Captured Productions

The JW Marriott

Last year we had the opportunity to shoot Zach & Andrea's wedding at the JW Marriott in downtown Grand Rapids.  Their reception was absolutely amazing.  Here is a little sneak peek at Zach & Andreas Reception Opener.  We look forward to our next wedding there.

Captured Productions - Click to play

pearls events :: blog spotlight interview

We came across Aletha's blog in our surf from blog to blog.  It is amazing the kind of information that is available on the internet.  Being in the wedding industry and shooting a lot of Grand Rapids weddings we were very excited to come across pearls events blog and website.  Aletha invests a lot of time and effort into covering all aspects of the wedding industry. Perusing through her blog I felt like I was looking at a bridal magazine except you can watch video on it too....sweet!  Many couples these days are part of myspace, facebook, and the online generation.  It is great to see a wedding coordinator who is in touch with where her clients are coming from and offering such a wealth of information. 

We were honored when Aletha asked us to be interviewed for a spotlight post on her blog.  Check out this interview on her blog.  If you want help in planning your wedding day or if you want to be a guest at your own wedding, or if you just want some great ideas check out pearls events blog and website.

Video Featured on Design Aglow Blog

If you are part of the photography world you have most likely heard of Design Aglow and their many enhancements for photographers.  I used some of these templates in my promotional video for Sara Anthony Photography, which was recently featured on their blog.  These templates are not just limited to photography, and worked great for video as well.  I am looking forward to future uses of these templates.

A Sneak Peek from the JW Marriott

Renee’ & I got to finish out our last wedding of 2007 at the JW Marriott in Grand Rapids. We found Zach and Andrea through Nancy Dobry of RSVP Invitations & Bridal Consulting. Zach & Andrea had a beautiful ceremony at First Evangelical Covenant Church in Grand Rapids and then it was off to the JW Marriott, the brand new high-rise in the downtown Grand Rapids skyline. We had heard good things, but this was the first time that Renee’ & I filmed there and I have to say, it lived up to its reputation.

We were taken back by how beautiful the International Ballroom was decorated, which should be expected since Nancy, Marisa, and Amy from RSVP were in charge. The beautiful floral backdrop was created by Beth of Gumina Flowers.  Entertainment was provided by Rick Reuther Music Productions, you've gotta love live Christmas music.  Rick was very organized and did a great job of orchestrating the entire evening.  Zach & Andrea opted to have 2 large 42" plasmas to share their photo montage with their guests.

My favorite shots came at the end of the evening when Tim of Motley Cat Studio & I took Zach & Andrea outside the JW for some amazing shots by the glow of the JW Marriott.  Tim was great to shoot with, his energy is contagious.  This is the first time we have had the chance to shoot with Tim, we can't wait to see the great images that he captured.

We captured tons of great footage and now the process of telling Zach & Andrea's story begins.  After going through all of the footage, we can't wait to create their wedding day movie.  Until there here is a sneak peek of their wedding day.  Zach & Andrea thank you for treating us like family the entire day.  Enjoy your wedding movie trailer.                                       

                                       
                    Captured Productions - Click To Play                   

                                       

Dan Johnson Photography = Fun!

At the end of 2007, we had the privilege to shoot a promotional video for Dan Johnson Photography in Grand Rapids.  I have to say after seeing the passion behind Dan Johnson Photography, I'm sold.  If you are getting married, your wedding day will be in good hands with Dan, Jodi, Kyle, & Katie.  Dan wanted to portray the fun that they have on their shoots as well as the passion and energy that goes into every shoot.  Be looking for this video on their site.  Enjoy this high energy promotional video and contact Dan and his team for more information, or visit their website at http://www.djcustomphoto.com.

Captured Productions - Click To Play

A Quote from Carrie Reid of The Henry Ford

Earlier this summer we worked with Carrie Reid at Tracy & Bree's wedding at the Henry Ford.  Bree had forwarded Carrie the link of her Wedding Movie Trailer and had a chance to see our work.  She was very moved by our work and sent us this quote for our testimonials page.

"Captured Productions videos are brilliant! I get tears in my eyes every time I see one."

It is great to see yet one more person experience the power of video.  Thank you Carrie for sharing your kind words and we look forward to working with you in the future.

A Sneak Peek at Jim & Kristin's Mackinac Island Wedding

We just got back from a week on Mackinac Island. You may recall the wedding we did last year on Mackinac Island for Billy & Kristen (the one highlighted in the Knot). Billy & Kristen and their wedding coordinator Carole Erbel referred Jim & Kristin to us. We were honored to be entrusted to capture their day considering Kristen's background in video production for WGN in Chicago.

After the 50 mph winds, heavy rains and rolling white caps cleared, you couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day with neon blue skies, a slight breeze, and 65 degrees....oh ya, and it was on beautiful Mackinac Island.

Their wedding was held in the gardens at Mission Point Resort, with their reception following inside the Mission Point Resort overlooking the Straits of Mackinac, where the band Jelly Roll kept the dance floor packed and dancing late into the night. Between their ceremony and reception Jim & Kristen road down Main Street on a horse drawn carriage. It was like they were celebrities as all of the onlookers cheered and wished their best.

We went on to the boardwalk where I worked alongside Melisa McKolay from Traverse City whose work is beautiful. Our approach to capturing the wedding day was very similar, stepping back, letting you be you, and shooting away. The shots we got there were absolutely breathtaking. To see some of her recent work check out her blog.

A lot of work goes into a destination wedding and the day couldn't have gone any smoother thanks to their wedding coordinator Carole Erbel who was there every step of the way making sure everything went as planned making sure Jim & Kristin's day was all that they dreamed of.  If you ever thought about having a destination wedding on Mackinac Island, you have to contact Carole.  If you have never considered Mackinac Island for your wedding, you may reconsider after watching Jim & Kristin's wedding movie trailer.

Thank you Jim & Kristin for entrusting us to capture one of the most important days of your life.  We look forward to creating a movie that you will watch again and again, and will share with generations to come. Until then here is the trailer to your wedding day movie.

Captured Productions - Click To Play

Captured Productions Featured in The Knot - Michigan

For those of you who have followed our blog since last year will definitely remember Kristen & Billy's wedding on Mackinac Island.  Not only were Billy & Kristen one of the nicest couples but they had a wedding day to remember.  The Knot must have thought so as well.  Kristen & Billy's wedding was featured in the Fall/Winter edition of The Knot. Not only did Billy & Kristen express their love of their wedding movie to us, but they referred us to their friends which two of them have already booked. We love it when the power of video catches on.  Thank you Billy & Kristen for sharing.  We look forward to seeing you at the next wedding.

Billy & Kristen thanks again for the kinds words....they are definitely worth sharing....

Aaron and Renee'
We adore our DVD's..they arrived right when you said they would..and we watched it with our family over the weekend..just beautiful!!  Every song you chose too, we LOVE..it's perfect, perfect!  Thank you for your artistry in this video, I told Billy "this looks like celebrity weddings" it was just beautiful how you edited everything, the footage you captured, everything! I am SO glad we had you both there, so we can sit back and enjoy how our day looked, forever!  Our future children and grandkids will love this, I'm sure!!! :)

Kristen

A Weekend at the Amway Grand

We have shot at the Amway Grand before, but I have to say that this was one of the most elegant weddings we have ever shot there. It is no surprise since the entire day was coordinated by Nancy Dobry of RSVP Invitations & Bridal Consulting and her assistant Amy.

Not only does Nancy coordinate the wedding day, but she works with the couple in finding the wedding professionals that are a perfect fit for their wedding day.  This was no exception we worked along side several exceptional wedding professionals.

The reception was held at the Amway Grand in downtown Grand Rapids where they hosted over 300 of Matt & Jenny's family and friends for an amazing evening.  The flowers were arranged by Daylily Floral and were absolutely beautiful.

We were very impressed with Brandon from Modern Photographics who not only worked well with Matt, Jenny, & the wedding party, but also pulled off one of the fastest photo shoots between the ceremony and the reception that I have ever seen.  Matt & Jenny were eager to get to the Amway Grand to enjoy their evening with family and friends and just wanted some fun shots with their wedding party.  Brandon fit about 2 hours of shooting in about 30 minutes.  You would expect the wedding party to be stressed out by this photo sprint or for the images to be so...so... but not only did the wedding party work well with Brandon and the tight time line, but I saw the images and they are awesome.  Brandon...YOU ROCK!

On a separate note the post ceremony shots were at the same spot that Matt proposed.  Below is one of Brandon's photos of the spot that Matt proposed.  You can see more of his images on his blog.

A Sneak Peek at Chad & Kate's Wedding Day

We just finished up shooting a wedding movie for Chad & Kate on 07-07-07 (can't get a better anniversary date than that).  What a great couple.  They had such great plans for their wedding movie that they stopped by our studio for a design session. You have to understand, they have become quite the Connoisseurs of our work since Chad is the 3rd in their family to have hired us to capture their wedding day. It is great to work with people who truly appreciate the power of video and it's ability to bring you back to one of the best days of your life again and again.

We were treated as family amongst their guests and were honored to be trusted to capture yet another of their family's wedding days.  Their ceremony and reception were at the beautiful Apple Mountain where Abbey went out of her way to make sure everything ran smoothly. It was pretty impressive to watch her get a wedding party of 16 down the aisle all at the right time and correct order.

I think that this is the 6th wedding in the past few years where Pastor John from St. Johns Lutheran presided.  John's peaceful demeanor is a breath of fresh air.  Not only does he deliver a great wedding day message, but put everyone at ease and as always worked very well with us.  Thank you John, it was great working with you again!

That evening we worked with Chuck from Sound Productions.  We have worked with Chuck many times in the past and I can say he truly loves what he does. At one wedding I remember him saying "I love doing this so much I would do it for free"...probably shouldn't take him up on this.  He orchestrates the flow of the evening very well. He is always aware of everything going on around him and is keeping us in the loop on the evenings special events and when they will be happening...thanks Chuck!

This wedding was one of those where I get eager to look at the footage as soon as I get home.  I couldn't resist posting a sneak peek of their wedding day to share with their family and friends....so until the feature film is released here is the trailer to their wedding day movie.

Captured Productions - Click To Play

In celebration of Chad's other sibling's weddings that we produced over the years....Here's to Justin & Kelly!

Captured Productions - Click To Play

and to Mike & Sarah!

Captured Productions - Click To Play