there was like a stupid bug in my eye or something..."
My heart actually skipped a beat reading this email. Sounds cheesy, but it's true. I'm in this business because of clients like these.
Vendors
Venue: Homewood
Photographer: Sarah Whitmeyer Photography
Day of Coordinator, Homewood, Florist: Carolina Love Events
DJ: Dow Oak Events
Cake: Suarez Bakery
Caterer: Caroline Allured Catering
Bartender/Beverages: Asheville Beverage