Tag Archives: Martha’s Vineyard Wedding Videography

 

As wedding filmmakers who like to tell a couple’s story, the wedding toasts at the reception play a vital role in our filmmaking process. When we reach out to our photographer friends to talk about an upcoming wedding together, the toasts are the one item we highlight as important to us. We take pride in filming them with good lighting and great sound quality, as we know that it makes our Boston wedding films stand out. Making them look and sound good is our job, but saying the right things is traditionally up to the Father of the Bride, Best Man and Maid/Matron of Honor. So here are some tips to sounding good and making the best of your time in the wedding spotlight.

Length Matters

The best length for speeches tends to be about 2-3 minutes. I honestly believe a well-spoken father of the bride can extend their speech to 3-5 minutes in an engaging manner. But, at the end of the day, the reception is about eating, drinking and dancing. Therefore, speeches that carry on for too long (especially multiple speeches) only cut into the fun part of the evening. On the flip side, 30-second speeches add little the night’s festivities. If you have been selected to speak on behalf of the bride or groom, you have enough knowledge and background to talk for at least 90 seconds.

It’s Not About You

One of the biggest reasons speeches carry on too long is that speakers talk too much about their relationship with the bride and groom. Opening up a speech with your connection to them is a great way to start, but telling multiple stories about every part of your relationship is a way to lose the audience’s interest. Telling one story that exposes the great character traits of the bride or groom has to offer is a great way to show your connection with them. Remember, it’s a toast, not a roast. Save the long stories and razzing of your friend for the bachelor/bachelorette party or rehearsal dinner where the audience is smaller and more connected to the couple.

Courtesy Person + Killian Photography

Courtesy Person + Killian Photography

The Most Important Part of the Speech

All great speeches turn the focus onto the couple. That is what the wedding day is all about! We all have a story about the couple. Most often it was when they first met, or the first time you heard about their new boyfriend or girlfriend. There is always that ah-ha moment. Tell the audience about it. And, then talk about why you think the couple works so well together. It’s the feel-good moment of the night. Own it!

Opening and Closing

How do you start and how do you end your toast? That is the easy part. To start, simply introduce yourself. Secondly, it is a respectful gesture to thanks the parents of the couple for the wedding itself and rehearsal dinner, as most often, parents pay for much of the wedding.

To end a good speech, simply toasts the couple. It could be as simple as asking everyone to raise their glass (don’t forget this part) and wishing them a happy, healthy life together. To take it up a notch, connect your ending to the couple. For example, for an Irish Bride, end with an Irish Blessing. For a brother or sister, quote a respected family member.

Write Down Your Plan

There are two ways to approach the speech. The first is to write it out your speech completely, so that each thought is well thought out and delivered to your satisfaction. For others, reading word for word will cramp their style. If you are this type of person, do not wing it! Simply, just make an index card with a list of topics for each part of the toast. Each part of the speech can be delivered off the cuff, but have a plan in place. Then, you won’t forget to thank the parents when you get a touch nervous.

That’s the basics. Two to three solid minutes of content and you’ll be getting congratulations throughout the night. Do you need a template? I love the DIY wedding toast template Malcolm Fraser gives in his article for Huffington Post. And, one last tip, take a deep breathe as you get to the microphone. It will pay big dividends. Cheers!

 

There are certain couples that just have it! I can’t completely define “it”, but Jenny and Dave have it. It’s a look, an energy, a smile that just makes you feel good. And, I know it inspires me. It also makes it easy to create awesome Boston wedding films.

Jenny + Dave met through friends, but it took a few meetings before these two officially started dating. We met Jenny and Dave way back in 2015, and we just connected with them immediately. It felt like we had known them for years after just 10 minutes of talking. We became social media friends, even following their dog Skylar’s Instagram page (if you didn’t know, we love dogs).  Their Cape Cod wedding was one that we had circled on our calendar all year long.

We started the day just a stone’s throw from the water at Jenny’s parents Cape Cod vacation home, while Dave and his boys got ready at a second house just a few blocks inland. The wedding and reception took place at the Oyster Harbors Club in Osterville, MA. There is nothing like a perfect day weather-wise when you can spend it along the water. We got to work with one of our favorite photographers in Randall Garnick, as we mesh so well with his relaxed personality and dry sense of humor

It’s great when a groom writes awesome vows like Dave did, but it is even more amazing when he delivers them with an unmatched love and passion for his bride. That was the one part of the day that stood out to me the most in a wedding with so, so many great moments. So, for their wedding trailer film, we focused on the passion, the love and the delivery of Dave’s words. Enjoy our latest Boston wedding film which was given as a surprise gift from Dave to Jenny on Christmas Eve. (Photo Credit – Randall Garnick Photography).

Wedding Professionals:

Photographer: Randall Garnick Photography

Band: K2 (Kahootz Entertainment)

Flowers: All About Flowers Wedding + Event Decor

Venue: Oyster Harbors Club

Hair: Makeup 2 Die 4

Make-up: Makeup 2 Die 4, Noel McKinnon

Wedding Planner: Main Event, Cindy Muzyka

Cake: Chocolate Rose Cake Shoppe & Bakery

Rentals: New England Country Rental

Transportation: Cape Destinations

Dress: Mikaella by Paloma Blanca

Dress Shop: Alexandra’s Bridal Boutique

Groom’s Tux: Men’s Wearhouse

 

 

In our latest Boston Wedding Film, Alex and Tom are proof that long distance relationships work. With Alex living in Arizona, and Tom living in Massachusetts, the two had a chance meeting in Las Vegas at restaurant called Buca Di Beppo. After spending a full-day together, the couple reconnected two months later for their “first date” and the rest was history. With the distance between them, travel became an integral part of their relationship. Much of their young relationship was built around traveling in Massachusetts, Arizona and San Diego visiting places they had never been. Tom actually proposed to Alex on their two year anniversary at the scene of their first meeting, Buca Di Beppo.

Just over three years after their first date, Alex and Tom were married at St. Francis de Sales Parish in Charlestown, followed by a reception at the Omni Parker House Hotel in downtown Boston. We love how this soon to be Navy JAG wore his military whites for the ceremony, only to switch to the classic Tuxedo and bow tie for the reception. One of my best pieces of advice to couples is to always have the father of the bride give a toast at the wedding. In this wedding, we had both father’s deliver outstanding speeches. In fact, Tom’s father doubled as his Best Man and he delivered a funny and enthusiastic speech that starts and ends this film with great energy. We also loved the classic New England touch that Alex and Tom chose with their wedding cake, as it was a rendition of the same cake Jackie Kennedy had on her wedding day. Enjoy our latest Boston Wedding Film…

Wedding Professionals:

Cinematographers: Mia Major + Jamie Podworski

Photography: Photography Your Way

Band: The Marshalls

Church: St. Francis de Sales, Charlestown

Reception: Omni Parker House

Flowers: Bostonian Florist

Transportation: Le Limo

Music Licensed by: The Music Bed

 

One of the great things about the wedding industry is that there are truly a lot of great people who give everything they have for the couples who hire them. When we rebuilt our website last year, we turned to a few of our friends in the industry to help with feedback as our new website developed.

We also were fortunate enough to build relationships with photographers who actually provided some visual content for a few of our JPod Films webpages. I will always preach that you should have a wedding film, but I will also tell you that our Boston wedding films compliment the pictures that you will receive from your chosen photographer. When we built our site, I wanted to support those who supported us. Therefore, we are going to feature each of the four photographers who have wedding photos highlighted on our website one by one. We are going to start with Massart Photography.

We met Audrey and Seth from Massart Photography at Skye and Corey’s wedding in Boston. In our pre-wedding phone conversation with Audrey and Seth, we had an instant connection. The conversation was simply about what was most important to each of us throughout the day. Once the wedding day began, we just fueled off each other with ideas from the bridal suite to the photo session. When we work with photographers like Audrey and Seth, our wedding films always flourish.

Massart Photography is based in Rhode Island, but Audrey and Seth work are often found in Boston and elsewhere in Massachusetts filming weddings, newborn sessions and more. As an artist, I love that they are not afraid to play with light sources and utilize lighting in new and different ways. They really like to take advantage of natural light too, which is something we love as filmmakers. It’s this type of creativity that brings out some of the best images. To check out more of their site, visit their website HERE. Listed below are a few of our favorite images of theirs from the website, as well as Skye and Corey’s wedding.

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