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I’ve had a few “thank you” notes piling up on my desk for awhile now, so as I prepare to videotape a Sunday ceremony and reception at the Ritz Charles, here’s a sampling of what our clients have been saying lately:

From Cathy & Marshall VanNahmen, regarding the video from their 6/24/06 wedding: “Bob – you did an absolutely phenomenal job putting our wedding video together! Thank you so much for your dedicated effort and quick turnaround in getting this to us. We positively love it! Also, our friends couldn’t stop talking about how much they loved the picture slideshow we showed at the reception – it turned out wonderfully as well. You have been so terrific to work with, and even better, so genuinely sincere and kind to us in every encounter. Thank you for an amazing memory we will cherish forever! We will recommend you to everyone we know!

P.S. My mom is already saying she’s going to keep a copy of the video in the safety deposit box, just for safe keeping! :)”

(Quick sidebar: Here’s why I love the end of that e-mail. There was a time early in the life of my business when one of my relatives was questioning the “importance” of what I was doing for a career. He felt that I should have been a chemist! My proud response was that not many people are lucky enough to be able to say that they provide a service that means so much to their clients that the finished product goes straight to the clients’ safety deposit boxes.)

From Sissy Allen, mother of the bride regarding Kristin & Zach’s 7/9/06 wedding: “Thank you so much for all you have done! We feel so blessed to have had you working with us to make Kristin & Zach’s day special!”

From Mike & Debbie Cobb about their wedding video from 10/8/06: “Thank you very much for being a part of our wedding. Your participation made it an even more magical day for us. We really appreciate and thank you for the professionalism and consideration you demonstrated during our event. We have truly enjoyed watching our wedding video and look forward to sharing it with family and friends!”

From Jordan Schmitt regarding Jordan and Matthew’s video from 8/19/06: “Bob – I got the video today…it is WONDERFUL!!!! You really did an excellent job capturing the day! Thank you SOOOO much! I love it! I’ll definitely be recommending you to friends in the years to come! Thanks again!”

September and October are my favorite months to videotape weddings due to the cooler weather, the beautiful outdoor shots, and of course, the football that awaits me the next day as a reward for a hard but fun day’s work. And fun it has been these past two weekends!

Courtney & Zach’s September 23 wedding at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church marked the third wedding that we have shot for the McCracken family, so it was nice to catch up with our former clients and count kids. I was pleasantly surprised to find David Takayoshi of Line 11 Images, whom I had known but never worked with, working alongside photographer Eric Graf from Louisville. While waiting downtown for the wedding party to arrive at the Columbia Club, I ran into consultant Michelle Rogers of Accolade of London, Jeff Reed of the band First Impression and Larry Seidman‘s associate photographer preparing for a wedding on the first floor. (Too bad they didn’t also hire me to shoot their ceremony – I probably could have fit it in while waiting for Courtney & Zach!) I also spotted photographer Mark Dutkevitch getting some shots at the church next door. I wonder how many wedding parties go through the Monument Circle area in a single Saturday. After a few photos on the Circle, we all headed to the 10th-floor ballroom, tastefully decorated by Alan Thompson of McNamara Florists, for a night of good food and big-band music by Chicago’s Bobby Schiff Band.

Last weekend brought me right back to St. Joan of Arc for Emily & John’s ceremony, and I immediately recognized the white and gold ribbons blowing in the wind as the work of Majestic Events. That bundle of positive, creative energy known as photographer Jessica Strickland (who referred the wedding to me) was there to greet me as well, and the day’s upbeat vibe never let up from there. I followed the bridal party and Jess to Holcomb Gardens afterwards for some laughter-filled photo ops, then moved on to the Montage to capture (and partake in) the customary hospitality of Joe Husar’s staff. After a nice breather and chat over dinner with the Stricklands and DJ Jason Fritz of Pro-Sound Entertainment, Jason kept me busy the remainder of the night by keeping the dance floor so packed by the young crowd that I could barely navigate the area to get my shots. In fact, I don’t recall Emily ever leaving the dance floor…

I spent the past week finishing up Latosha & Adrian’s wedding video from August 19, which Tony Cardinali shot for me while I was covering Jordan & Matthew’s wedding in the Evansville area. The ceremony was at New Life Worship Center, which I thought I’d never been to until I saw the footage and realized it used to be Traders Pointe Christian Church. The reception was at the Children’s Museum, which made me envious of Tony since I’m a member there and LOVE it! I also completed most of Catherine & Michael’s video from their August 26 wedding in the Cincinnati area – that one should be done tomorrow morning.

While all this has been going on, I’ve also been helping my church (St. Luke’s UMC) duplicate and print about 2500 DVDs for our latest capital campaign. I’ve also met with several brides and filled up even more dates for 2007, which is shaping up to be another record year for IndyVisual. The blessings just keep on coming!

Weekends don’t get any better than this time of year for me. After spending Saturdays covering the best day of my clients’ lives, I spend Sundays either at the Colts’ home games as a season ticket holder or watching their road games on TV from a couch or sports bar. I’ve been going to their games ever since they moved to Indy, and I’ve endured some pretty lean years, so their current success has been quite a ride. So while many of my fellow vendors are toiling away showcasing their services at the Perfect Wedding Guide Bridal Show at the Montage this Sunday, I’ll be on the 50-yard line with three guests – my oldest son Matthew, my visiting father-in-law Steve, and my brother-in-law Todd (whose wedding I was in back in May). Now that’s a fun day! Alas, I’ll miss their next two home games, one on 10/8/06 because of a Sunday wedding, and the other on 10/22/06 because of our departure for a vacation in Kauai. I’m sure I’ll get over the disappointment. 😉

I’ll have four more highlight segments to add here shortly. I’m not quite sure how I accumulated all of those in just the past week and a half, but we’ve definitely been going non-stop in the editing suite lately. I’m looking forward to videotaping a wedding this weekend for the third McCracken daughter I’ve covered since 1999. Hopefully they won’t compare their videos too closely, as new technology and creative growth have allowed us to improve our work year after year. This will be my first of two straight ceremonies at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, and my first return to the Columbia Club since four straight weekends last fall.

The “IndyVisual Tour” concluded August 26 with Katherine & Mike’s beautiful ceremony amidst the jaw-dropping arhictecture of the St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington, Kentucky. Ted and Sarah from Ron Shuller’s Creative Images Photography and I followed the bridal party across the river to Cincinnati’s Ault Park, where several other bridal parties were jockeying for space to pose for photos within the park’s luscious landscaping, blissfully ignoring the humid 90-degree weather. A return drive across the river brought us to the perfectly situated Drees Pavilion in Devou Park, which provided a stunning view of the Cincinnati skyline. DJ Matt Woods of Music by Request DJ Butlers did a superb job of staying in communication with the vendors and clients, running the show to perfection while keeping the dance floor packed.

Last week was a productive week at the studio during which I completed editing Debbie & Mike’s July 15 wedding and reception at the Ritz-Charles, whose highlight segment will be posted here shortly. I also nearly completed editing Ilana & Geoff’s wedding, which I flew in from vacation in Wisconsin to shoot at the Eiteljorg Museum on July 22. Editing is also now underway on Kim & Dave’s August 5 ceremony and reception at the Mansion at Oak Hill, which should be done in the next few days.

Labor Day weekend ushered in a gorgeous, almost fall-like Saturday for Jim Wyant of Wyant Photography (and the new Ami Gallery in the Carmel Arts District) and I to start coverage at Julie & Paul’s elegant home in the village of WestClay. We then drove a mile south to the beautiful new Coxhall Gardens for an emotional ceremony in a giant gazebo in the middle of the amphitheater. When consultant Mark Mattingly of Formalities referred this wedding to me, this was going to be the first wedding ceremony ever there, and judging by everyone’s reaction to the unique setting, there will be many more to come. (Note to parents: I was so impressed by the Children’s Garden on the property that I took my kids there yesterday to play. There’s nothing quite like it in all of Indy!) The festivities continued at the Bridgewater Club, where various members of The Flying Toasters took turns rocking the house at lead vocals. But stealing the show was the groom himself, who brought Julie to tears with a personalized version of “Your Song.”

I had a wonderful time covering Laura & Greg’s wedding in Bloomington on August 12. It’s always fun to visit my old stomping grounds at Indiana University, especially while doing the very type of work I went to school for, let alone at the very same church I attended as a student. It gave me the feeling of coming full circle, as did the less upbeat thought that I’m finally “old” enough in theory to have kids enrolling there now. (Fortunately, coming home to a couple of kindergarteners always helps to shave a few years off that perception – for now.) It was nice to work with some unfamiliar faces, like the good-natured yet utterly professional photographer Kip May and bridal consultant/florist Cathy Teeters, who took Laura’s unique vision for the reception and brought it to life at the Bloomington Convention Center. It was also a pleasant surprise to see the Wendy Reed Band there, as neither Wendy nor myself knew we’d be working together that night. The Love Story video that I created for the reception was a big hit as well, and it was a relief to watch everyone laugh and cry in all the right places.

During the week that followed, I finally received a song selection for the highlight segment for Annie & Nick’s June 17 wedding at the Statehouse and reception (first ever!) at the Conrad Hotel. I promptly completed their video, so look for their highlight segment to pop up here shortly. I also completed editing Beth & Jim’s lively July 8 wedding and reception that took place in South Bend. I mentioned earlier that they were probably the most fun-loving couple I’ve worked with, and that will definitely come across in their highlight segment, which is also forthcoming.

On the homefront, the boys all started school last week, which doesn’t change anything around here, but definitely gives my wife Chris a huge daily break from their craziness. What a good sport! I took my 8-year-old son Matthew to the “American Idols Live” concert Thursday at the State Fairgrounds. Like the rest of America, I’ve followed the show since the Kelly Clarkson days, but Matthew didn’t get hooked on it until this season. Chris and Taylor have been his favorites, and they certainly didn’t disappoint with their performances. As a whole, I’d say the show was – like the food we ate at the fair beforehand – a guilty pleasure.

Then my own tour continued this past Saturday, as I drove down to the Evansville area to cover Jordan and Matthew’s wedding. It’s not a quick drive – three hours minimum – but the perfect scheduling of the events allowed me to avoid having to stay overnight down there. Apparently, many others felt the couple was worth the drive as well, as about 400 guests made the trip, including a busload of the bride’s family from Minnesota. Despite the hot and humid conditions, spirits were high, and the hayride getaway provided the huge wedding party a memorable and slow-paced opportunity to cool down with a few beers before the reception at Hullman Hall.

I just returned from a nearly two-week vacation in Wisconsin, where my wife’s family covened to celebrate her grandparents’ 65th anniversary. This is always a tricky time of the year for someone in my business to take time away from work. In fact, halfway through the trip, I flew back to Indy to videotape another wedding before rejoining the in-laws the next day. It helps that this has been a relatively “quiet” July, with four weddings and two open weekends to help me avoid falling behind much with the editing. Tomorrow heralds the beginning of by far the busiest August I have ever seen with six weddings booked, and a seventh considering. As hot as it’s been lately, I hope for ours and our clients’ sakes that August is hotter than July only in the business sense this year!

The wedding I shot mid-trip on July 22 took place outdoors at the Eiteljorg Museum downtown. Rebecca Raymond of Event Fantastic, who referred the clients to me, kept the day running smoothly and everyone’s spirits upbeat, despite some heavy hearts due to the recent sudden passing of one of the groom’s relatives. Photographer Andreas Nemitsas, a talented and wonderful soul who lives in my neighborhood, captured the beauty of the day in his usual artful manner. Sarah Bean of the Eiteljorg was a picture of quiet efficiency behind the scenes the entire day, and the band Zannadoo kept the dance floor packed, including the longest horah (the traditional Jewish “chair dance”) I have ever seen – and I’ve seen many!

We made it through the busiest June we have ever experienced (and I’ve seen a lot of busy Junes) with the expectation that our two bookings in an unusally slow July would give me some time to stay on top of editing of all the June weddings. However, we received two last-minute bookings that have turned this month into a more “normal” July and put that effort to the test. So far, I have two June weddings remaining to complete, so our clients are still getting a great turnaround time compared to most quality videographers in the industry. The big test will come next week, when I’ll be leaving town for our annual summer visit to my wife Chris’ family in Wisconsin. Not much time for editing then. I will squeeze in a little work when I will fly back to Indy briefly on Saturday the 22nd (taking a vacation from my vacation) to videotape a wedding at the Eiteljorg Museum. Crazy, I know!

This past week I finished editing Leanne and Kyle’s 6/23/06 wedding and reception at the Omni Severin. I will post their highlight segment shortly. It was a relatively laid back Friday affair with no dancing, aside from a first dance under a perfectly aimed spotlight. They were a wonderful, spiritual couple, and it’s amazing how that inner beauty sometimes shines through to the surface sometimes, as it does throughout their video.

I also got a wonderful card from Nicki & Austin (6/16/06) that said the following: “We can’t thank you enough for your excellent work on our wedding video. You were by far the most professional one could be. I would highly recommend you to anyone. You are peaceful and calming. It really made our day to watch our video after all the hype was over. You are truly the best!” Thanks, guys!

Yesterday I shot a wedding and very animated reception at the Ritz Charles. Debbie and Mike are an “older” couple in their 40’s, but I haven’t seen a more youthful spirit in any couple yet this year. They were so easygoing and fun to work with, and it meant a lot to me that they thanked me in their welcome speech at the reception. (So much for being invisible!) They were referred to me by several vendors – Anne Clidence of the Ritz Charles, Dave Cohen of Jerry Goldberg Photography and Brandon & Cybil New of B&C Digital Media. (Thanks to all of you!) I was pleasantly surprised to see Jennifer Montoya of Majestic Events there, too, and then she reminded me that I had referred the couple to her! How quickly I forget. So obviously, the chapel and ballrooms were gorgeous – lots of white with elevated bursts of red roses. I had a great time working and chatting with Dave and DJ Brian Whitis, who did a superb job of keeping the dance floor packed with an older crowd while keeping things just slightly under control when, uh, shirts started coming off…