When Maria first met Sam, they were both looking for a roommate, but they wound up finding a lifetime love. We were thrilled to film their creative Chicago wedding at the Newberry Library. From the ornate paper details, to the string quartet and DJ, to the surprise swing first dance, this celebration had Maria & Sam’s personal and unique touch all over it. Congrats you two! Enjoy! P.S. we still have to get some Lou Malnati’s real soon!

It was a joy to capture the wedding of Kristi & Tony, two people who started out as friends but over time the relationship developed into much more. The day started with getting ready at the Four Seasons with the girls and the guys at The James. As the morning unfolded, very thoughtful gifts were prepared for the other person and delivered in creative ways. It was interesting to capture these preparations knowing that each of them would later see the ‘behind the scenes’ of the how the gifts came together. Tony (an avid Michael Jackson fan) did an especially nice touch by sending Kristi some clever photos on a new camera. After a touching ceremony, we moved on to the reception at The Ivy Room. Kristi liked this venue because she wanted to be in the heart of Chicago but in an intimate and romantic place that would make you forget that you were on State Street. The cocktail hour in the garden fit this bill perfectly. At the reception during the band break, we set up the projector and presented this Same Day Edit to give the newlyweds and their guests a nice recap of the day. The film starts with a brief snippet from Tony’s speech at the rehearsal dinner …

LIVE REACTIONS

A Same Day Edit is a great way for you to entertain your guests and add a special and very memorable touch to your celebration. It’s also a nice way for you and your new mate to sit back and relive the day (which goes by in a blur), and to discover touching moments that you wouldn’t have seen otherwise.

Have you heard about a Same Day Edit but have never actually seen one? Well here’s your chance! Play the video below to see how Kristi & Tony experienced their film with family and friends at their reception at the Ivy Room. I would tell you about it, but it’s much better if you just experience it for yourself. Have a look!

The rehearsal dinner has a different feel than other wedding events. A great time with the closest friends and family. It’s pretty laid back and very personal, and as you’ll see, it’s also a great opportunity to capture some great speeches. This is exactly the type of event that you should be capturing on film to cherish. Can you imagine Tony’s grandchildren watching this story of what he wrote to Grandma back in high school? In addition to rehearsal dinner coverage, we also created a “Through the Years” slideshow of old and recent photos. Watch to see Kristi and Tony experience this presentation with this intimate group.

We plan to include this clip on Kristi & Tony’s Wedding Film DVD in the ‘bonus features’ section. If you’d like to know more about how Emotia can help you cherish and share great moments like this, get in touch! We’d love to hear from you.

Chicago makes for the perfect wedding location, especially when the bride and groom’s families are from Iowa and Ohio. Last Saturday we had the the pleasure of doing wedding cinematography for a very down to earth couple, Rebecca and Nathan. We love it when brides have unique details – Rebecca had her dress made with pockets so that she’d have a tissue handy when the tears started falling at the alter. Classic. From the photowalk on Michigan Ave. to the Champagne Parade at The Knickerbocker Hotel, it was a very simple, yet glamourous wedding. During the band break, we surprised Rebecca and Nathan with this Same Day Edit that gives a ‘Deja Vu’ of their splendid day.

Emotia kicks off the 2010 season with our very first Same Day Edit, done for Elisa & Mike. They’re a pretty interesting couple; she’s a classically trained singer who works as consultant at NASA and he’s in I.T. but went to culinary school at night to pursue his passion for great food. They currently live in California and met on Match.com. Their ‘midwestern values’ attracted them to each other – Mike grew up in Chicago and Elisa also has family here. The clip below captures the joy that they shared that day, one that Elisa called, “the best day of our lives.” Congrats to the both of you! We sincerely wish you all the best!

It was a pleasure to provide wedding cinematography services for Becky and Paddy, a couple that hails from over the pond in UK. I knew from our first meeting over at the Kerryman that this was going to be a great wedding, and it certainly was. Becky has some event management experience so of course her choice of venue, the design, the food, and all the details were amazing. (Big thanks to Kehoe Designs for the smashing decor). Becky and Paddy are huge Sinatra fans so when I saw Paddy singing “Chicago” while dancing with his new bride, I knew right then and there that I was going to feature that in their highlight reel. Another interesting aspect of this clip is that I used snippets from Paddy’s reception speech, and I really like how it adds a lot of character and emotion to this piece. Brides love hearing their husbands publicly sharing their hearts, so I thought it would be a good idea to weave that in.

Becky & Paddy, thanks so much having Emotia be a part of your big day, it was great spending time with you. And I’m sure that Old Blighty is exceptionally proud to regain some of it’s property

You’ve already seen the wedding film teaser from this celebration, so now here’s the highlight reel for Angeles and Jamie’s wedding that was shot at Assumption Church and Newberry Library in Downtown Chicago. Lots of touching and funny moments on this one – especially the couple’s first kiss during the ceremony. This was a very fun wedding to document and we’re glad that we got to take part in the day. Congrats again to Angeles & Jamie! Enjoy your new life together!

This upbeat teaser is from Laura & Rian’s wedding on Saturday at St. Clement and the Newberry Library. The day was a great start to a new begining that started at IU (Indiana University). We hit several locations, an interesting one being the North Pond at Lincoln Park Zoo, which was very serene and peaceful. Congrats Laura & Rian! The full story is coming soon …

We met Dana & Ryan at a Murphy Auditorium / Berghoff bridal event and were thrilled when they booked us to do a Fusion (photography + video) engagement shoot. They opted for our ‘Haute’ engagement collection which includes airbrush makeup & hair, photography, cinematography, and a guest book.

We really like adding video to standard photography engagement shoot because it shows personality and other nuances that are better suited for this medium. We originally planned to just have video snippets here and there, but their story was so interesting that we leaned more toward the video side on this fusion piece. Dana & Ryan used this video as a ‘Save The Date’ and was delivered on DVD and digitally on Facebook.

We’re really fascinated with telling the love story of our couples and we hope that family, friends, and generations to come will look back at this video and see the great bond these two wonderful people had just before their marriage. Dana & Ryan, congrats! We wish you all the best!

A teaser from Angeles & Jamie’s wedding that Emotia shot cinematography for on Saturday 6/6/09. A lot of brides think, “I know I need photography, but do I really need video?” This teaser answers that question in 1 minute and 30 seconds. Congrats Angeles & Jamie!

Thanks to the Westin Michigan Avenue Chicago for providing such a spacious bridal suite!