I shot two weddings this past weekend,one on Saturday and one on Sunday. It got me to thinking about the differences between the two weddings. When you are in the wedding video business (and the wedding industry in general),you find yourself grouping all of the weddings into a single category,never dwelling on the true uniqueness of each wedding.
Only when closely juxtaposed together as were the weddings of Nick and Molly and then Sean and Sandi do you really begin to reflect on how each wedding is different and beautiful in its own right. And the clear thing to me is that it has little to do with how much everything costs. It is really about letting your wedding reflect who you are.
Nick and Molly got married at the Basilica in downtown Baltimore
Nick and Molly got married at the grandiose and beautiful Basilica in downtown Baltimore,Maryland. The reception was at the equally grand Radisson Lord Baltimore. Needless to say both venues provided for the best wedding videography opportunities. There were probably 350 guests each dressed to the tee. And man did they have a good time. The final rendition of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man”(an apparent family tradition) by the majority of guests in unison with the wedding band,Cry Monday, was rousing and provided a real denouement to the fantastical wedding day. It was a little steamy that day,but photographs at Mount Vernon in Baltimore were beautiful and the whole scenario was a wedding videographers dream in terms of utopian backdrops.
Sandi and Sean got married on the pier at Anchor Inn in Pasadena,Maryland
Sean and Sandi got married on the water down at the Anchor Inn in Pasadena,Maryland,also a beautiful spot run by Uptown Caterers who also own Celebrations at the Bay,among others. Their wedding catering is phenomenal by the way. Sean and Sandi exchanged vows on the outside deck and the weather was perfect for it. A big storm rolled in during the toasts,but everyone was safe and comfortable inside the wedding venue at that point so it didn’t matter. If anything,it added a little light show to the proceedings. There were probably 140 guests who were in more relaxed attire. Sandi is a self-described “parrot head”for those Jimmy Buffett fans,so there was a beach theme and appropriate wedding music to go along with it. Like at Nick and Molly’s wedding,there was a lot of dancing and people seemed to have a good time.
From ceremony location to attire to photographs to centerpieces and decorations,the weddings couldn’t have been at more opposite ends of the spectrum. Each bride and groom made the day their own and that’s how they’ll remember it. That’s why it will be special for them and that’s why it will be memorable for their guests.
