I just love this little man. So sweet. I mean… look at that FACE. Adorable.

I’m currently trying to figure out which to have printed on a big canvas. I’m actually a little happy he was so fussy during the shoot, because if I had any more images to choose from, I’d have even more trouble deciding which one to print!

Thank you Kelli for capturing our Tan so perfectly. We are forever thankful to you. Much Love♥.

]]> http://gatorbride.com/tanners-newborn-photo-session/feed/ 0 http://gatorbride.com/baby-tanner-week-1-video/#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://gatorbride.com/baby-tanner-week-1-video/#comments Sat, 20 Apr 2013 23:44:11 +0000 Mrs Gator http://gatorbride.com/?p=7343

Those who are Facebook friends with us (Hey – yo!) or follow our company Facebook page, GBVideo, know that we have recently welcomed our little man into the world. Tanner was born March 28th and weighed in at 8 lbs 3 oz and 19.5 inches of pure perfection. I had a crazy fast labor experience, which I will be writing about shortly. When he was ready to make his debut, he certainly didn’t diddle daddle. The first few days were surreal. We kept saying “He’s really here? He’s really here!” and “I can’t believe we made him, he’s perfect.”

As videographers, we had BIG plans to make a super epic birth video (minus all the actual pushing, etc – and PG rated, of course). We had our bare bones camera gear packed and ready for the hospital a few days before I went into labor. Just the necessities to capture what we wanted to capture – to tell the story of the birth of our little one. Well… all our best laid plans went right out the window as soon as my water broke, as we went into full on panic mode since the first contractions I had were about 1 min 30 seconds to 2 minutes apart. But, I’ll save that for another post!

Since these first time parents were overwhelmed, in a panic, and this Mommy insisted Daddy get the camera out of her face while she was in labor… we only ended up with a bunch of purely random clips from before, after and the week following Tanner’s birth. You’ll even get a sneak peek of Tanner’s newborn session with Kelli of Beautiful Moments Photography. :)

Tanner // Week 1 from Gator Bride Videography on Vimeo.

He is absolutely amazing and we are in love with this little guy. Every time we look at his little face we are amazed we could create such a perfect little human being. {sigh} He makes my heart sing.

Beloved Photography by Kristin Kozelsky from Gator Bride Videography on Vimeo.

Kristin Kozelsky is a Gainesville-based photographer specializing in “Beloved” photography. Kristin contacted us to help her create a promotional video which would describe to potential clients what a “Beloved” photography session is and how their relationship could potentially benefit from one.

When we first met with Kristin, we were a little confused about what a “Beloved” session was. We knew it wasn’t your typical photo session – but couldn’t quite understand exactly how it worked. So – we knew a promotional video would be the perfect way for Kristin to describe what she does. And really, what better way to understand something more fully than through sound, motion and images?

We met Kristin in St. Augustine, FL with her clients, Art and Carol, for their session. We thank Art and Carol for allowing us to tag along on such an emotion-filled session, and for expressing their thoughts on the session so beautifully. Y’all were awesome!

Interested in a promotional video for your company? Have an idea for a totally awesome video – just need the team to make it happen? Contact our sister-company, Chomp On Creative Co, to have a one-of-a-kind promotional piece created for you!

Michael + Katherine // New Year’s Eve Wedding Highlight Reel from Gator Bride Videography on Vimeo.

Michael and Katherine were married on New Year’s Eve in Gainesville, FL. They had a beautiful evening ceremony at the Baughman Center on campus (Which feels a million times better in winter than summer. Hello mini-greenhouse!), followed by a ritzy, old hollywood-feel reception at Jolie Events downtown in Gainesville. The Groom and Groomsmen wore black tuxes with bow ties (love bow ties), while the ladies wore black bridesmaid dresses. And Katherine? Totally gorgeous decked out in a lace mermaid-style dress. Serious fabulous-ness.

With this being our first New Year’s Wedding, we didn’t really know what to expect. But – I’ll tell you – we didn’t expect the party that was Kat and Michael’s reception. There was everything from crazy-wild dancing, late night burger sliders as snacks, NYE party hats and crowns, and even a caricature artist on-hand drawing funny renditions of their guests as party favors. Kat and Michael certainly thought of it all.

Kat and Michael chose some pretty awesome vendors to make their NYE Wedding dreams a reality. It was great working with Adore Events, Ryan Caffrey Photography, Jolie Events, the Baughman Center, and Image Insight Makeup Artistry. I know I’m missing quite a few others in there – please contact me!

Thank you Michael and Kat for allowing us to capture your gorgeous NYE Wedding. It isn’t one we’re soon to forget. :) Much♥

Maybe a little extreme, eh? Flickr

We are contacted all the time by couples who would like to use the most recent Lady Gaga, Colbie Calliet or Jason Mraz hit for their films. We would LOVE to make them the happiest couples ever and say “SURE!” but we wouldn’t be doing our jobs as cinematographers and honest business owners by doing so.

Why it’s important your wedding videographer uses licensed music:

Numero Uno—it’s totally illegal (& not very nice).

One of the most infamous cases of illegal music gone bad is Joe Simon of Joe Simon Films. He put together a totally breathtaking wedding video to one of Coldplay’s songs for Cowboys’ Quarterback, Tony Romo’s wedding. The video went viral and soon after he was contacted by the record label’s legal team. He  later ended up settling the case to an amount in the 5-figures range ($XX,XXX). That is a ton of change for a small business. He likens using unlicensed music (music purchased from iTunes, Amazon, given by Client, etc), to playing Russian Roulette. You never know when you’ll get caught, and when you do you might receive more than just a cease and desist letter.

What does this mean for wedding clients?

If your videographer is forced to remove your wedding film from the internet—due to illegal song usage—sharing it through e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc., with your friends and family is out of the question!

Our thoughts? Make sure your videographer uses licensed music and support a totally awesome Artist in the process!

Ben Rector – one of our favs.

Did you know that in order for the average Artist to make $1,000 US Dollars a month (minimum wage), they must sell:

“1,160 CDs with high-end royalty deal OR 4,000 CDs low-end royalty deal OR 1,200 iTunes full album downloads.” That’s crazy for up-and-coming Musicians. Right?

Enter… The Music Bed and licensing:

Daniel Mccarthy, Founder and Co-Owner of The Music Bed, says:

“By licensing a song, you are telling not only the artist that you like and respect their work, but you are telling everyone who sees your project that you respect other artists. As a photographer, if you were driving down the road and you saw a billboard with one of your images on it, what would you think? As a videographer, if you’re watching television and see a clip from something that you shot on a commercial, what would you think?

Just like you, recording artists are putting their time, talent, and effort into making something extraordinary and, just like you, they would like compensation for some of their work.”

The Music Bed’s Triangle of Power – or what they like to call “Circle of Love”

When we were first starting out, we discovered The Music Bed and fell in love. Not only do they provide amazing tunes for just about any film you can imagine, they also connect filmmakers with musicians, and help grow their fan base. We love win-win situations like these!

Also, The Music Bed provides music that allows a filmmaker to let their story shine through, and not just the song. We want you to think back to your wedding film in 5, 10, or 20 years from now and say, “WOW, what an incredible video… and the story of us… it was so beautifully captured,” not “Man I’m so sick of hearing that Jason Mraz song. I wish we had chosen a different song for our film.” Okay, so no offense to Jason Mraz (we personally love him and chose him for OUR wedding film a few years ago before we were privy to the knowledge we have now), but, we want your film to be about YOU, not about the artist. Sound good? :)

And you know what? We are so lucky because so many of our clients agree. Which is why we always choose the song for your Wedding Film.

After capturing your wedding, we come home and think about the story we’d like to tell based on what we captured. Then we spend hours (and sometimes days!! seriously days…) searching for the absolutely most-perfect song for your film. We’ve got to fine one that will allow us to best express the emotions of your story and tell it in a way that will blow your mind.

Another cool thing? So many clients come back to us to let us know how much they love their song. We’ve made so many new Holley Maher, Tim Halperin, Ben Rector, etc., fans out there – it’s totally awesome. We love that we are supporting an artist ♥.

Quinn Erwin of the Afterlife Parade puts it well when he said, “All Artists and Musicians need moments of affirmation regarding their work that reminds them that what they are creating has value.”

And we couldn’t agree more!

Check out this video about The Music Bed and Song licensing, made by the ridiculously-awesome team, Shade Tree Films (one of our role-models!)

We love you Music Bed. Rock on.

Book the Ultimate Wedding Day Photo/Video Team. We’ve paired up with the awesome folks at Matt Whytsell Photography to provide y’all with an awesome joint package.

Since we love working with Matt, James and Heather – we thought, why not give a little incentive for couples to book both of us together? So, without further adieu, here is our awesome joint package.

2 Great Teams, 1 Awesome Price

Photography:

• Up to 8 hours of wedding day coverage
• Online Cloud Access to all edited images (Details: www.pass.mattwhytsell.com)
• Print Release for High Resolution Downloads from PASS
• Unlimited photos of your day (As many as can be captured in the time frame)
• Online Blog Post to share with family and friends (www.mwpic.com)
• Custom Client Website to share with family and friends (Example: http://weaverwedding.mattwhytsell.com)
• Second Shooter
• On-Location 1 Hour Engagement Session
• Online Cloud Access to Engagement Photos from PASS
• Print Release for High Resolution Engagement Downloads from PASS

Videography:

• 2 Videographers, 2 HD cameras
• Feature Film - NEW! 10+ minutes in length; an extended version of our highlight reels packed with more incredible moments from your wedding day (double the fun!)
• Copy of feature film delivered on thumb drive
• 8 hours of coverage

TOTAL $4,000

(saving $1,750 if booked together!)

We are super excited about our joint package. Basically, on our end, you get our Package 2 for the price of Package 1. How cool is that?

Tell anyone you know who is getting hitched. This is a deal that won’t be around forever!

Important Info: This package is pending availability. Please understand that both companies must have your wedding date free, thus allowing you to book both companies for your date. Please inquire about this package and we will insure your date is available on both companies’ calendars. :)

Matt Whytsell Photography

So, I know I haven’t blogged a ton about our upcoming arrival. Truly, I have no idea where the time went! I feel like it was just yesterday that we were finding out we were pregnant, and now here I am at 36 weeks – with only 4 more weeks to go!

Kyle practicing his reading with little Pepper in Tan-man’s room.

So far, we have the stroller (hello amazing eBay Bugaboo find), his room is all put together minus a few little projects and this coming weekend I’m going to start packing our hospital bag. We’ve taken the newborn care classes, toured the hospital and watched numerous childbirth class and breastfeeding DVDs (love the Laugh n Learn series through Netflix).

We had an awesome baby shower thrown by Gator Momma. So many friends and family in attendance showering little Tan-man with gifts. We are truly blessed.

Em and Nessa getting chummy with Tanner.

Kyle and I. I look HUGE. How did this happen? :)

Awesome onesie decorating organized by Em. She’s the best. And yes that is an ombre gator. LOVE.

It’s funny. I had all these “ideas” before we got pregnant. I blame Pinterest. I thought I’d take weekly photos of “the bump,” spend my days doing DIY canvas prints for his room, sew his bedding, purchase expensive modern rockers, make little plush toys, etc. I also thought I would continue to wear “normal” clothes like all the fashionistas on Pinterest. But – that wasn’t reality. I’m totally in maternity clothes, but adorable ones (OF COURSE) from Motherhood Maternity.

For awhile, it was so hard for me to manage my expectations. I think being so sick in the first trimester put a bit of a damper on my DIY mood. Plus, changing jobs at that time (and going full time GBVideo and Chomp On), moving to a new house/city, and trying to keep up with our work load had something to do with it. I’m now just seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Hoping I can work in a little “maternity leave” before Tanner is here. I might attempt some DIY then! Fingers crossed. XX

Hoping to finish up Tan’s nursery soon. Be on the lookout for a full post!

Till Then. Much Love.

Our beautiful booth Kyle built. Love it.
Russell Martin Photography

Kyle capturing some video of the Fashion Show.
Russell Martin Photography

We had a great time at the Fairytale Wedding Show. This was our very first bridal show, so we wanted to make a big splash with an awesome booth. Design started right after Christmas, and Kyle has worked just about every weekend since, building our booth. Since this little lady has been getting bigger and bigger (hello 3rd trimester!), he’s mostly had to build our booth by himself. Poor guy. I did provide emotional support – checking up him – bringing him snacks and drinks. So, I feel like I contributed, somewhat. :)

We had a super rockin’ giveaway at the show. We gave away a FREE Love Story Video Session. And the winner? Miss Leah Shoniker! Leah – contact us to work out the details. :)

Alright y’all – back to the grind. We have a New Year’s highlight reel coming soon, a pretty sweet photographer promotional video and – SOON – the arrival of our little bundle of sweetness, Tan-man. Can’t wait!

Much Love.

Matt + Natalie // The Proposal from Gator Bride Videography on Vimeo.

Okay, this is a video that is incredibly special to us. Matt of Matt Whytsell Photography contacted us a few weeks ago with an idea to capture on video his proposal to his long-time girlfriend, Natalie. Our answer? Heck yes.

We have been dreaming of capturing a wedding proposal on film. We were practically pinching ourselves when Matt asked us. We felt so lucky and honored that he would choose us to capture such a special and priceless moment.

We met Matt about an hour before Natalie’s flight came in. Why was he proposing at an airport? Watch the video above to find out.

Matt’s awesome 2nd shooter, James, was on hand to capture some pretty sweet pictures.

Love♥

Lakeside Ranch // Promotional Video from Gator Bride Videography on Vimeo.

Lakeside Ranch is an old Florida ranch opening its gates for weddings, corporate events, or just about anything you can think of. They have a beautiful lake for bass fishing, horses to ride, horse-drawn carriages, a golf course, skeet-shooting range, a bonfire, and so much more. We were brought on to create a promotional video for the grand-opening of the ranch. We went out and spent two days capturing some pretty awesome footage of the natural beauty of the ranch along with their beautiful horses and event locations.

A bunch of great vendors were involved in the promotional shoot and Launch Party for Lakeside Ranch. We had so much fun hanging out with  Russell Martin Photography (who took all the photos in this post and are totally awesome!),  Strings for Things, The Occasional Cake Company,  Party Time Rentals, Keith Watson Productions,  Studio 352 Events, Al Dee Productions, and A Bridal Boutique.

We produced their promotional video through our parent-company, Chomp On Creative Co. Be sure to check out our new website and like us on Facebook! Chomp On Creative Co is our business-to-business company where we create modern, engaging marketing/promotional videos for local business. We make videos for companies big and small. We’ve made (and are working on) films for corporate companies, like Info Tech, to small local business, like Lakeside Ranch and local photographers (stay tuned for that).

We truly enjoy what we do and are so excited for our newest venture into promotional videos. It is so much fun to capture a company’s story and help their business grow through the aid of video.

We have so much in store for Chomp On Creative Co. Can’t wait to share with y’all!