THINGS YOU DON'T SAY TO YOUR WIFE!

I don’t know Tim Hawkins and have never seen his performances, but being in the business of love… I totally related to this very funny and very relevant video clip that showed up in my “In Box” recently. While this clip is totally a JOKE and part of his act, I thought I might actually be GOOD advice to the newly engaged men out there who might have not thought about what is and is not a good idea to say to your wife!

She is always wearing your favorite dress, the shoes always look perfect… do not plan the hunting trip on her birthday and DO NOT RECORD YOUR FAVORITE FISHING SHOW OVER YOUR WEDDING VIDEO! Thank goodness you cannot erase DVDs…

Enjoy the clip… I did!

Do you know who Rick Monday is?

Nothing really to do with Treasured Memories or the Wedding and Event world at all, but I was sent this clip today and I found it very intriguing!

Both for the time of year that we are in (baseball playoff race) and the political race we are in... Have you ever heard of Rick Monday!

A great American and I have no idea what his political affiliation is... nor do I care!

Take a look at this video...

Jennifer and Kyle’s OHEKA Castle Wedding!

When Gina Milano from Long Island Wedding and Event Planners Boutique called and said I have a GREAT couple for you to meet, we couldn’t have known just how accurate she was. Jennifer and Kyle had smiles that simply couldn’t be any brighter. It didn’t come as a surprise that their incredible smiles lasted straight throughout their wedding day and into the after-party that continued deep into the morning.

Jennifer and Kyle’s parents and friends could not have been more enjoyable to work with and hang out with! Aunt Mary Kate and I are like peas and carrots now! From the grand majesty of the entrance to Oheka Castle to the incredible view of the gardens and reflecting pools from their bridal suite, there is no place quite like Otto Herman Kahn’s famous castle.

Hit play on the trailer below to watch the bridal party playing bouquet football on the lawn and then take a look at the stunning flowers and lighting in their ballroom. You’ll also enjoy Father John performing a fantastic mass at St. Dominic’s church in Oyster Bay. Their vows and ring exchange were very dramatic and romantic.

Here is their wedding movie trailer giving you a hint of what is to come in their final DVD.

Have you seen The Hamlet Willow Creek yet?

If you’ve ever been to the Hamlet Willow Creek Golf and Country Club in Mt Sinai, its sheer beauty and elegance would overwhelm you immediately. But more importantly when you meet the catering director Barbara Sesskin, you’ll know why the Hamlet Willow Creek couples adore her so much. She is the constant in your wedding planning process, from your first view of the place to the moment you are walking out after your reception; Barbara is there to take perfect care of you and your guests.

You can’t help but enjoy the incredible view of the golf course and your photos and movie will look fantastic with all the flowers around the gazebo. If the weather permits, the outdoor cocktail hour seems to be a favorite with guests, and then once you are enjoying the reception itself, the unique ceiling and light show at the Hamlet Willow Creek is unbeatable.

Take a look at this movie trailer we created for the Hamlet Willow Creek and if you have not booked your venue, take another look at what Barbara and her staff have to offer you at the Hamlet Willow Creek!

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL !!!

In this highlight clip you will see the Plainedge Bobcats 2007 PeeWee team. Treasured Memories was selected to record their season along with their playoff games. It was an absolute honor and a LOT of fun watching the team and the kids progress during the season. At their end of season party we projected this highlight reel on the big screen to all the kids and their families…. It was a huge hit.

We are pleased to announce that Treasured Memories has been selected to record the entire 2008 season for all of the Plainedge Bobcats teams. We are really looking forward to another exciting football season and will again be projecting the season highlights at the league dinner in January 2009.

This year the Bobcats cheerleaders will also be included in the program… as well as their annual regional competition!

Laura and David's Hamlet Commack Wedding Movie Trailer

From Laura’s incredible dress to David’s very handsome suit, the preparations for their wedding couldn’t have gone any smoother.

In this movie trailer, you will not only see how phenomenal Laura and David looked, but take a look at how great St. Mary’s Church looked and the extraordinary views at The Hamlet Country Club in Commack. We managed to work their favorite past time into their wedding day… they are the self proclaimed King and Queen of Poker! Hosting tournaments at their home often!

We met Laura and her girls first thing in the morning at Cactus Salon and Spa, for her hair and makeup. The staff there as well as the other customers could not have been more excited for Laura… and they were very enthusiastic about the whole thing being recorded.

Working with Michael from North Island Photography was the pleasure it always is. He is a VERY creative photographer and is an absolute pleasure to work with. The guys from Tommy’s Tunes, especially Joe the emcee were on the mark and the party was hoppin all night. If you’ve never seen The Hamlet in Commack, this trailer will give you a glimpse of how awesome a place it actually is! But do enjoy this brief introduction we give you to The Hamlet. Banquet manager John and his staff are TOP NOTCH!

So enjoy their vows, the ring exchange, their candle lighting ceremony as well as the beautiful sky and grounds at The Hamlet… but most of all enjoy this preview of Laura and David’s Love Story…

Danielle and Keith's East Wind Movie Trailer

Danielle and Keith were terrific to work with and Dakota their daughter is SOOOOO adorable! You won’t see it here in this trailer but it is evident in their spoken words that the birth of their daughter has made their lives so wonderfully fulfilled (wait till the finished movie for that stuff).

Tom from Thomas Paul Photography and Ralph from High Energy Entertainment worked together seamlessly with Tony and Dave our cinematographers. Everyone complimented the perfect service at East Wind Country Gardens, but that is expected.

Take a look, Danielle wore a beautiful and unique dress that everyone complimented, in fact Dakota wore the same dress. That totally excited both the Danielle and Keith. Pastor Joe was so funny as usual during the ceremony. He can always be expected to do a great job. Dave say’s that Danielle’s Maid of Honor Theresa was a panic! Apparently she has a great sense of humor and was great to work with; plus she had PLENTY to say when the camera was on her. OH… and so did Danielle’s mom!

Stay tuned for the movie! It’s coming soon…

Kristine and Greg at the Glen Cove Mansion!

Kristine couldn’t have looked more radiant, even in the cool bridal shorts and tank-top she was wearing when I arrived at the incredible Glen Cove Mansion.

Her bridal party and her Mom were totally fun and they really seemed to enjoy our approach to telling Kristine and Greg’s story for their wedding movie. Greg and his guys looked charming when we first saw them in the mansion library.

You could really feel the excitement build as we got closer and closer to the ceremony. And what a beautiful ceremony it was… the weather was great and so were their vows. Naturally, it was followed by what can only be described as an awesome reception.

Tina Dalgish was a fantastic photographer and we enjoyed working together. It was fun to chat about our mutual friend once we discovered we had one. The staff at the Glen Cove Mansion did their normal fantastic job and the place never looked better. Check out their cool new chairs! Jerry Kravat’s Manhattan Rhythm Machine band really kept the party hopping and the compliments for them never seemed to stop.

Here is Kristine and Greg’s “Wedding Movie” trailer… we’re looking forward to producing their complete movie soon!

The Beauty of Southern California!

What can possibly be said about the beauty of Southern California that has not already been said? Well, you could start with Michelle Caiazza!

Then add Dustin Conard, a little Huntington Beach Hyatt Regency and an incredible looking bridal party and you’ve got Southern California beauty that had not previously been experienced!

While our East Coast style of wedding video might have been a little bit of a revelation to Michelle and Dustin, they could not have been more open, cooperative and interested in sharing their “Love Story”.

From the men’s golf outing and the ladies shopping spree to our retrospective interview concluding their wedding celebration events… Michelle and Dustin were the ideal couple who as a seasoned veteran of the wedding business love to work with!

Despite the unseasonably cool weather, the Huntington Beach Hyatt was more spectacular than the couple could have imagined, and Brooke Keegan of Details Details had each and every desire of Michelle and Dustin coordinated perfectly. We worked together with Josef Isayo their photographer to collectively capture their day in the most elegant and artistic fashion!

Here is a small preview of their wonderful wedding day!

Everyone LOVES the Circus!

Jericho’s George A. Jackson Elementary School did an awesome job at their 5th grade Circus! And what an honor it was to be selected to record it for them!

Between Alex Wolf, the photographer for the event (who introduced me to the Jackson School PTA), Lori Caputo and the PTA staff, and Jackson’s principal and wonderful teachers… plus Ann Dorwin and her “National Circus Project” staff… What a nice diversion from our wonderful world of Weddings and Mitzvahs.

This is a brief but exciting highlight reel from their circus.

Central Park Boathouse

I certainly had heard of the Central Park Boathouse before shooting a wedding there this past weekend and I have been in and enjoyed Central Park, but I was not familiar with doing a wedding at the Boathouse. However, once I had my parking pass and figured out how to enter the park (roads closed on weekends) I was excited about the event.

As I made my way through NYC and entered the park somewhere up in the 90s, there was graceful peace and calm inside of the park. I was a foreigner with my motorized vehicle slowly driving amongst the bicyclists, skaters and walkers towards my destination. As soon as I arrived at the venue, I knew I had found a very unique place for weddings and events.

Earlier in the day, when I arrived at the bride’s family home for her preparations; I was introduced to their photographer. Jimmy was an unconventional “wedding” photographer from my perspective, but I knew instantly that he was an exceptional artist. Somehow, great artists just know great artists when they see them. Jimmy had a “way”, a “move” and a “technique” that just spoke volumes about the images that I had not even gotten to see yet.

Jimmy and I worked simultaneous in and around our bride and her friends and family… it was a very big loft apartment in midtown and we both took full advantage of the architecture and décor. The ability to anticipate the other artist’s next move is what makes it fun to work with true professionals. Despite only meeting that day, we worked together like a well oiled machine. The day only improved when we arrived at the Central Park Boathouse.

Regardless of the celebrities and the high-profile politicians in attendance at the wedding, it was a truly great event. And much to my surprise, Peter the maître’d at the Boathouse was a very familiar and friendly face as he spent many years as Maître’d at Long Island’s own Swan Club!




Central Park Boathouse
James Ferarra Photography

Amazing Parallels

I had a recent phone conversation with a fellow wedding professional. Photographer Dan Wagner contacted me to inquire about my eNewsletters. We chatted about technology and our wonderful wedding industry. We both have a strong passion for what we do… but what ended up surprising both of us were the parallels in our lives. It turns out that we both studied photography and Farmingdale State (we studied a few years apart, but I won’t say who was older). We had many of the same professors and had nearly exact likes and dislikes in the curriculum we studied.

It also turns out that Dan lived in the same town as me for a couple of years, but again… parallels, our paths did not cross. Then the kicker was when Dan asked if I knew a particular videographer that he had befriended early in the wedding/event video industry. Sure enough we had both been friendly with the same videographer, but again at different times.

While Dan and I have not yet worked together… after that very pleasant conversation, I know that I’d enjoy that opportunity.

Dan Wagner Photography http://www.danwagner.com/

Karen Cosenza and Wesson Oil?

Speaking of Hockey...

This was a long time ago, but like a classic song it is timeless. I’m not going to comment much on this other than the fact that I was never 100% sure that those funny phone scams on the radio were real.

That was until my wife (then girlfriend) decided that it would be funny to pull one over on me!
She did… VERY successfully!

A Hockey Love Story!

In the spirit of the NHL post-season, we're going to post a

Hockey oriented clip this week.

Let's take a look at Anita and Scott's "Love Story".

Anita and Scott's story was a fascinating one to say the least; and it sure does their NHL themed wedding day justice. I won't tell you much about their story, because the video will do that for you!

However, how often can you say that the New York Islanders, the New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils actually brought a wonderful couple together?

We shot their Love Story on the same day that we shot the "Final Fitting" for Anita's gown. If you have time, take a look at their "Retrospective" clip as well.

_____________________________________

We work in New Jersey on a fairly regular basis, but this was the first time we worked at The Madison Hotel, it was a fabulous place. And it looked absolutely fantastic in the early summer!

Since this was not the first event we attended for Anita's family, we had already enjoyed the pleasure of working with MMP Entertainment, Marcello was the consummate professional we knew him to be and his team did a great job, everyone was thrilled.

Anita and Scott had done a lot of searching for a photographer in New Jersey, but they didn't find what they were looking for. That was until upon our suggestion they met with one of our Long Island colleagues (and now back in New York) Paul Marino, from Paul Marino Photography. Paul's work and creativity speaks for itself.

Pope Benedict XVI and Saint Ignatius Loyola

We had a wedding at Saint Ignatius Loyola on Park Avenue in New York City last Saturday. This was the first time that I had ever been to this church. I had heard that it was historic and quite beautiful. I was very much looking forward to being there until I heard that there will be MANY road closures in Manhattan that day due to Pope Benedict’s travels throughout the area.

Frankly, it is difficult enough to navigate and park a vehicle when we do weddings in NYC, but having roads closed put me in alarm mode. I studied the NYC.gov site to see exactly which roads would be closed and exactly when they would be closed. I plotted out three different travel routes in case of sudden changes of schedule. I packed an equipment dolly in case I had to walk several blocks to reach the church. I even asked my wife Lee Ann to chauffeur me because I was so panicked that even if I get to the church, where on earth would I have to park the car. She agreed to chauffeur me (on her day off) and I was totally relieved.
So, GPS ready, pages of varied directions printed and a two-hour earlier than normal departure… off we went to Saint Ignatius Loyola Church on Park Avenue! It was an incredible day, the temperature was perfect, the sky was blue and the Long Island Expressway was clear and moving. Make the move on to the Grand Central Parkway and heading towards the Triborough Bridge; we were making great time and enjoying the ride… over the bridge and into uptown Manhattan in no time at all. But I knew what was coming.

Make right on to 96th said Karen our Australian GPS voice. Still enjoying the ride and wondering where we’ll finally be stopped… we made the right and a few minutes later we made the left on to Park Avenue. Ten more blocks and we’d be at the church. However, now we can begin to see policemen and police vans EVERYWHERE and they are directing traffic. But they didn’t stop us from turning on to Park Avenue and we can basically see the full NYC skyline and the incredible view of Grand Central from Park Avenue. There is NO traffic and no closures… we are carefully counting down each block as we get closer and closer to 84th, where St. Ignatius Church is. Four blocks to go… two blocks to go… There it is… there is St Ignatius… We slow down to evaluate the situation; there are already “Wedding Today” signs in the road blocking vehicles from parking in front of the church.

“Watch out for that van” says Lee Ann. As she says that, I realize that the van she is referring to is backing up towards us; but it is parked in a legal parking spot on Park Avenue, directly in front of the church. Is it possible that we can move into his parking spot? Is it possible that we can get THE FIRST parking spot in front of the church? We stop to allow the van to move out of his position and allow him to depart. We look at each other in disbelief, we make sure we are clear of the “Wedding Today” no parking signs and make our move. Not even a parallel park… we pull straight in to the first parking spot in front of St Ignatius.

A week of stress trying to determine what to do, what will happen… how will I get there, where will I park, how will I get the equipment from the car to the church? Where will the police stop us from proceeding? And we pull straight into the best possible parking space. We got to the church in less than an hour and had NO ISSUES what-so-ever! NONE!

As I put the car in park, we looked at each other in amazement… then I looked the church… and thanked Saint Ignatius and God himself!

Twenty Things

Many years ago, I was speaking with one of our brides about a variety of topics regarding her wedding. It seemed to her that I had a quality suggestion for virtually any of the issues that she wanted to discuss about her wedding; mainly because almost every aspect of a bride’s wedding decisions affect her wedding movie in one form or another.

Anyway, after the fifth or sixth quality suggestion that she wrote down, she half jokingly said that I should write a book. Well, while I did not think I was capable of a book, I did realize that I had a LOT of suggestions that would help ANY bride prepare for her wedding day and without even realizing it, she’d be making her wedding movie better as well.

So I started documenting a variety of suggestions; and in a very short time, I had created an article that I titled “Twenty Things You Can Do To Make Your Wedding Video Better, Without Even Trying”, or TTYCDTMYWVBWOET for short (just kidding). I usually refer to it as my “Twenty Things” article.

Intermittently I will be posting some of those suggestions here on this blog. Here is the first…

GOWN SELECTION –

When choosing your wedding gown (and bridesmaids dresses too), consider the fact that you will be dancing much of the night. While it may look appropriate for the “Chicken Dance”, clutching your dress under your arms and lifting is not necessarily the best shot for your wedding video. Strapless gowns may not be the best choice for all brides… unless you like “popping out”!

Simply stated, when trying on gowns, DANCE IN IT! With or without music, dance around as if it were you were screaming out TWIST AND SHOUT! Then you’ll know for sure that you will be 100% comfortable all night.

What did Kristen think about Treasured Memories Video?

Look for Kristen and Brendan's Wedding Day Music Video... will be posted soon!

Receptions: MTV or Endless Dance Sets!

When Christine and Mike said they didn't want to see (and hear) EVERY single song the DJ played at their reception on their video, I knew we were speaking the same language. Similar to ceremonies, most couples only "think" that they want to see every reception moment as it actually occurred. Keeping it interesting, fun and exciting to watch without making anyone feel like something is missing is the key to a great reception video. The fast forward button is the enemy.

Mike builds surfboards for a living; in this reception highlight, we were able to showcase Mike and Christine's surfing theme as well as virtually all of their friends and family. I'm sure Christine's dad will be reminded of what a great job he did doing the "worm" for years to come,. As receptions go, Christine and Mike's was a crazy time. Matching the great time her Matron of Honor, Roxanne and her husband Bill had when we recorded their wedding 13-years ago.

Chistine and Mike's reception site was Lands End, where they do an incredible job; and their photographers, who I have had the good forture to work with several times was Photos by Verdi.

First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage...

First Comes Love,
then Comes Marriage,
then comes Chloe in the Baby Carriage!

It was back a few years when Paul Findlay and his fiancée Deborah Hewitt were waiting at Fortunoff’s for their bridal registry appointment. Being recommended by Fortunoff’s, Treasured Memories videos were playing on the monitor in their waiting area. Struck by the uniqueness of what they saw, we were inevitably commissioned to create their wedding movie. It was a great wedding, we produced and projected their “Love Story” and created an awesome wedding movie for them.
Some time passes and we receive a call from Deborah who asks us to block off a few different dates and insists that we document the baby shower and christening that will be occurring sometime the following year. After the natural congratulations and excitement for them we book the dates and decide to discuss details as the time approaches.
While meeting with Deborah shortly before the shower, she had mentioned that she wrote letters to her yet unborn child. After the chills ran down my spine I asked her if she would mind reading them for me to record. She obliges me without knowing exactly what we’ll do with the recordings.

“A Baby Story” Starring Chloe Harper Findlay.