Velvetine Studios. Cork and Kerry. Wedding Video Films by Maurice O'Carroll also serving Limerick Galway Dublin Killarney and Ireland

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Coming Soon – Dromoland Castle Wedding Story

We had met our annual quota for 2011 weddings when Polly and JD called us from Singapore. Wedding Story felt perfect for them and their excitement was infectious so Elaine and I had no problem in squeezing one more date into the calendar. They were married at St John’s, Cratloe, they had twenty six bridesmaids and groomsmen, about two thousand page boys and flowergirls, and a glorious dinner reception at Dromoland Castle, Clare. Stay tuned for a glimpse at their wedding video teaser.

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Tuesday, December 13, 2011

This Feels Like Home

If and when you experience stuttered playback on slower broadband connections – 1MB to 3MB connections – then please pause the wedding video film until the progress bar buffers completely. A fast broadband connection is required for uninterrupted viewing. We highly recommend a Next Generation Broadband 8MB connection from Eircom.

This wedding was memorable for several reasons and the day’s events had a huge impact on me. My belief that wedding footage is priceless was confirmed by an incident which I will highlight in a separate blog post but this was first and foremost, Aisling and Alan’s big day.

Although we only knew the couple through an exchange of emails and phone calls, their excitement was infectious from the word go! We learned that we had filmed Aisling’s cousin’s wedding – a very memorable and intimate Christmas wedding – just last year. They were wonderful people who we remain very fond of to this day so we were thrilled to be part of Aisling and Alan’s day which promised to reacquaint us with some familiar faces. What we were not expecting was to meet so many familiar faces from other weddings we filmed.

First and biggest surprise of the day was meeting Dave McElland – a wedding photographer who we love! – was attending as a guest. I have some rather cute footage of David entering the church grounds with a pretty, white umbrella. I could post it if I receive enough requests to do so. I’m sure David won’t mind.

Aisling arrived to the church, beaming and sipping from a glass of champagne. The torrential July rain didn’t bother her one bit in the slightest and she was everything I imagined her to be and more. I don’t think she even knows what nerves mean. Alan, on the other hand, was pacing about the church, clenching his fists and sucking in huge gulps of air. Elaine’s heart went out to him but like most grooms, all nerves vanished the second his bride came gliding up the aisle. Fr. Jim Kennelly was the celebrant and he could not do enough for us. The majority of priests that we work with are like Fr. Jim; friendly, obliging and down to earth. It’s always a pleasure to meet and work with such people and they never fail to deliver meaningful and memorable ceremonies.

Onto the hotel, and even though we were frantic busy trying to capture all the atmosphere, we did manage to speak with several people who were familiar with our passion for “Wedding Story” as opposed to wedding video. We even managed to meet two couples who had tried to book us but we were unavailable for their dates. What a pity but it was great to receive such positive feedback. It’s fantastic and reassuring to hear firsthand that young couples appreciate the amount of care and effort that we put into each wedding celebration. An even bigger positive was that they loved the fact that we don’t do “wedding video”.

As the day continued to unfold, there was a strong theme of “home” to this wedding and the speeches at Inchadoney had the place in happy tears. I think I even spotted a pool of water in the corner of David McElland’s eye but he assured me it was down to tiredness from the long journey that morning. I gave him the benefit of the doubt so I filmed his partner having a cry instead {she’s the beautiful girl you see tripping over her tears during the father of the bride speech}.

The rain poured down all day and night but it mattered not. Aisling and Alan are a happy go lucky couple and their wedding day was a joy to be a part of. I will always remember the friendly, warm and party atmosphere that made this day so special.

Aislang and Alan: Thank you so, so much for your kind hospitality and for the privilege of capturing your wedding story!

Other key vendors and suppliers:

Brian Terry – This was our first time working with Cork wedding photographer, Brian Terry, and it was a pleasure. He is a gentleman and we hope to see him again!!!

Inchadoney Hotel – A gorgeous Cork venue with friendly staff, first class service, and crab claws to die for!

Free Beer – We have had the opportunity to see this band on a couple of occasions this summer and they are terrific. They love their music and it shows!

2 comments

Dave McClelland - March 6, 2012 - 11:34 pm

I cannot believe I’m only seeing this now!
Maurice, only you can make something utterly hilarious and yet very moving. The video had me and “the beautiful girl” in tears – again! Ejits.

Superb job as always.
Dave

Maurice - March 7, 2012 - 1:28 am

Hi Dave and great to hear from you. Thanks so much for the kind words. You know we love you and your work so that means a lot to us. Sooner we all work together again then the better!!!

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

She’s In My Heart

I could tell you a hundred and one things about Lisa and Pierce’s big day and I could have taken almost as many twists and turns with their Wedding Story. In fact, as the wedding day unfolded and even during the edit process, I had a completely different vision for their teaser. It was going to be fast moving and driven by humour; my face was actually sore from smiling that day.

Elaine and I arrived to Lisa’s beautiful home in Camp, Kerry to film her morning preparations. The bride was sitting with rollers in her hair, no make-up, and she looked great; she even joked that I should be careful not to fall in love with her. The bridal house was the usual hive of activity; bridesmaids were having their hair pinned, faces touched up, all the women fussed around the bride, admired her flowers, made last minute phone calls with instructions to the groomsmen, the dog sniffed around the hair trolley for a nice brush to play with and the men of the house disappeared out of harms way to look for their socks and ribbon up the car. Fuelled by Lisa’s upbeat manner, confidence and good humour, the house was buzzing with laughter.

Elaine and I finished filming at the house and we stumbled upon Lisa having a quiet, thoughtful moment to herself. In two seconds, I think I glimpsed another side to Lisa. A part of her that only those she holds close and dear get to see. It was a powerful moment and it helped prepare me for what moments to really look out for the rest of the day,

Lisa is a big personality… and so is her husband, Pierce. Their larger than life personalities were an obvious path to follow for their teaser… But, instead, I purposefully choose to show very little of them. I didn’t show you their young boy, Neil. I didn’t even show you the most important and emotional moment of their day, their vows. It’s all there in their Wedding Story, of course, but I wanted to say something different about their day. I wanted to show you a story – which happens up and down the country every weekend – which is built upon the father of the bride, Noel, giving away the most precious thing in his life… his little girl.

Noel is a very successful business man and a natural born storyteller. He started his speech with the usual thank yous and before we knew it he had taken an entire banquet hall back to a time when the summers seemed to last forever. He spoke about his love for his wife, his children and the bonds they forged as a family enjoying their annual holidays at a caravan park, swimming in the sea, picking mussels, and walks on the beach. Memories, great memories. He gave us an insight into Lisa and it was the same girl I got to see earlier that morning.

By the time he was finished there wasn’t a dry eye in the house and we were all dreaming about the past…. and then Noel snapped us back from 1980 with a quick joke and we were all having the craic again.

So, this Wedding Story teaser is for all the Dads out there. And Lisa and Pierce; it was an absolute pleasure to be part of your wedding. Thank you so much for having us! Elaine and I loved every second of your day and we know that your Wedding Story is going to be another important addition to your family memories.

Other key vendors and suppliers

Magda Lukas – What can I say. It was our first time meeting in person and she was an absolute joy to work alongside. In fact, she was trying so hard to remain invisible that I was afraid her photographs might suffer. How wrong could I be. Lisa’s album is beautiful, really stunning! Magda is a lovely person and a wonderful wedding photographer.

Father Michael Hussey – Did I say already that I was spoiled for choice on this wedding day. Fr. Michael’s homilies are always poetic and meaningful and he spoke about All Rivers Run To The Sea and A Tree Called Life. Brilliant. And he is a gentleman. He always welcomes us into the church and he even highlighted the importance of what we do in preserving memories. Thanks, Fr. Michael.

Beauty Specialist – Aileen Goodman is a familiar and friendly face we meet on our travels. Her work speaks for itself but I can also tell you that her friendly nature and presence can add so much to your morning preparations. Five star treatment.

Hair Stylist – Highly recommended! Cathriona Rohan is a lady. Again, a friendly presence and everyone was impressed with Lisa and her bridesmaids hair.

Marina Cassidy – Gifted. Marina’s talents on the harp and her amazing vocals lifts any ceremony to a whole new level.

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Saturday, October 15, 2011

The Sweetest Thing

If we do not meet the bride or groom on the morning of a wedding, I firmly believe that it’s possible to judge what to expect from the day by weighing up the first gathering of guests at the ceremony. Rob and Caroline’s guests were a group of New Yorkers and they arrived to the ceremony venue with lots of energy, friendliness, and fun. I went inside the church and told Elaine “It’s going to be a great day!”.

I was right.

Caroline’s parents are native Irish so Doonbeg, Co. Clare was quite literally home to them but for many, if not all of Rob’s family, it was their first time on Irish soil. Rob is from Italian descent and he also happens to be a filmmaker with one of New York’s leading wedding studios. It was a huge honor for us that he chose Velvetine Studios to tell their Wedding Story. It was also a pleasure for us to be part of it all; we are lucky enough to film for many American couples and their destination weddings but there’s something extra special about New Yorkers and Rob and Caroline’s guests made us feel like family, they really were that friendly!

Michelle McDermott from Dream Irish Wedding was the wedding planner and I have to say she is just brilliant. When couples used to ask me for advice about their coming weddings I used to say you need to do X, Y, and Z. That was before my own wedding day last year. Nowadays I ask them have they considered a planner because a great one – like Michelle – is worth every last cent. Not only has Michelle great working relationships with quality suppliers and service providers but her keen eye for fine details means that the couple want for nothing and just as importantly, worry about nothing. Michelle is always on hand behind the scenes – an invisible presence – making sure that everything runs to plan so that the couple can enjoy their day to the fullest.

Saying farewell at the end of the night to Rob, Caroline, and the bridesmaids, Lorraine and Colleen was like saying goodbye to old friends. We were made to feel welcome from the very second we met and they could not do enough for us; we were even seated on the table plan with some of their closest friends. Caroline and Rob: Thank you so, so much for having us as part of your dream Irish wedding!

Other key vendors and suppliers:

Doonbeg Lodge – This is a beautiful location and they have some amazing plans to improve their wedding venue. The biggest compliment I can pay them is that the meal was the tastiest I have ever sat down to at a wedding. Superb!

The Woodards – It’s always a pleasure to work with Keith and Evelyn and they produced some gorgeous pictures.

4 comments

Caroline - October 15, 2011 - 11:23 pm

What can I say, other than I absolutely love this! Thank you so much Maurice and Elaine. You managed to capture the day exactly as it was. By far, the best choice we made in planning the wedding was having you film it.
All the best,
Caroline & Rob

Bartek Witek - October 16, 2011 - 2:00 am

Simply beautiful…

Maurice - October 16, 2011 - 11:06 am

Thanks so much for watching Bartek

Maurice - October 16, 2011 - 11:08 am

We’re thrilled that you enjoyed it so much Caroline but tbh, the pleasure was all ours to be a part of your day!!!!!

Saturday, September 24, 2011

You Are My Destiny

Sarah and Mike warned me that they were a fun couple… and that’s exactly what they are.

The Blondin family from Boston found us on the internet at a very early stage of their planning and after a few emails and a couple of phone calls we locked down their date for them. I had been looking forward to this wedding on several counts; it was a relatively small, intimate affair, amazing vendors and suppliers began to attach themselves to the event, it was taking place in Killarney, and on the eve of my own wedding day, Sarah’s mother Joanne sent me best wishes via an email. That was a really nice touch and I just knew I was going to be meeting some wonderful people the following May.

The ceremony took place at St. Mary’s Cathedral on a typical Irish spring/summer’s day – we had glorious sun, wind and rain all competing with each other for a piece of the action. Father MacNamara officiated the ceremony which was made all the more special by some wonderful music from Dolce. Standing at the back of the spectacular cathedral and in its shadows was the wedding planner, Annie Byrne from Aislinn Events. Annie was a joy to work alongside and she came in for high praise from all directions and Fr. MacNamara said some lovely words at the end of the ceremony about all her efforts for the couple and their guests. And she so deserved the kind words: she has a keen eye for detail, her calming influence – despite the pressure of running a wedding day as well as she did – had a positive affect on everyone around her, and all credit to her, the day ran like clockwork. Well done, Annie; Elaine and I wish we knew about you before our own wedding day because we would have booked you in a heartbeat.

The reception took place at Muckross Park Hotel and as soon as the formalities were all taken care of and out of the way, these Americans – young and old – got on that dance floor and let loose with The Marvels. You have probably heard me raving about these guys before, after all, they are arguably the best wedding band in the country and they lifted the place!!

Elaine and I enjoyed this wedding so much – the fab couple, their friendly families and guests, the superb line up of vendors and suppliers, and the American style craic – that we stayed on for an extra hour and soaked up the atmosphere. Mike, Sarah, the Blondins, and The Clancys – thank you so much for having us as part of your wedding day.

Other key vendors and service providers:

The Woodards – We always enjoy working with Keith and Evelyn and we had a good old natter at dinner. Love their wedding photography from this wedding!

Dolce – Just want to mention Dolce once again. I always tell couples that when it comes to choosing vendors and suppliers for your wedding day then be sure to pick the best quality your budget allows and, just as important, make sure they are nice people. And you cannot meet nicer people than Trish and John from Dolce!!

Muckross Park Hotel – Wonderful location in Killarney and the food was gorgeous.

8 comments

Annie Byrne - September 25, 2011 - 8:52 am

Oh my gosh! Simply gorgeous. There were lots of tears of joy and love that day and you made me cry again! Beautifully put together.
Thanks so much Maurice and Eliane, you are amazing at what you do and just a pleasure to work with and know.

Maurice - September 25, 2011 - 1:13 pm

Thanks so much for the kind words and we’re delighted you enjoyed it. The pleasure was all ours!

Pattricia Clancy, mother of the groom - September 28, 2011 - 1:30 pm

Excellent use of Videography…I am living the day over everytime I watch the event!

Maurice - September 29, 2011 - 3:18 pm

Hi Pattricia! Thank you so much for your kind words and it was our pleasure to be a small part of such a great day

Joanne Blondin, Mother of the Bride - October 1, 2011 - 5:19 am

We cannot thank you enough for this beautiful video. You succeeded in capturing so many special moments that will always live on in our hearts. We were delighted to meet you both and are happy to hear that you had such a great time too! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Maurice - October 1, 2011 - 1:31 pm

Hi Joanne From day one after the first email contact it was our absolute pleasure to get to know your families. We are so thankful that you choose us to be a part of your amazing wedding in Ireland and we really appreciate all your kind words. THANK YOU!

Colleen Fallon O'Connor - October 6, 2011 - 2:36 am

This is simply beautiful! Congratulations:-)

Maurice - October 16, 2011 - 11:07 am

Thanks Colleen

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Coming Soon – Muckross Park Wedding Story

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Monday, September 19, 2011

Will and Kate’s Wedding Story

Kate has won local talent contests, she is heavily involved in community projects, she builds houses and schools in Africa, she helps teenagers who are struggling with drugs, she owns and runs a farm, and on the eve of her wedding she ruined her nails delivering a calf. William is man’s man, for sure. A farmer. Strong, firm handshake and an easy smile. The glorious sunshine on his wedding day made him say “… we’re going to get mighty grass” and his first date with Kate was a trip to look at a fertiliser spinner. Their priest joked that instead of exchanging coins they should declare how many acres they each had on their respective farms… They declined

William and Catherine made a huge impression us!

They got married on the 28th April, the day before Will and Kate’s royal wedding in Britain. Sharing the same names as the royal couple drew huge media attention to the wedding and most notably from Cork 96FM’s Neil Prendeville. In fact, Catherine’s interview with Neil was on the lips of every guest as they awaited for her arrival to the ceremony.

And as we continued to wait for the bride to arrive in the glorious April sunshine, another name that I kept hearing was of a woman called Eily – Catherine’s aunt. People could not speak highly enough of this lady who had given Catherine the strength to lay to rest the other role models in her life; her father grandfather, and uncle. She helped her niece rise above every obstacle put in front of her and inspired Catherine to put her own stamp on life.

It was a pleasure to meet such wonderful, down to earth people who do extraordinary things from day to day. Fabulous people!!!

Will and Kate, you are a wonderful couple and it was our pleasure to have met you. Thank you so much for having us as part of your amazing wedding day!

Other key vendors and suppliers:

Emer and The Malton Hotel – Elaine and I love The Malton; we got married there and we will never forget how everyone under its roof went the extra mile for us. It is an exceptional venue and Emer and Paul work tirelessly to make sure that every bride and groom and their guests have a magical time. Just brilliant!

John Daly – It was a pleasure to work with John the wedding photographer on this wedding. Catherine was in big demand from the media but John handled it brilliantly.

Cork 96FM – They were so good to Will and Kate and we found them great to deal with when we came looking for excerpts of the radio interview. Nothing was a problem and they immediately had a CD in the post to us.

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Saturday, September 17, 2011

Kilcorney Royale at The Malton Killarney

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Thursday, August 25, 2011

The Loveable Rogues

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I’m going to start by saying that I loved this couple, Hughie and Erica – how could you not – and I will always have fond memories of their wedding day in Killarney.

So much thought, effort, and care was invested into this wedding day and the hands on approach of the families added a wonderful sense of intimacy to the event. I watched them preparing the church – which is situated in the heart of the Black Valley, an amazing location! – with flowers and candles, Erica’s brother Richie mesmerised the congregation with his singing, the readings were treated with respect, and Hughie’s god daughter Cailie almost stole the show with her surprise poem at the end of the ceremony.

Hughie and Erica – and their families – are loveable rogues, that is for certain. So they could pick no better priest to marry them than Fr. Donal O’Connor. I think he invented the word rogue and it is always a pleasure for us to film in any of his churches. He makes each wedding so personal to all his couples and I just loved the little touches he added to Hughie and Erica’s ceremony.

The trip from the Black Valley to the reception venue, Dunloe Castle, was an eventful one because so many of the Dublin guests had difficulty with the twisted, bumpy, and narrow mountain roads; apparently, many D reg cars ended up with scratches and one lost an entire front bumper. But, like everyone admitted, it was worth every single hair raising second for the inspiring views of the Gap of Dunloe.

Jason Clifford and his team at Dunloe Castle hosted another perfect event and they came in for high praise during the speeches; I even have a shot of Jason blushing in the backgrounds while he received the well deserved praise. And Hughie was kind enough to mention myself and Elaine for our invisible presence {he couldn’t even find us in the small church!} and his words were the kindest we have ever been lucky enough to receive. Thank you so much, Hughie and Erica, and we appreciate all your generosity on the day… and by the way, the meal you kindly laid on for us was to die for!!

I cried all the way through the speeches… cried with laughter that is! No-one at this wedding took themselves too seriously and they all enjoyed the good natured banter. I can only remember one other wedding of ours that came close to the laughs we had during these speeches.

So, thanks to the loveable rogues for having us as part of your day!!!!

2 comments

Mike Murphy - August 26, 2011 - 12:23 am

What a superbly professional but yet very sincere reflection of a wonderful day, both filmed and written!!

Maurice - August 26, 2011 - 10:47 am

Thank you so much for your kind words. We really appreciate your feedback. Thank you!

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Style Me Pretty Ireland

When we first received a call from the world’s biggest wedding blog, Style Me Pretty, to inform us that we had been recommended by industry insiders, brides had complimented us on exceptional service, and that our work passed with flying colours from a body of five American wedding filmmakers {some of the top studios in the world}…. well, we were honoured and thrilled. It’s always nice to receive recognition for hard work and we simply cannot be happier to be joining their Little Black Book of The Best Wedding Vendors.

I love many things about Style Me Pretty and they share the same values as we do at Velvetine Studios. We believe that is important to offer our couples exceptional customer care and foster a genuine interest and relationship with all our clients. And, almost just as important, we like to talk with brides {and grooms} who are typical readers of SMP; modern people who appreciate style and value the highest quality of service.

In fact, one of the things I love about Style Me Pretty is that they are so in tune with their readers that they don’t have a vendor section for wedding video. Like we always say, anyone can give you a wedding video. Style Me Pretty have a section for Cinematography and only studios that offer unique films are accepted in to it. How cool is that!!!

3 comments

Bartek Witek - September 17, 2011 - 6:44 pm

Congratulations! Very well deserved

Maurice - September 18, 2011 - 9:07 am

Thanks a million, Bartek.

Sarah (Blondin) Clancy - January 16, 2012 - 9:59 pm

Maurice & his lovely wife filmed our wedding on May 5th 2011. We had about 60 people travel over from the states for an intimate Irish wedding at the beautiful Muckross Park Hotel in Killarney. The professionalism that Maurice displayed from our first email encounter was outstanding! Although I had viewed samplings of their work prior to hiring Velvetine Studios, I was completely blown away by the finished product I received. The brief three minute online video “teaser” would have been enough-the full video was all bonus to me! It is so fabulous and makes me cry each time I watch it! All of my friends and family absolutely love the video as well. And funny enough, I just received a message from my cousin this week (who attended our wedding) stating that she watched the online teaser another 10 times Maurice – This recognition is so deserving and I want to congratulate you! I 100% recommend your work to any bride who wants the most beautiful memories of their special day! Thank you again for your amazing work… thank you hardly seems like enough!

With Love,
Sarah & Mike Clancy

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Hughie and Erica at Dunloe Castle

Hughie and Erica’s wedding story was filmed in the heart of The Black Valley and at Dunloe Castle Hotel in Killarney. Coming soon to the blog and Facebook.

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Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Tulfarris Wedding Story

April. A fantastic month of weddings for us and first up was Eimear and Niall in Wicklow.

We pulled into Blessington the morning of and assumed that such a small town could only have one Catholic Church. So, we parked the car and unloaded the gear but something about the church didn’t quite feel right. Elaine made it her business to find the local priest and he informed us that Blessington had three churches… and the wedding was not taking place in this one. Luckily enough we had allowed loads of time so we drove five minutes up the road and found our ceremony venue.

Eimear and Niall are living in Sydney so it was great to see them at home enjoying their day with family and friends. It was very obvious how much all these people meant to them and the day was an emotional rollercoaster for all involved.

The reception took place at the impressive Tulfarris Hotel and I must say, the staff and service were second to none. Elaine and I stayed as guests at the hotel for two nights and marked it into our calendar for a revisit whenever we get the chance to take a weekend off to recharge our batteries. Another added bonus was that we got to meet Martin Hill and his assistant Chris again. They are wedding photographers based in the UK but it’s always a pleasure for us to work with them. Two great guys who produce amazing, dramatic images and their fun attitude really kept the wedding party buzzing during the photoshoot.

Thanks a million to Eimear and Niall for having us part of your day!

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Friday, August 12, 2011

Eimear and Niall

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Monday, August 1, 2011

Something Very Different

“Hello, I’m looking for prices for a wedding video man. If it’s keen we’ll consider booking you.”

I tried to explain to this very nice lady who was calling on behalf of her daughter that we probably weren’t a right fit for each other. I tried to inform her that I’m not your traditional “video man”.

“We are filmmakers,” I said. “We make a unique, emotion charged film about you and your day and -

“Do you video all the dancing?” she interrupted.

“We film all the key moments of your day from ceremony arrivals through to the first dance as standard but it’s more about capturing the emotions that best tell your story. Anyone can record the unity candles, the vows, arriving at the hotel, cutting the cake. As storytellers, what we do goes way beyond -

“Exactly. Anyone can record them things and I already have a quote for €700 so can you do any better than that?”

“I can do a lot better than that, yes. Absolutely! As I was saying, what we do goes way beyond traditional wedding video. We watch and listen for all the things that make you, you! We capture feelings and shape them into a story that will resonate with your entire family. In fact, it will resonate with absolute strangers.”

“How much?”

“It is fantastic value. €2,500.”

I am being 100% truthful when I tell you that she paused and chose her next words with much care.

“Jesus Christ… For wedding video?”

“Like I’ve been trying to tell you: We don’t do wedding video.”

To continue the call would have been to waste both of our time. So, I didn’t tell her that from day one I have always pushed the boundaries and tried to make each wedding better than the last. I didn’t explain how Velvetine Studios broke the mold and offered Irish couples something very unique with our Wedding Story brand and films. Nor did I tell her that we are continuously raising the bar which brings me to the whole point of this post.

As of today, Velvetine Studios have taken a first, considered step in a new direction. A step that will raise the bar we have already set to a new and dizzy level. A step that will completely remove us from any confusion with the traditional wedding video realm. It is a direction shrouded in secrecy for now but I’ll share some more details in a series of posts in the near future.

It’s going to change everything. Again.

I promise.

4 comments

Bartek Witek - August 2, 2011 - 5:23 pm

Hi Guys, The conversation with this particular client of yours is a perfect example of present basic knowledge about the standard of services offered on wedding market – which I found very sad. I am very happy for you guys hearing that you plan to improve and offer something completely different, extraordinary to clients and are changing the future of the wedding videography market having already excellent level of services. I wish you best of luck and cannot wait to hear more about your plans.

Maurice - August 2, 2011 - 8:43 pm

Thanks for reading, Bartek

One thing I’ve learned is not to aim our service at ‘everyone’. We offer a very specific service that involves a huge amount of time, care, effort and skill to pull off and, of course, this means it is exclusive to a relatively small number of people each year.

In all aspects of our business, Elaine and I have felt the need to take on bigger and better things that will give our couples an even better service. I’ll talk some more about all of this in a series blog posts

Thanks again for your ongoing support!

Noel & Aga {White Tea} - August 2, 2011 - 8:57 pm

Crazy to hear that you guys would be getting enquiries like that. Sure isn’t it obvious you’re about more than a bloke with a handycam and an oul tripod!?

Anyway, this sounds like a very exciting time for you guys. Wishing you and Elaine tonnes of luck with the next chapter! … In no doubt it’ll be brilliant, whatever it is you have up your sleeves.

Maurice - August 2, 2011 - 9:06 pm

White Tea is in the house!

Phone calls like the one in the blog – which is a true story! – were coming a little too often for my liking and that means I was doing something wrong somewhere. I’ve pretty much figured out what was wrong and we’ve taken steps to put things right asap.

Exciting times… Scary is probably a better word But my gut is telling me to go for it… Just like it did when people used to tell me that Wedding Story would never work.

Thanks for checking out the blog, guys.

PS. I’ll be in touch very shortly. Something that might be of interest to you.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

The Voyage – Wedding Story Teaser

Watch it on Facebook

It’s probably fair to say that we had the same amount of trouble in trying to find Mullaghbane the second time around as we did the first. It’s a small, quiet village, twenty minutes or so away from Newry, population four hundred, and we first visited it for Aidan and Aoife’s wedding a couple of years ago. When her sister Ciana asked us if we would travel to film her Wedding Story we were hugely honoured that she chose us and we jumped at the chance to meet everybody once again.

Ciana’s parents, Rita and Gerry, own the most gorgeous house with a beautiful garden that overlooks Mullaghbane and beyond. It really is a spectacular location and we captured some amazing footage there for Aoife’s wedding. However, on this occasion, we made a conscious decision not to film any exterior shots of the house while Ciana was getting her hair and make-up. Yes, I was tempted to place the wedding shoes beside a garden ornament and hang the wedding dress from a leafless tree but I resisted; Ciana’s wedding was a whole new story.

We met Liam at the church and he immediately struck me as the type who would prefer any attention to be focused anywhere but on him. But, of course, that’s not going to happen on your wedding day or least not until the bride arrives, so even though Liam can be seen in the short film showing off his steady hand as a sign of no nerves, trust me, he was nervous!

Ciana and her wedding party arrived to the church in style with Gerard McGirr Wedding Cars. The cars were spotless and impressive and the drivers were so professional; it’s no wonder that Ciana still heaps high praise on them today! Another supplier who deserves a mention is the wedding designer, Martina Crilly. She was not only helpful in filling us in on all the small details to watch out for but it also has to be said that the floral designs in the church were a credit to her!

Mullaghbane and its people have rich Celtic traditions and the music from Rulya at the ceremony lifted the hairs on the back of my neck. Blaithín sang the most beautiful Gaelic version of Blackbird that I have ever heard and her brother Garrett, a gifted vocalist, sang a note perfect rendition of The Call and The Answer. Powerful stuff and it really did complement the ceremony. It also helped to guide me in what direction to take with Ciana and Liam’s teaser: I wanted to show the stillness of Mullaghbane, a simple village where time seems to stand still, and I wanted to capture the strong sense of community that exists there. Most of all, I wanted show Ciana and Liam, their family and friends for who they really are; great people!

Thank you so much for having us!

Other key vendors and suppliers:

Shanroe Photography – Noelle Marks was a pleasure to work alongside and her photobooth was a huge hit with the wedding guests; great craic!

Cabra Castle – An eye catching castle where we received five star treatment. We even stayed the night in one of their cute cottages.

DJ – Ruairi Finnegan came in for high praise from the bride. Check him out.

1 comment

Ciana mallon - July 17, 2011 - 11:42 pm

Love love love it Maurice can’t wait to see the full DVD!

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Coming Soon – The Voyage

2 comments

Ciana mallon - July 14, 2011 - 8:37 pm

Love it Maurice! Can’t wait to see my teaser!

Ciana mallon - July 14, 2011 - 8:37 pm

Love it! Can’t wait to see our teaser!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

COMPETITION – MOST STYLISH BRIDE 2010

One of the perks of our job is that we get to meet so many great people and make new friends along the way. And not only do we get to capture your memories but we also get to make some of our own and for that we thank you!

So, as a small gesture of that thanks, we have decided to run a lighthearted, fun competition in honour of all the wonderful brides we had in 2010… and while we’re at it, let’s also include everyone from 2009 as well!

The rules are simple:

Choose our Most Stylish Bride from 2009 and 2010 by Liking or Commenting on her Facebook teaser*
Like our Facebook page
Closing date is 12pm 30st August 2011
Bride with most number of Likes and Comments on Facebook wins €100 Brown Thomas voucher
All Commentators and Likers on the winning Bride’s teaser will be entered into an independent draw for a €100 Brown Thomas voucher**

*If you cannot find your 2009 or 2010 bride on our Facebook page just comment here on the blog but you must also Like our Facebook page and be sure that user names match each other.

**One Like or Comment per bride but you may vote for multiple brides… after all, they are all stunners!

4 comments

Melanie Cruise - July 12, 2011 - 7:57 pm

Well well well,I’m a 2009 Bride
Where do I sign up????

Elaine kelly - July 12, 2011 - 8:31 pm

Aisling and Michael peyton to win!!!

Maurice - July 12, 2011 - 8:54 pm

Point your friends to your teaser here on the blog Mel and ask them to leave a comment… and don’t forget, they must also click the LIKE button our Facebook page. Best of luck!!

Aine - July 14, 2011 - 10:32 pm

Jennifer OSullivan Coffey to win!

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Choosing Your Wedding Photographer

If you watched the demonstration video {see the gifted Brendan Landy at work above} then I must tell you that what you saw is a rare occurrence. I wish all photographers and videographers were as considerate as Brendan but…

All too often I hear shocking stories from photographers about my peers that make me embarrassed for my industry. And, having said that, I also witness some truly outrageous behaviour from many photographers who show no respect for the bride and groom, their families, their guests, the ceremony, the hotel chef… and least of all, to the videographer.

There was a time when wedding video was an afterthought for a lot of couples. I can understand why.

But, times are changing. And wedding video is no longer wedding video… at least not when Velvetine Studios make a film about you and your day. Couples today realise that a great Wedding Story is priceless and it is no secret that we only dedicate ourselves to a boutique number of weddings in Ireland each year. For these reasons we are now beginning to find that our clients are booking us at the earliest stages of their planning. And one question we often hear is “Can you recommend a good photographer?”

Like I said, times are changing. Such a question very rarely fell on videographers’ ears until quite recently… Around about the same when we all noticed an explosion of new, inexperienced photographers bombard the market. Is this due to the quantum leaps of accessible DSLR technology or people trying to carve out a living because of the deep recession? Probably a bit of both if you ask me.

Some of these new photographers are wonderful {like Magda Lukas who we worked with this weekend} and will go on to develop great careers…. But I’m not going to share any horror stories about the ones who are doing considerable harm to an industry that built a proud and deserved reputation over the years.

What I will say is

choose a wedding photographer with a good body of work that appeals to your eye. First and foremost, the work has to move you
choose someone you click with on a personal level
every photographer {and videographer!} will tell you that they are discreet; don’t just take their word for it because I can assure you I have often seen the opposite
ask past clients of theirs {and other suppliers} for a truthful assessment of how their photographer conducted themselves on the day: were they discreet and anonymous during the ceremony; were they using distracting flash or excessive shutter clicks; did they make their couples feel comfortable; how did they treat the guests?

We work with some fantastic photographers who are great people that produce amazing work. I could publicly name a few and thus offend many so, I won’t. What I will say is choose your service providers with great care and having been in your shoes only last October I know how difficult it is to put together a team that work well with each other… And that’s coming from someone who works within the industry.

Best of luck and I hope this post is helpful.

2 comments