Engagement photo by Altamira Photography Studios
It didn’t take long for us to cover our first event of 2008. Jamie & Dan were referred to me by Dan’s brother and sister-in-law Chris & Stephanie, whose wedding I videotaped a couple of years ago. Our coverage started with a rehearsal at St. John Catholic Church, followed by a fabulous dinner at Morton’s Steakhouse. Dan and his brothers have a tradition of roasting each other in a game show format at their respective rehearsal dinners, and the “Jeopardy” routine that they used on this particular evening was hilarious beyond description.

The big day started with preparations at Crowne Plaza Union Station, where the reception would be held later that evening. The wedding ceremony at St. John’s was beautiful as always, accentuated by the holiday decor and detailed nativity scene by the altar. We hopped on a trolley afterwards and went to Monument Circle for some photo time with Ramon and Cindy Garcia of Altamira Photography in the unseasonably mild weather. Then we returned to Union Station for some fun photos by the train cars. (Which have been converted into very romantic hotel rooms, by the way!)

The Grand Hall was beautifully decorated by the staff of Kathy’s Kloset, who ironically had a booth right next to ours at a bridal show this weekend. All of the guests enjoyed a lively cocktail hour, more humorous toasting, and some great music provided by DJ Brian Jones of Indy Sounds. This was an exciting way to kick off what is shaping up to be another spectacular year, and I am looking forward to working with Jamie’s family again when her sister Chanda ties the knot in April.

IndyVisual enjoyed an amazing, record-setting 2007 in which we got to cover so many beautiful events in our favorite venues while working with so many of our wonderful friends and fellow professionals. Nothing exemplified this better than a four-day stretch that started with a gorgeous beach wedding on the breathtaking Caribbean island of St. Kitts and ended with a wedding that included the majority of the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts offense. We also successfully ushered high-definition wedding videography on BluRay discs into the market, hopefully raising awareness among our clients and peers about the amazing possibilities in capturing the beauty and details of such a special day.

The year 2008, our 15th year in the business, promises to be even bigger and better, with bookings already up a mind-blowing 67% over last year’s record pace. Our plan on handling this success is very simple, and it is (to borrow a phrase from Tony Dungy) to continue doing what we do. That means producing beautiful work, providing unparalleled service, staying on technology’s cutting edge, and pushing to find ways to do all the the above even better. We hope you all have had an enjoyable holiday season, we wholeheartedly thank you for your support, and we look forward to helping you make 2008 the best year yet!

Here are the highlights from Julie & David’s romantic 10/12/07 wedding at St. Mary Catholic Church, followed by a reception at the Bridgewater Club. Footage from their rehearsal dinner at Easley’s Winery kicks it off:

UPDATE: Julie just e-mailed me from work with these kind words: “You are awesome! Quite simply, this is outstanding! I am at work (too late!), and now, I am sitting in my office with happy tears running down my face wanting to give David a great big hug. Thank you for capturing the essence of our wedding day!” Sorry to keep you at work longer, Julie, but glad you enjoyed the video!

I kicked off our holiday season – and wrapped up our 2007 wedding season – in style with Suzanne & Andy’s lovely ceremony at St. John Catholic Church and reception at the Omni Severin Hotel. My day started on a positive note at the Omni, where my wonderful friends from Stacy & Mary Photography greeted me in the lobby before we headed up to the bridal suite to capture Suzanne’s preparations. The couple enjoyed a quick first meeting in the ballroom before it was time to head down the block to St. John’s.

The ceremony was beautiful as always, even more so thanks to the staff of BoKay Florist, who squeezed in more decorations in a limited time than I’m used to seeing there. To keep the bridal party out of the cold afterwards, we took a trolley up to Stacy & Mary’s studio for their signature fun shots. Not surprisingly, the whole gang had a field day posing with the props left behind from all the Halloween photo sessions, especially a mounted deer.

The Omni looked gorgeous all decked out in holiday style plus the wedding design, and Carrie Sprague spoiled the vendors once again with a wonderful dinner. Once the party got going, Jeremy Gearries of DJs Direct (who along with Carrie referred the couple to me) did his usual magic on the dance floor while Stacy & Mary got more fun shots at their “photo booth.” (Check out the one of yours truly below.) In addition to the usual cornucopia of desserts and drinks, the couple surprised everyone late in the evening with a self-serve hot dog station, complete with chili & cheese – yum!

Photo by Stacy & Mary Photography