Author: Matt

Elevators: we walk up, press the call button, and wait for what feels like an eternity for the *ding* signifying our ride has arrived. Soon a stranger joins us in waiting for our vertical transport, and we both silently look down, up, anywhere to avoid eye contact with each other. If our eyes happen to meet, an awkward smile ensues followed by more silence, or at most, a quip about how long these things take. But what if this short moment with a stranger could be so much more? What if, unbeknownst to us, this is the most important moment of our lives?

Two years ago on a rainy evening in Pittsburgh, a girl from Texas named Jordyn found herself waiting for an elevator at her hotel. Soon a guy from Chicago named Steven joined her in waiting for the dumb-waiter. They made eye contact, smiled, but Steven didn’t waste his time with a quip about elevator speed. He recognized this as a moment that could change their lives and he took it. That chance meeting at an elevator led to three hours together the next day in the hotel lobby. Three weeks later, Steven was on a flight to Texas to meet her family, and nearly every weekend after one of them was flying to Chicago or Houston to visit the other.

Romance barely begins to describe these two...

Romance barely begins to describe these two…

After a year of flights, Jordyn and Steven found themselves on the beach in Pensacola, Florida. As the Sun set on the horizon and the waves lapped on the shore, Steven fished a ring box out of his (according to Jordyn) too tight jeans, dropped to a knee, and proposed. That moment, and for that matter their entire wedding, would have never been possible without an earlier moment involving an elevator and a choice to talk to a stranger. I know for a fact that both Jordyn and Steven will never look at an elevator the same way again.

Filmed with the Sony A7Sii, Sony FS700, and Sony FS100. Edited with Adobe Premiere. Colored with Magic Bullet Looks.

Interested in having me film your wedding? Please get in touch!

In some ways, I like a wedding rehearsal dinner better than reception. It’s usually smaller, more intimate, and only encompasses the closest friends and family of the bride and groom. Distant friends, acquaintances, and wedding crashers aren’t allowed, resulting in deeper conversations and a more palpable sense of joy.

At my first meeting with Amalee and Todd, they told me how their families were close and how they practically grew up together hunting, fishing, and working on their trucks. It’s one thing to hear about family bonds, but its another altogether to actually experience it firsthand.

When I first arrived at the Lowake Steakhouse (I have it on good authority this is the best steak for miles, they’ve been open since 1951), I realized I should feel a little out of place with my subcompact car surrounded by diesel trucks. But maybe it was the friendliness of their family, or maybe they put something in the steak, regardless I was immediately greeted warmly, and regaled with tales of Amalee and Todd as children. Three glasses of sweet tea and one Ribeye later, I felt felt like I was a part of the family.

If there’s one thing I’m thankful for Amalee and Todd reminding me of, its that weddings are not only a joining of two people, but of two families. And in their case, they are some of the nicest families I’ve ever met.

Filmed with the Sony FS100, FS700, and Canon 7D.

**And because all of you keep asking, this is the last wedding film I didn’t shoot with an A7Sii. Every wedding film from here on is filmed with the A7Sii. 🙂

Thanks so much for watching. If you would like to have me film your wedding, please get in touch.

Some people have a glow about them. A spark. A sense of Joy that is bubbling right under the surface of their personality.  It’s not just joy though, its happiness, laughter, smiling, and love all at once. I’m sure you know someone like that. I would also say that if you ask them about it, for most people, they would say it is because they love Jesus and he brings it out of them.

When I met Nicole and Estevan over fish tacos (because if you have to have a meeting, its best to have one over tacos), I could see their glow. It was obvious when Nicole looked at Estevan, smiled, and told me why they wanted to get married. Moreso, the joy in the room was a bit overwhelming when Estevan laughed about some part of their story; these big belly laughs that rolled out of his chest and honestly made me want to make him laugh more. When we finished that meeting, it was obvious that they not only loved each other, but that they also loved Jesus.

#NicoleandEstiefortherestie

#NicoleandEstiefortherestie

This fact was cemented even more on their wedding day. Their families were excited, friends were thrilled, and I ended up having to cut down over half of the good things the minister had to say about them to fit it all into this wedding film. And of course, it wouldn’t be a wedding in 2015 without a good hashtag, or six. Recommendations included, #marryingmolinar, #nicoleandestiefortherestie, #buildinganestiewithestie, #beourguestevan, #houseboyforever, #nicoleyguacamole. Take your pick when sharing this film.

Check out Nicole and Estevan’s highlight film below:

Shot with the Sony FS100Canon 7D, and Canon 5DMK2. Edited in Premiere Pro CC. Colored with Magic Bullet Looks.

Interested in having me film your wedding? Get in touch!

I met my wife at a smoothie and movie party. Of course I didn’t know she would be my wife in that moment, but I did feel an immediate connection. It ended up taking a year of friendship and two years of dating before we made our marriage official. I still remember that first moment our eyes met, and our first conversation.

When I hear Gabriel speak about how he first saw Kaydrian, he speaks with the same fondness I do when I speak about how I met my wife. He was sitting in speech class at college (no smoothies or movies in sight), when Kaydrian walked up to present her speech. To hear him describe it, you would think an angel floated in through a window while harps played and a childrens choir sang. It may not have been that dramatic, but it still left an impression on his heart and mind.

Together

I considered inserting some angels into this scene…

Kaydrian’s story of how they met takes a less heavenly tone. She talks about public speaking in the same way that vegans talk about burger joints. Her quieter demeanor didn’t lend itself well to speeches, and she said she didn’t actually notice Gabriel at all while stumbling through her presentation. That evening though, once the speeches were finished and she could relax, she happened to run into him at a bar. From then on they were inseparable, seeing each other every day, and not just in speech class.

Soon after they started dating, a major curveball hit their relationship. Gabriel’s company moved to Dallas and wanted him to move too. It was then that he asked Kaydrian to uproot herself, from all her close friends and family and move with him.

She said yes.

This was probably the second moment that Gabriel saw an angel and heard harps playing. It is also the second moment that I saw a similarity between Kaydrian and Gabriel’s story and my own. Around the same time Kaydrian was pulling up roots and moving to Dallas for Gabriel, I was doing the same for my soon to be wife, Rachel. I couldn’t envision life without her.

When filming weddings, it is so easy to get caught up in the day of the event, but it is important to consider everything leading up to it. The small decisions to come up and speak with someone, that lead to bigger decisions to date them, followed by life-changing decisions to move cities and get married. I’m glad that I get to be a part of one of these moments.

You can also watch Kaydrian and Gabriel’s wedding highlight film below:

Shot with the Sony FS100Canon 7D, and Canon 5DMK2A. Edited in Premiere Pro CC. Colored with Magic Bullet Looks.

Interested in having me film your wedding? Get in touch!

To fully grasp why a wedding film was so important to Jordan and James, we need to go back one year to their proposal.

In Rio De Janeiro.

During the World Cup.

Things are starting to get incredible aren’t they? Keep in mind that they had been dating for over three years, and Jordan knew a proposal was coming at some point. She had also made it clear to James that Rio was not an ideal location to be waving a huge diamond ring around and he better not propose while they were down there. Never one to lose the element of surprise though, James ignored that request. As the sun set in Rio, with all the crazed world cup fans, under the Christ The Redeemer Statue, James asked Jordan to marry him. He got on one knee, with tourists snapping pictures all around them, while she stared into his eyes.

At this point, they both blacked out (Mentally, not physically).

Seriously, they have photos but no memories of exactly what happened after that. Their brains were so excited that they forgot to make memories.

They wanted to remember moments like this!

They wanted to remember moments like this!

Fast forward to their wedding planning. They realized they wanted a way to remember their wedding, exactly as it happened. Every smile, look, touch and moment. I may be a little biased, but I believe a film is the best way to do that. Jordan and James must be biased too because they agreed with me.

You can watch their highlight film below:

Special thanks to Taylor Stanley and my wife for helping me film this day. Shot with the Sony FS100, Sony FS700, and Canon 7D. Edited in Premiere Pro CC. Colored with Magic Bullet Looks.

Interested in having me film your wedding? Get in touch!