A lovely conversation happened yesterday with the bride I am filming this saturday.

We are filming her preparations (she has booked our Orchid Package) and she asked me how long we were contracted for.  Ok so this does have to pay the bills and enable us to do the things we want to do but equally you have to understand that when we are with you it's you we are concerned about and want to make sure we are providing the very special memory to.

So this Saturday I will be with the bride at 10am and will stay with them through until the first dance in the evening.  We only leave then as there is just so much dancing you want to watch at the end of a wedding dvd.  Oh and in any case you are more likely to want to get to see what your guests have said to you in their personal messages.

Hope you are all well

Jay

Tags: Orchid Package | Wedding preparations | Filming | first dance

 

Ok - sorry guys, firstly for me having a small rant, but also for not updating this thing for some time.
You see I was driving home from a wedding 2 weekends ago and a gentleman (if only he was) was driving home from the pub or wherever he was drinking with his dog and managed to hit a parked car.  Which in one sence would have been fine except that parked car flipped his car in my direction!

So that explains why I have been quiet for a while.  I am still trying to recover physically, while nothing is broken I am sore and looking forward to being back at my full state of health.  The emotional side not to mention the practical side, yes he wrote my car off which means we are negotiating what it was worth, working out what to do in order to get a new one etc etc  means that things are not happening in their usual or unusual efficient way.

As someone who historically would have had a drink or two and then driven carefully home I certainly do not intend to do that again and my plea to you would be to act similarly.  We have a wedding this weekend which will be a good test of how well I am recovering.  I hope you are all well and do tell those you love and care for that you do - you never know when you might not have the opportunity to do it again

Till next time.  please think before you Drink! and drive...

Tags: Car | Drinking | Driving | wedding

Sitting in a slightly cold room in the middle of wokingham may not be of interest to everyone, especially at 6.30 in the morning.  Yet here I am writing this blog entry for you all in anticipation of posting comments on twitter and watching to see how many of you wonderful people have read of it.

I am thrilled to see more and more people are starting to make use of twitter and as some of you will know we have been using it for some time now.  So follow us, see what we are up to please comment and join the fun that is Twitter - if you don't know what it is - again place a comment or give me a shout - always happy to help

 

Till next time

 

 

 

Tags: Twitter | Wokingham

Little Nutbrown Hare, who was going to bed, held on tight to Big Nutbrown Hare's very long ears. He wanted to be sure that Big Nutbrown Hare was listening."Guess how much I love you," he said.

And so started the reading which was so beautifully read.  There is always something special about each and every wedding and each and every wedding video.  This one was the deep and obvious love between a father and his children.  Matched in no small part by their love for him. This along with the love between the bride and groom it was just such a lovely wedding a real privilage to be a part of it!

We film many different weddings with different family situations, first weddings for one or both involved.  Second, Third marriages.  Sometimes these can be more poinient and I am still not sure why that might be.  Is it because they have both been through it before and come at it in a different way?  If you need any suggestions for any aspect of your wedding please do let us know

Ahh - so you want to know how the story ends??  Here you go!

Big Nutbrown Hare settled Little Nutbrown Hare into his bed of leaves. He leaned over and kissed him good night.

Then he lay down close by and whispered with a smile, "I love you right up to the moon - AND BACK."

Till next time

Tags: Wedding DVD | readings | how much do I love you

Afternoon all

I had a phonecall from a friend of ours yesterday asking if I was available to film a wedding next saturday.  I happened to be free so gave her client a call.  How exciting.  Not only is the church about my favorite church in England, but the reception is being held at the Landmark Hotel in London which is where my wife and I spent the first night of our honeymoon before heading off for Heathrow.

The amazing thing for me is that is 9 years ago now and feels like 9 weeks ago and 19 years ago all at the same time.  I guess its just worth saying that if you have a wedding coming up don't think it's too late to call.  We are able to look after more than one wedding on a day and so may still be able to accomodate you.

Speak soon

Jay

Tags: Wedding DVD | Landmark | late bookings

Hi Folks

This is an exciting week - or more accurately this is an exciting fortnight as it is going to take them 2 weeks to complete the job.  We are now happily installed into the studio and working feverishly at getting the final bits sorted and keeping on top of all the work.

Tomorrow sees the beginning of the ground work to make sure it is secure and safe for our clients to get to the studio.  Half of me is really excited and the other half somewhat apprehensive.  Simply because we have had a number of people quote and have gone for the upper end of the quotes as we feel it is going to give us a better finished project.

Well watch this space - I will keep you posted on the progress. oh and thank you to my neighbour for allowing me to use his garden to access the studio while this is going on.  I think that might just be useful.

 

Until next time

 

Tags: Studio | weddings | steps

What a glorious day!  If only we were out filming a wedding today...

Just as I start to think that an e-mail pops into my e-mail box from a client I filmed last year...

Hi Jay,

Just a quick note to say we cant stop watching our wedding video!
You captured us at our best - and it is a great watch!

Can't thank you enough!

All the best xx

KATE DAY
Senior Trade Co-Ordinator
Bartercard Bucks, Beds, Herts

 

It's always nice to get positive feedback but especially when it's totally unexpected.  Its now been over 6 months since their wedding and on discussion (yes I did call her back before writing this) everyone who has not seen it who pops in for coffee is given the opportunity...

So if you want to be enjoying your wedding day 6 months, 6 years or 60 after your wonderful day - do get in touch

Till next time

Tags: Wedding DVD | thank you

Evening all

I had a lovely conversation tonight with a potential client. Like so many there is always a stressful time leading up to a wedding and it can cause lots of tension and anxiety. But that is not what got me thinking and my fingers typing away on the keyboard.

We talked at length about what she wanted. She had a tick list ... I was able to confirm that we film in widescreen, high definition, that we use final cut pro to edit the finished film on. I was asked how many copies we offered to the client and what our approach to filming was. It was then that the comment came which was a comfort and yet it cut like a knife. She said – It is really good that so many people now recognise the importance of the bride’s day over and above the filming of it. It made me think – ok come on Jay – what makes you different. If everyone is like that – why use special memories.

Being a member of the Institute of Videography gives me access to others in the industry; it provides us an opportunity to ensure we are right at the top of what is happening. If illness were to strike we have the support of the institute and can locate an alternative videographer. But our passion does not just end at the end of your day. We always provide our clients with a fully edited client draft which enables any final changes to be made if needed to ensure your film is precisely as you want it. Many videographers charge for any changes which are required.

We offer our clients the option of having a premiere of their video in the comfort of our studio. Invite family and friends to see your video with you or enjoy it privately over champagne & canapé’s. We can also arrange to work with you in the studio to ensure that the final touches are just as you want them.

So if you need more information on any of these options or want to talk more about your big day please do get in touch!

Tags: a | Client Draft | Wedding Filming

Good Morning all

It's my first full week back after the easter holiday and I am extra excited this morning.

We have recieved our voucher books this weekend.   As those of you have been following my blogs will have seen we have been chosen to be the videographer of choice for the tickled pink wedding ring.  The Ring  certainly seam to have all the main suppliers and some I had not expected to see in there!  I will be asking other members of the Wedding Ring to guest blog so you should be hearing from them in due cours - watch this space!

If you are planning a wedding and feel that this might be of use please do drop me a line at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .u'; document.write( '' ); document.write( addy_text39129 ); document.write( '<\/a>' ); //-->\n This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it k

I hope you all have a great week

Jay

 

Tags: Wedding DVD | Tickled Pink | Wedding Ring.

Greetings friends and regular readers of my blog

It did occur to me that I might let you all know that I was going on holiday, or get someone else to update my blog for me while away but alas there was lots going on before we went not least of which the move into the new studio.

It was a very special time away over easter and was especially nice to come back and be at home without being at work.  Having a studio which is at the top of the garden means that the house is just a home rather than a home and an office now which is a great thing.

So did you all have a good Easter?  Too much chocolate?  I hope it was a very special time for you as it really was for us as a family.

Well the wedding season really is upon us now and we very much look forward to being a part of so many people's special days.  If you are still thinking about whether to have your day filmed then do get in touch.  It would be a pleasure to invite you to our new studio to have a look at some examples of our work and see what we can do to help.

I am still amazed when at wedding fairs how many people I speak to who say that they would watch a DVD so much more than they would look at photo's from their wedding, and yet it is still often thought of as an extra rather than a mandatory part of the wedding package.

Until next time

Tags: Wedding DVD | Holiday | photography | New Studio

Being at a wedding fair always offers an opportunity to speak to other suppliers - we spoke to a toastmaster we are always happy to have at the weddings we film.... we said....

Why have a Toastmaster?

Weddings offer no regression and therefore pass the pressure to the pro!

A toastmaster will ensure your event runs smoothly linking up all the services and enabling  the special day to be a memorable one.

What if we arrive early?
What if we arrive late?
Guest book?
Bouquets?
Toasts?


These are the headliners but the real worth is in the planning and understanding that the role offers.

A friend for the day.
A timeless occasion that flowed beautifully.
A calm head when all others were worrying.

Please feel free to contact me or view my website, equally I’m more than happy to discuss your requirements.

Graham

WWW.GDTOASTMASTER.CO.UK

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Tags: Wedding Fair | Toastmaster

Good morning all

Sitting here this morning after a busy week and have realised how much has happened in the last 7 days.  This time last week I was on the south coast filming the preparations at a brides home.  It was one of my more unusual weddings as we had been booked without having the opportunity to meet with the bride.  The joys of being a member of Bartercard does mean that at times we do have weddings like that.

As many of you will know we also have been getting our new studio space ready and this week we managed to move in.  Having been very uncertain about the ability to get some of the bigger pieces of furniture in there.  It was great when we managed to get it all in there.

Having dedicated space to be able to meet with prospective clients before their special day as well as having space to review wedding dvd’s not to mention all of the editing and production which we have to do

Saturday was a lovely wedding in High Wycombe.  Being in a church full of people all very much enjoying being a part of the service, both invited guests and the church family.  They then had nibbles and cake at the church before going onto the reception at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Marlow.  I will blog on it in more detail later but it still is amazing to me that drinking a pint of beer would be cheaper than drinking orange and lemonade...

So here I am - it’s Sunday and my 2nd last wedding fair of the season.  I hope you all have a lovely day and as always would love to hear from you if there are any subjects you would like covered on this blog.

Till next time

Tags: Wedding DVD | Bartercard | Wedding Fair | Warbrook House

After discussing the Special Memories wedding packages with a prospective client today, I was flattered by her response. She said that, by Special Memories including five copies of the wedding DVD in the standard price, rather than one, that we are ‘five times the fun’!

We usually see copies of the DVD being given to the Bride’s Parents, the Groom’s Parents, the Chief Bridesmaid and the Best Man, but some brides have other ideas:

One Bride was going to send a copy to her best friend who lived overseas and could not be at the wedding in person. The Bride really wanted her friend to be part of the event and she could even be part of the wedding video in our Special Memories Living Guestbook, but the real reason that the Bride wanted to send her the DVD was to show her friend how much weight she has lost for her big day and how great she looked dancing in her dress!

Or how about saving a copy of the DVD for future generations. I have blogged before how much our children love watching the DVD of our wedding, but what a wonderful memento to keep for your future family.

Whatever you decide to do with your DVD’s, I just hope that you and your families enjoy them. It is such a privilege to be part of your special day and we are honoured that we get to share the joy over and over again, each time someone watches one of your DVD’s.

So have fun on your day, it can last you a lifetime!

Tags: Wedding DVD. 5 copies | personal messages | Bridesmaids | Best man

Recently I’ve become fascinated by wedding favours. Originally pastries or sweets, then five sugared almonds to represent Health, Wealth, Happiness, Fertility and Long Life, favours are beginning to take an increasing portion of a lot of wedding budgets and are become incredibly diverse.

Well, I would like to set a challenge – who is having the most inventive wedding favours?

I am overwhelmed by the diversity available but still my favourite has to be the giving of seeds or plants such as Wild Flower Favours. The concept of each guest taking away a little element of the wedding, planting it and watching it grow into something beautify truly reflects what I feel a wedding is all about, the start of a beautiful marriage.

So what are you planning? Are you even having favours at all?

I’d love to hear your thoughts

Tags: Wedding Favors | Wedding DVD

Honeymoons have traditionally been a big part of the wedding budget and an excuse to really go to town and choose the holiday of a lifetime. But now, there is a new trend sweeping the nation of postponing your Honeymoon or taking a shorter, more local break and saving both the cost and the accrued holiday for one last blast before starting a family, thus the Honeymoon becomes the Babymoon.

The theory being that, if your budget restricts your wedding plans, allocate less or no money to the Honeymoon at this point, so that you can focus further on your wedding day. And with further restrictions on time off work, postponing your Honeymoon means you can still take the days running up to the wedding off, to make your final arrangements, without have to worry about having no holiday entitlement for the rest of the year. By pushing the holiday element of your wedding back, you can accrue holiday and savings, so that when you do have that big break, you can really let yourself go.

This has become so popular that some of the biggest Honeymoon Travel Agencies are including Babymoon packages in their literature for 2009 – some resorts even going as far as offering courses on parenting during your stay and menus that cater for expecting or hoping to be expecting mothers! Locations can be as far afield as trekking in Peru or world cruises, or as local as the nearest health spa.

Babymoons may not only be a new trend but also make sound economic sense at the moment. With the Pound as weak as it is, your money buys less and less in the global market. Postponing your Honeymoon until a time when the economy has picked up will not only reduce your financial pressure now, but will also mean that you can buy more with the same money when sterling is stronger.

Besides, if you do decide to postpone your trip, you are more likely to be around to follow up on those all important post wedding jobs – such as previewing your wedding video!

Here at Special Memories we give every couple the chance to see a draft copy of their video and make any changes they see fit, before we produce that final film – and you would be surprised how many couples are still away when we contact them six weeks after the wedding.

However, the fact still remains, it is a wonderful feeling to check in as ‘Mr and Mrs’ for the first time and, however you choose to do it, a Honeymoon is a time to recuperate after all the demands of the wedding and spend time with your partner to digest what has happened and relive those magical moments while they are fresh in your mind.

Whether home or abroad, I wish you the very best with this and all other elements of your wedding planning and remember, we are now offering a prize for the five best guest blogs that we past on this site – so get writing and tell us your thoughts.

Tags: Honeymoon or Babymoon? Wedding DVD | Client Draft

It’s great to receive feedback on our blogs, especially from people who are planning their wedding or who work within the industry, and this week we have been paid a great compliment - our blog has been blogged!

Andrew Sansom, of Andrew Sansom Wedding Photography has paid us the compliment of using one of our blogs on his site and you can see it at http://weddingphotos.andrewsansom.com/default.asp?id=374&ver=1 .

It’s great when you are recognised for something you’ve put together and so I thought I would open this up to you on our site. We love hearing your feedback and would love to know what you want to see on this site.

So please send in your own blogs to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and the top five that are chosen will appear on this site as guest blogs and the winners will be a sent a prize of a Tickled Pink Wedding Ring Voucher Book, which offers discounts and special offers across a whole spectrum of wedding elements, including our own.

So get blogging and we look forward to seeing you on our site soon.

Tags: Andrew Sansom | Guest Blogs | wedding video | Wedding DVD

I was reading a really disturbing article this week that said the number of weddings had declined by a quarter since the 1990’s and that the average age of bride and groom has gone up as more people postpone getting married until later life.

The article in the Guardian stated that the reason for this trend is largely due to tax breaks for married couples being abolished, increasingly large divorce settlements being awarded and the costs of a wedding increasing.

But I ask you, do you really think about these things when you are deciding to get married?

Certainly the type of wedding you will have will be influenced by the budget, especially in today’s economic climate, but when your potential fiancée is down on one knee and asking for your hand in marriage, do you really think ‘well I want to share the rest of my life with this man, but there aren’t really any tax breaks anymore, so there’s no real incentive to get married. Besides, if we split up, the divorce settlement might not work in my favour’

Marriage is still the one genuine way of truly committing your life and your love to another person and I applaud those of you that are taking the time and the effort to create this special day, to share your love and commitment with each other and those closest to you. I did, and it was the best day of my life. It is a unity of two souls and should never be evaluated to financial cost or a risk to be avoided in the divorce courts.

Revel in the planning of your marriage. Not just because it creates a spectacular day that will always be with you, but that you are also planning to start your union with another sole, a blessing that far outweighs financial cost or risk.

Tags: Wedding DVD | Stats

The wedding cake is always one of the most admired attractions at most weddings and is steeped in tradition.

The tradition of wedding cakes started in Medieval times when the cake was made of wheat to signify fertility and prosperity and would have been thrown at the Bride.

By Roman times, the groom would eat some of the cake and then break the remainder over the bride as a sign of good fortune, long life and many children. The guests would then try and obtain a crumb for themselves to share in the prosperity of the couple.

As the wedding cake evolved, it became impractical (thankfully) to break the cake over the brides head and a new tradition of stacking small buns for the bride and groom to kiss over took its place – if they could kiss over the pile, they would have a lifetime of prosperity.

The stack became organised in layers during the reign of King Charles II when a French Chef visiting London thought the use of small cakes impractical and suggested using a more formal system and the first tiered wedding cake was born using short-cut broom sticks to separate its tiers.

The cutting of the cake is symbolically the first task that the bride and groom perform jointly as man and wife. Tradition states that the couple should cut the first slice of their wedding cake with the grooms’ right hand laced over the brides while they cut the bottom tier. The couple then feed each other part of the cake to symbolise the commitment to provide for one another and this becomes one of the most poignant parts of many wedding videos.

It is then said the bride should cut a few more slices and feed her new in-laws before the groom does the same to his, before sharing the rest of the bottom tier of the cake with all the guests. It is even suggested that it is bad luck for guests to leave the wedding without tasting the cake!

Tradition then continues that the second tier of the cake should be used as gifts and the top tier should be saved for the first wedding anniversary. Some say that this is so that it can be used as the christening cake for the first born and some say that it is for the couple to eat and remember the joy of their wedding.

For such a significant, and sometimes very costly, element of your wedding, how can you make sure that you get value for money? Here are some hints that may help:
•    Be Square - square wedding cakes yield more slices than round ones
•    Be Natural – handmade sugar craft on your wedding cake, whether this is flowers or caricatures takes a significant amount of time and therefore cost. Instead consider more natural elements such as real flowers or fruits that are much less costly but make an effective and modern decoration
•    Be Simple – As the dress, the flowers and other elements move towards simplicity, so does the cake. The more minimal the design the less man hours it takes to decorate, which can greatly reduce the budget and will ensure your cake keeps in with the new simplicity trend. Opt for a clean design with a smooth surface then add simple detail such as a wide ribbon or simple iced design.
•    Be Consistent – Different tiers with differing flavours greatly increases the cost of the cake. Choose one flavour for the entire cake to ensure costs are kept down
•    Be a Dummy – more and more of the intricate cakes we now see are actually made of Styrofoam and can be hired or commissioned for your special event. Take it to the kitchen and cut a plain fruit cake and your guests will be none the wiser.
•    Be Unique – the tradition is to share a cake with your partner and the guests, but no-one says that has to be a traditional wedding cake. We are seeing so many new and inventive ways of looking at this element of the wedding, what about individual cup cakes, cakes shaped as hearts, suitcases, each other or, there is an urban myth that one groom had his cake decorated as his favourite football team, but did the bride really let him get away with this?

I personally love the wedding cake and the tradition covering it, as it brings together all the reasons why any two people would get married: love, commitment, prosperity and children and you then get to share it with all of those that you have invited to be at your special day.

So make sure that what ever you choose, it reflects your love and commitment to one another, and we hope that we are there to capture the moment on film – then you can sit and watch your special day one year on, when you finally get to eat that top tier!

Happy planning

Tags: Wedding Cake | Traditions

Though we can never predict what the weather is going to do this summer – or next week for that matter -  and your wedding day might not be as hot as you’d like, it looks like you are still going to have a bright day if you are planning on following the latest wedding trends.

I blogged last week that many brides are adding colour to their wedding dresses, well the trend in wedding floristry this summer is definitely moving towards more colour – and the brighter the better.

Some of the top florists are indicating that we are moving to more tropical themes in 2009 wedding flowers, and will be using more daring colours – we may even see some fluorescent colours in arrangements this summer.

The move is also to more exciting combinations of colours and mediums, mixing purples with oranges, or using herbs, fruits or vegetables to add a different dimension to the standard arrangements.

But to ensure that you move to bright and stay away from gaudy, florists are recommending simple elegance within the arrangements, using more natural products and styles. For the bouquet, they suggest focussing on more natural arrangements, such as the hand tied bouquet with fresh in-season flowers; for the table arrangements using greenery to frame the more ambitious colours and different heights and containers to perpetuate that tropical feel.

I personally have never seen a fluorescent flower, so it’s going to be interesting to see how this trend pans out, but it’s always great to see colour at a wedding. Unusual or interesting arrangements are definitely one way of really putting your own stamp on the reception without incurring a great deal of extra cost and they provide an uplifting theme for the day.

So what are your thoughts?

I’d love to hear how much you will be keeping up with the so called trends in 2009 or your plans for floristry in your wedding. If you have any views or feedback, please let me know.

Tags: weddings | flowers

Special Memories had a great time at the Taplow wedding fair last weekend where we gained an insight into the complex world of wedding make-up.

The advice from Charlotte, the Nail and Make-up specialist we met, was on the topic of make-up trials.

In her experience, many brides have their wedding trials with a friend or relative, to gain a second opinion, and therefore may dress up for the occasion. However, when it comes to the actual day, the make up seems washed out and too understated. This, she says, can be due to the colours the bride is wearing during the trial.

Her advice; either match the colour of your outfit to the colour of your wedding dress, or simply wrap a white sheet or towel around you so that you can match your make up to the colour you will be wearing on the day  – she says, the difference can be amazing.

In addition, Charlotte suggests consider what kind of look you would like before the trial. Would you like a version of the make up you wear everyday or would you like something a little more ambitious?

Though, I do feel that you have to be wise in your choice of trial companion, unlike one woman, whose prospective husband stated that she never wore make up at home so why would she want to look like a painted doll at the wedding – and this was before Charlotte had even started!

Charlotte is developing a name for herself in her field for providing free make-up trials for Brides. She says that she would rather be given the opportunity to re-do someone’s make-up, should they not like it, rather than a bride agreeing to a look that they do not feel suits them.

Thank you Charlotte for your time, and I hope your advice will help many brides in the future.

We aim to add Charlotte, and other recommended suppliers to our site shortly, so keep checking for new additions

Until next time

Jay

Tags: Wedding Makeup