Speeches at the wedding are one of our favorite, as well as most important moments of the day. We always tell our couples to make sure that their toast-givers tell stories about the couple. How did they meet? What makes them a great couple? You get the gist. But, at the same time, we don’t want to take away the toast-givers connection to the bride and groom.
In the fall of 2014, Best Man Chris Holmes gave a speech to Katie and Mike Barbin that had the ballroom of the Cranwell Resort Spa and Golf Club in stitches. The main story that Chris told was why he knew that Mike was his best friend. It’s a story that is worth the punchline. Therefore, on June 8th, we honor Best Friends Day with one of the best, and funniest stories about friends you will here at a wedding. Share it with your best friend…
Jonathan and Mark chose to celebrate their marriage in Berkshires of Massachusetts, an area in which they vacation multiple times per year. This Miami couple did a fabulous job with their planner Samatha Talora and Floral Designer Carolyn Valenti in creating gorgeous ceremony and reception spaces in the afternoon light at the Cranwell Resort, Spa and Golf Club in Lenox, MA.
Mark and John were accompanied by their two children, Hershel and Ava, as they were married under a elegantly decorated Chuppah on the resort’s Rose Terrace. The couple admitted to being a little monogram-happy, as everything from their shirts, to their suits, to the belt loops, to the napkins in the bathrooms carried the Kravitz monogram. One of the highlights of the wedding day was most definitely Jonathan and Mark’s first dance, which was a two-song choreographed performance that includes several dips and lots of pizazz.
For this Boston wedding film, we got to work with so many of the best vendors in the Berkshires, including the fore mentioned Carolyn Valeniti, as well as very-talented photgrapher Tricia McCormack. The Boston band Night Rhythm followed us down the Mass Pike for this wedding and they kept the party going all afternoon long. Despite the rain that fall just outside the Rose Terrace during the cermony, the day was a near perfect one for Jonathan and Mark! Congrats gentlemen!
We were excited to announce that we were invited to take part in the Berkshire Wedding Collective. As a Boston Wedding videographer and cinematographer, we often find ourselves traveling to the western-most parts of Massachusetts to film weddings and events. The Berkshires is just an extremely charming area of the state with beautiful architecture, picturesque views and unique events that are exciting to film. The Cranwell Resort, Spa & Golf Club has always been a popular spot on our calendar, but we find ourselves at new, different venues, as well as private properties for fabulous events and weddings every year. You can see our Berkshire Wedding Collective profile page HERE.
The Berkshire Wedding Collective was founded by Tara of Tara Consolati, marketing + pr. The Collective is a carefully curated collection of only the finest wedding professionals serving the magnificent Berkshire hills in Western Massachusetts. It is an exclusive, “by invitation only” group of businesses that Tara trusts and respects. Truly the best of the best! As Tara puts it, “when it comes to planning your wedding in the Berkshires, second-best just isn’t good enough.” The Collective is the destination wedding resource in the Berkshires–operating as a “Berkshires wedding concierge.”
It’s been a few years since we spent our New Years Eve at a wedding and I can’t think of a much better couple to ring in the New Year with than Kath Keen and Joe Di Biasi. What a fun night we had at the Cranwell Resort, Spa & Golf Club in Lenox, MA. The couple brought a laid back approach to the day, which is always a plus in my book. For so many reasons that are stated in this Boston wedding video, these two are just good together! What is really nice is that this film is only the tip of the iceberg, as there are many more stories to share in their feature film that is yet to come.
The ceremony was the first we’ve shot in the newly, renovated Main Ballroom, which now provides a variety of layouts for couples to choose from for their ceremony. Christmas was still in the air for Kath and Joe’s ceremony as a Christmas tree and red decor donned the ceremony location. Then Kath add loads of purple to the decor mix, as she is “obsessed” with the color (her words, not mine). A less-than traditional reception saw the couple go right into a fast dance set with their Band Total Soul from New York City. Some of the other surprises included a horse and buggy ride on a cold winter’s night, three outfit and shoe changes for the bride, and a balloon drop at the strike of midnight. Enjoy our latest Boston wedding video from the Berkshires of Massachusetts…
Vendors:
Cinematographers: Chris Morgan + Jamie Podworski, JPod Productions
After spending several weeks of shooting Boston wedding videos, Liz and Jon were the first of two springtime weddings in the beautiful Berkshires of Massachusetts. The couple, who met in their hometown of Longmeadow, had a history that dated back to their childhood days. Rabbi Shapiro chose to reference Jewish writer Bernard Malamud’s Novel The Natural, as the perfect comparison to the couple. The novel about Baseball player Roy Hobbs had an obvious connection with Jon being a former baseball player himself, but the novel really matched the couple in the sense that Liz and Jon were just so natural together. We loved shooting and editing this film, because the glow of each of their faces was exactly what it should be on a wedding day, glowing and “natural”.
One of the best parts of the day was the couple’s first look, as Jon was just blown away by his bride to be. It was one of the best reactions we have ever seen. And, rightfully so, as Liz looked spectacular in her Monique Lhuillier dress from Kleinfelds and her Jimmy Choo shoes.
Liz and Jon were married at the Cranwell Resort, Spa & Golf Club in Lenox, MA. It was the first wedding film for us in the newly remodeled ballroom at the Cranwell. The ballroom now has a much more modern, elegant feel as the tall windows have been exposed with new drapery and the columns have been removed to open up the space dramatically. And, it still felt like a Boston wedding film, as the Boston Band Legit kept the party rocking all night long.
Vendors:
Cinematographers: Anne Newman, Jamie Podworski of JPod Productions
The vendor of the month is rated as the top resort in Massachusetts by resortsandlodges.com. The Cranwell Resort, Spa & Golf Club in Lenox, Massachusetts is right at the top of my list of favorite places to shoot a wedding year after year. The Cranwell, located in the beautiful Berkshire mountains of Massachusetts, offers an impeccable outdoor ceremony site that includes a gorgeous mountain backdrop and a stunning staircase to begin the bride’s walk down the aisle.
Every reception that I have attended at the Resort has run flawlessly, no matter if it was held inside the ballroom or outside in the tent. The ballroom boasts tall ceilings and beautiful design, which fits many different wedding sizes. The outdoor tent provides a second great option, as the Cranwell boasts one of the few sites where your reception can stay in the fresh air. And hats off to the Chef, as the sea bass is the best wedding dish I’ve tasted. The bridal suite is a generously-sized two-room layout that is ideal for a bride’s preparations. Photo options are unlimited with charming choices inside and gorgeous views and architecture outside which translates to stunning photos and a beautiful wedding film. The pictures below are courtesy of Derek Fowles Photography, recommended vendor of the Cranwell.
Wedding photography is a vendor category that brides and grooms get to choose from a plethora of talented professionals. So, to stand out in the photography world is not an easy task. But, August’s Vendor of the Month is one that stands clear from the field. Robert Charles Photography of East Longmeadow has established itself as an elite wedding photography company not only in Massachusetts, but across New England.
Ed and Bob are the owners, but it is Bob and Leah who are the lead shooters that make the wedding magic happen. I’ve have the chance to team with each of them on numerous occasions over the past year and a half. I am always excited to here that Bob or Leah is shooting a potential wedding clients pictures, because I know that the day will be easy and fun. Recently, we had Stacy Palozie infectious smile with Christopher Smith’s relaxed personality for a wedding up at the Log Cabin with a spectacular sunset. We also had Laura McLean and Dave DeCandio with their fancy Rolls Royce in front of the Cranwell Resort Spa & Golf Club. I can tell you that our wedding films are always enhanced when we shoot side by side with Bob or Leah.
So why Robert Charles Photography for your wedding? Well, their work speaks for itself. Unbelievable images that always capture the emotion and essence of your day. What you don’t see in the photographs is the way Bob and his staff go about obtaining the photos. They are invisible! You barely ever see them during the ceremony and they’re just as discreet during the reception. Lastly, Bob has the most calming influence on the bride and everyone around her. I have never been at a wedding with Bob where the wedding party seemed stressed. Phenomenal pictures, an extremely unobtrusive approach and a calming personality. Those are three qualities that you will not find all together from one vendor very often, but Robert Charles Photography offers them each and every time.
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