Dexter & Sophie rocked it. I don’t think we’ve ever seen a groom with this much enthusiasm and the dance moves to back it up. His zest for life was totally contagious as you can see from the video. From the moment he stepped foot into the wedding venue, his energy electrified the atmosphere. With a megawatt smile adorning his face, Dexter greeted guests with hugs, high-fives, and hearty laughs, setting the tone for a celebration brimming with joy and excitement. We just let the camera roll and they delivered. But equally amazing were the vows and how much raw emotion, thought and care went into them to create such a well balanced wedding.

Of course, we love filming at Botanica because of the lush foliage (like most Trademark venues) and tropical themes. There’s none of the stress of traveling to multiple locations, parking etc. So nice. As you can imagine the reception was a banger with an amazing first dance and insane open dancing. We had so much fun filming this wedding and wish them the best.

View more of our films from Botanica Here

This wedding was so much fun! I’ve known Danielle for years and getting to film her and Andrew tie the knot was such an honor. It’s weird to think that their venue Carmel Mountain Ranch Estate is no longer around. We have been filming there for so many years and hate to see it go.

We just loved their personal vows and the story of how they met. We always tell people that personal vows really make the wedding so much more unique and memorable. In a strange twist in the ceremony the officiant accidentally forgot to have them read their vows. Whoops. Luckily, we were able to take a moment after the ceremony and film them reading them to each other which we actually edited nicely right into the ceremony.

It was so clear that both their wedding parties were so tight and enthusiastic for them, which is apparent from the wonderful toasts and the charming rendition of “Going to the Chapel” that Danielle’s bridal party sang on her wedding dress reveal. We loved filming this wedding video.

After several years, this card reading and wedding is still one of our favorites from Calamigos Equestrian Center in Los Angeles. Exchanging cards or love notes,  much like doing a first look, can create a beautiful little space in time before the chaos of the ceremony pulls you into the sea of guests and momentum of events. It’s a little snap shot of who you are and how you felt on this momentous day, a little love note between two people. As wedding videographers who love to make the films as personal and special as possible, it can give us so much great material to work with. a lot to work with in the wedding video highlights.

It’s also great for couples who don’t want to share their personal vows in front of a crowd. :-) Here’s a video where the bride and groom wanted to read their personal vows to each other alone and we were able to capture the moment on video.

And here’s one where the officiant actually forgot to have them read the vows during the ceremony. Whoops. 😬  Luckily, we were able to take a moment after the ceremony and record the exchange which was still a beautiful moment.

Danielle & Andrew Wedding Video Highlights:

It’s always a pleasure to film at Ethereal Gardens in Escondido and Chelsea & Toby’s wedding was especially great. We just love the lush hanging gardens of the ceremony area and overall greenery, like all the other Trademark Venues. The father of the bride made an extremely heartfelt speech and even recorded his own song for the toast. It’s amazing what effort people put into weddings. 

As wedding videographers we are especially lucky to be able to capture these special events for so many great couples. It’s funny people often say they didn’t plan on getting a videographer, (which is weird to us since video seems more ubiquitous than ever now in our lives) but they’re often very glad they did. 

Clearly the couple put a lot of thought and planning into their wedding which always makes our jobs as videographers so much easier. In fact, there are a lot of little things that can provide lots more opportunities for great video and photo moments. Planning a first look for the couple is huge and we always advocate for that if possible. It provides a beautifully calm space before the inevitable hectic events for the couple to have a little moment in time away from the crowd when they can be themselves. This really shows in the photos and video too. We have all the time and planning we need to capture that first raw emotional moment when they see each other for the first time dressed to the nines and filled with anticipation and love.

Chelsea also did a first look with her Dad. This another opportunity to capture some great moments, especially if the Father is pretty emotional and tears up seeing his daughter, which is often what happens whether they like it or not :-) The tougher they are the harder they fall. LOL.

Although we didn’t include the recording in this one, a card reading and gift exchange before the ceremony can also be really profound for capturing a little snap shot of your inner thoughts and feeling on this momentous day. You may look back later and recapture some of that passion and emotion of the day. This is also especially helpful if the couple doesn’t write personal vows. It gives us a nice voice over track to bring more personality to the wedding video and make it more tailored to you, which what we always strive to do.

All in all, we had a blast capturing this amazing wedding they put together so beautifully. We wish them all the best!

Ethereal Gardens bride getting ready
Ethereal Gardens bride getting ready
Ethereal Gardens bridesmaids first look
Ethereal Gardens father of the bride first look
Ethereal Gardens father of the bride cries
Ethereal Gardens wedding Groom getting ready
Ethereal Gardens Wedding bride and groom togehter
Ethereal Gardens Wedding Bride and Groom near gate
Ethereal Gardens Wedding Bride walks down the aisle with dad
Ethereal Gardens Wedding Bride walks down the aisle with Dad
Ethereal Gardens Wedding Bride walks down the aisle after being married
Ethereal Gardens Wedding first dance
Ethereal Gardens Wedding grand exit
Ethereal Gardens Wedding grand exit
We always love filming at the rustic Twin Oaks House in San Marcos and this wedding did not disappoint. We also love filming weddings with lots of creative personalized moments. In an interesting twist on the usual wedding tradition, Madison and Grant decided not to read their personal vows during the ceremony but to instead read them to each other at the first look before the ceremony. Luckily, they hired some videographers to capture the moment forever. Ha ha.

We do our best to personalize the wedding videos as much as possible and always want to create a compelling wedding story. Personal vows really make the wedding video so much more authentic and about the couple. We get a wonderful voice over track for the footage and they get to relive their personalities, thoughts and emotions from one of the biggest days of their lives. Win win! So we were pretty stoked they did that.

We also loved how one of Madison’s brides’s maids played guitar and sang for their first dance. No pressure right :-) And finally the choreographed father / daughter dance was also great to watch and must have been a lot of fun to practice before the big day. These are just a few of the reasons we loved this wedding. So much fun!

See our other Twin Oaks weddings here.