Our first Greek wedding!

Last weekend we filmed our first Greek wedding!  It was fascinating!  The service at St. Demetrios included the wearing of crowns, the bride's godmother placing the rings on Maria and Bobby, a chanter, and the priest leading the couple around a table with almonds!

In the morning we had the chance to see Maria and her bridesmaids getting ready at the salon, Fringe and Foundation, in Westlake.  Here's a little video we shot on our iPhone at the salon, capped off with a quick shot of the Maria and Bobby after they tied the knot.

Enjoy!

Loving this day with Maria & Bobby! #jaruswedding2015 #forrealweddingfilms #CLEvideography

A video posted by Kurt & Beth (@forrealweddingfilms) on Aug 15, 2015 at 3:02pm PDT

Will & Morgan's Wedding Film!

You couldn't have asked for a more stunning, summer day for a wedding when Will and Morgan got married outdoors with a glistening Lake Erie as a backdrop.  Then we got to catch them on film as they walked the wooded grounds of Camp Luther.  After a stop at the brewery where they met, we headed off to a reception full of surprise choreography, dance antics, and lots of laughter.

Enjoy their wedding film as much as we enjoyed producing it!


Will and Morgan's Wedding from For Real Wedding Films on Vimeo.

Produced by Kurt and Beth at For Real Wedding Films
forrealweddingfilms@gmail.com
440-225-1868
Music provided by Songfreedom
Photography (including the gorgeous photo above!)-Imagine It Photography

Tent for the musicians-Sun Rentals 
Dress-Expressions Bridal and Formal
Wedding Venue-Camp Luther
Florist-Roses for Weddings Inc. 
Reception-American Croatian Lodge
Cake-Michael Angelo's Bakery
DJ-Magical Sound Entertainment 

Sneak one more peek at Will and Morgan's Wedding!

We just finished Will and Morgan's wedding film and are thrilled!  We'll be sharing it with them soon.  To add a little fun for Will and Morgan and their friends and family here is one more little teaser for everyone to enjoy.  When we get the whole film posted we'll let you all know!
Kurt and Beth


Will and Morgan's sneak peek 2! from For Real Wedding Films on Vimeo.

A Wedding in a Warehouse?

Looking for a unique location for a wedding?  Our partners at Imagine It Photography shot Liza and Josh's big day at the Ariel International Center.

According to the official website, "The Ariel International Center, is a historic 68,000 square foot building, located on 3 acres, overseeing the Lake and the Cleveland skyline."

Stephanie Uptmor at Imagine It said, "it is full of vintage details and has a rustic feel while still having killer views of downtown Cleveland!"

It's hard to believe that something as beautiful as this is inside of this old building (below) that all of us have seen while driving I-90!

Will and Morgan Wedding film peek

Sorry, this is a day later than promised!
Here's a short clip of:
1. my favorite moment of Will and Morgan's ceremony :)
and
2. an early edit of part of their forthcoming wedding film.

This was one beautiful and fun-spirited wedding!



Morgan and Will's Sneak Peek from For Real Wedding Films on Vimeo.

Come to camp and get married!

This Saturday we are filming the wedding of Will and Morgan at Camp Luther. 

As a kid I stayed at Luther Memorial Camp twice.  It is a sister camp to Luther.  I went once as a field trip and a friend and I liked it so much we went back that summer.  I will forever remember survival games, snipe hunting, talks about Jesus, and jumping off the high dive there! 

The groom, Will, spent most of his childhood at Camp Luther and his family are the caretakers.  In fact, his parents married in the chapel on the grounds. 

We are looking forward to a beautiful day on the lake celebrating their union!

Will said anyone who has spent time at Camp Luther raves about the sunsets.  Here's a photo of one at the camp.

Photographers, Couple, Servants

So, the other day we mentioned in the blog about the 5 Love Languages.  So, this past Saturday evening, at Dan & Lauren's wedding, I saw this in a very humble and honoring way.

I've seen it before, but again it reminded me of their kindness.

John & Stephanie Uptmor.

Two amazing photographers.

A darling couple.

Two people with hearts the size of Texas. 

Throughout the night, while the two of them are doing what they do, taking pictures, hustling, arranging people, sweating in the heat,  they are always serving others.  

I saw this as we had taken a little dinner break, and all of us vendors were sitting there eating.  A couple of the guys were talking about frustrations with their daytime jobs.  John, having worked in the same field, proceeded to tell them about some good job openings and how to get an in with the company.  I mean, he didn't have to do that, didn't have to care....but he does.  This is just, it seems to me, John's normal.  It's really honorable and honoring.

I was also the receipent of such kindness as I asked Stephanie if she had an aspirin for my raging headache that night.  John became my hero as he quickly got up and bought me some.  

I mean...really?!

He didn't have to, but he just did.  He probably would have rather rested his feet for a bit, but he didn't.  He served.

On top of it all, Stephanie and John are also always building up others with their words.  It's genuine.  That's just who they are.  

Truly thankful for these two and the kindness that exudes from them!  

Get to know them more and see their work at Imagine It Photography!

Need to save money on your wedding? Try a brunch reception!

So we got married young...at least according to my in-laws (They were in their 30's). Kurt and I had just graduated from college and being oh so crazy, got engaged our senior year and married the following winter.  

Winter?!  

Who gets married a week before Christmas?  

We crazy birds did!

(My poor mother who had to take care of all the out of town company right before a major holiday...and we had no concern of this as we were blissfully happy away on our honeymoon)

Ignorance can be bliss!

Anywho, one of the best pieces of being married right before Christmas was that the church was gloriously decorated.  We had no flowers to purchase, no decorations needed.  Poinsettas filled the sanctuary with beauty and regalness.

So, simple.

So beautiful.

So free.  :)

I just came across a blog that shared how the bride wanted a wedding brunch (including this cinnamon roll-flavored wedding cake-delish!).  I love the idea.  Again...

simple.

Beautiful.

A lot cheaper than a 3 course dinner meal.  

So, if you're trying to figure out how to cut costs, check out this idea as well as a number of ideas off this other fun blog (or this one), all about doing a wedding on a shoe string budget.

The Flavor of a Wedding

Each wedding has a flavor.

One wedding that had a unique flavor was the wedding of Russ and Kathleen.

They married in a picturesque small town in Indiana.  It was so much fun to wed the feel of this tiny, American railroad town with the sacredness of the church and the detailed beauty of Kathleen's wedding dress.  That, coupled with sweet moment of Russ and Kathleen with their moms, made for such a touching wedding film intro.

Enjoy.


The Flavor of a Wedding from For Real Wedding Films on Vimeo.

It's all in the details

It's All in the Details from For Real Wedding Films on Vimeo.
Weddings are beautiful because marriage is beautiful.  But some weddings are above and beyond and Jessica and Mike's was one of them.  Jessica was certainly the most creative bride we've ever worked with.  She personally designed and made more cute details than most brides can shake a stick at!  Her style was elegant country.

This is a little clip of our film of her wedding day.  You'll see some of the fun, well placed signs she made, the farm and barn setting, and the girls switching out their heels for cowboy boots before the reception.  Enjoy!

See the full video here.