Style Me Pretty is THE BEST and most popular bridal blog out there. It’s oozing with creativity, inspiration, and wonderful vendors. We are honored to be part of their exclusive club of the “best of the best” vendors from all over the country in their “Little Black Book“. But something that has really picked up a lot of interest lately on their blog is their creative concept, “Inspiration to Reality” shoots. They storyboard an idea, and wedding pros get together and bring that idea to, reality! We are thrilled to team up with Wilmington, NC’s cream of the crop vendors to produce this coastal, dreamy, and very romantic film called, “The Dream”. Here what Style Me Pretty had to say about the film!

” We are going to round out the inspiration festivities with the dreamiest of videos by uber talent Matt Davis of Lifestage Films. He was up at the crack of dawn to film this little ballad and it was so worth it! Quite frankly, we are left speechless and that rarely happens. It is so beautiful, so ethereal, and such a perfect end to the day. Sit back and take a load off  and enjoy one of the prettiest films we have seen in a long, long time.”

Millie Holloman produced some Ah-mazing pictures of the shoot as well, so be sure to check those out for a different perspective on the day. Here is Life Stage Films’ approach to this SMP “Inspiration to Reality” Film -

What was so crazy about this shoot is that we all had to arrive before the sun rose, at 4:30 AM! Salt Harbor Designs and High Performance Lighting we already at work at 3 AM, setting up the scene, and creating some VERY unique beach lighting with Edison lights. Our original model couple fell through at the last minute, but Lindsey and Gray jumped in enthusiastic and ready to go! They were perfect actually. We know Lindsey from Bald Head Island events so it was great to catch up and laugh (half-asleep) before the shoot began.

Salt Harbor did an amazing job at setting up the decor and “feel” for this shoot. With a freaking bed on the beach, a tiny boat, perfectly designed brunch table, and many more tiny intricacies that made this shoot a day in Heaven. That’s where the premise for “The Dream” starts…

I knew it was a perfect time to get a timelapse of the sunrise coming over our little corner of the Atlantic Ocean. But I had to have a reason for doing that. I didn’t want it to be just for the sake of being beautiful (which it was!). Seeing those colors painted across the sky as the morning went on was an amazing feeling. It was also an inspiration into creating a “daydream” sequence. With everything we had set up for the couple, it truly felt like a “dream” day. It felt like a place that couple has kept to themselves. Some place no one else knows about. A place where they can be free, and in love. So, the timelapse of the gorgeous sunrise was intended to show that although time was passing into daylight, the couple was actually entering into their own’ Dreamworld”. A perfect day by the ocean. An intimate dream. We wanted it to feel like an escape. I think we pulled it off.

We hope you enjoy this ethereal and intimate escape into “The Dream”.

Here’s a list of the creative folks that were involved with the shoot:

Event Design and Styling by Salt Harbor Designs
Sweets and Cake by  Flower & Flour
Floral by Salt Harbor Designs
Photography by Millie Holloman
Film by Life Stage Films
Lighting by High Performance Lighting
Rentals provided by Harborside Event Rentals
Hair and Makeup by Melissa Kinnamon – NSalo Salon
Shot on Location at Fort Fisher, NC.

Jamie also grew up singing and performing and knew that she wanted something unique to share with her dad as their Father/Daughter dance. As if the gorgeous venue and decor weren’t enough, all the guests were graced with a beautiful song Jamie wrote, recorded and debuted AT her wedding! A very unique and very touching moment, so we wanted to share with everyone else. Also brides listen up! If you like the song and want to dance with your father to it at your wedding, you can learn more about the song, and purchase it at www.daddyletsdance.com.

Ok, we didn’t really film this wedding, but we were there in spirit! Everyone here at the Studio loves “The Office”, but Melissa and I have been rooting for Jim & Pam since 2005. The wedding episode that aired yesterday was one of the funniest. EVER. Even if you haven’t seen “The Office” before (shame on you) this episode would be the perfect one to watch because there was no inclusive plot line. If you enjoy comedy and weddings, definitely take a look at the episode. I facetiously posted a Twitter comment yesterday

“Filming Jim & Pam’s Wedding tonight! So excited! We are live streaming it on NBC tonight at 9 PM EST/ 8 PM Central. ” and some fell for it. I’m sorry. I wanted to though! In its place, I thought it would be fitting to post Jim & Pam’s hilarious wedding processional, mocking the viral YouTube video of a couple’s creative wedding intro. (Would have been better to watch if they had a professional. Shameless plug finished. Congrats Jim & Pam!

“Lifestage captured every beautiful, funny, and poignant moment from our ceremony and reception.¬† From our vows and spontaneous dance-offs to touching moments with our family and friends — nothing escaped them.¬† I think one of the most special parts of the video was their integration of the more intimate clips… my father’s amazing speech and the time we spent with our grandparents.¬† It seems like it would be impossible at such a large wedding, but LifeStage managed to give everyone a cameo!¬† It is just such a blessing to be able to go back and see the faces of the people we love on most important day of our lives.¬† I can’t thank Life Stage enough for giving us this gift.”

-Adeline Bennett, married January 3rd, 2009

“As photographers, working with Life Stage Videography was a dream. Their professionalism, fun demeanor, caring personalities, and their ability to work alongside two additional people with cameras made it feel like we‚Äôd worked together for years.“

-Joanna Bolick of Tuesday’s Frog Photography

“I know that a lot of brides don‚Äôt think they have room in their budget for a video.¬† My advice to those brides would be this:¬† make room, however you can.¬† Life Stage was hands down one of the best investments we made in our wedding.¬† I call it an investment because that‚Äôs truly what it is: something that you will cherish for years to come.¬† We knew that Life Stage was capable of amazing things from viewing their work on the website, yet they still managed to surprise us with an absolutely phenomenal preview video.¬† Matt and Melissa (and Jamie!) were an absolute breeze to work with, and we believe that they truly are the best in the industry.¬† They were able to really understand our dynamic as a couple, and it was captured and reflected beautifully in the work we‚Äôve seen so far.¬† We feel so blessed to have been able to share our wedding day with Life Stage, and we are so lucky to call Matt and Melissa friends!¬† Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts!“

-Dan & Sarah Baum, married May 16th, 2009

“We have enjoyed our partnership with Life Stage Productions.¬† They have the solid foundation of good professionals, an eye toward fine art videography and the added benefit of great personalities.¬† We are always proud to refer them to our clients.“

-Angela Gala of Rogers & Gala Creative Partners

Life Stage Films – Super 8mm Demo from Matt Davis on Vimeo.

You would think in today’s age of HD this and HD that, people would have forgotten old film along time ago. But you see, its more popular than ever. Super 8mm and 16mm are special. Just something about it draws you in. And that translates into a very emotional experience when a wedding is filmed in vintage Super 8mm film. LifeStage is excited and proud to offer the addition of Super 8mm film for your wedding. It’s such a unique experience that we are the only wedding video studio in the region to offer it (3 that we know of in NC).

But we hear you asking, “Guys, what’s so great about it. Its so shaky, there’s no sound and its not a very high quality image. Why would I want this”?

The only response we really have is to ask yourself the feeling you get when you watch old home movies. When you watch old film. Its nostalgic. Super 8 film feels like a faded memory. And its feminine. Its not as harsh as some HD videos tend to be (not ours of course). But when you add film to an HD wedding video it adds so much character to it, it adds another dimension. Super 8mm film is perfect not only for the bride that wants something spectacular and unique, but for the bride who may not want video to begin with. Its kind of the “anti-video”. It doesn’t have the realness of video. It’s…surreal. Its hard not to feel nostalgic when watching Super 8mm films, but please don’t take our word for it. Watch our new sampler demo and let us know what you think. We would be happy to make it available to you for your wedding.

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The 1st is a cultural window into a Jewish reception. The “circle dance” is by far the most intricate and fun way for guests at a Jewish party to celebrate. We had a blast filming it, but knew that if we tried to make our way into the circle our cameras wouldn’t come out alive .

Below is a typical dance party where the DJ (or an ipod if you so choose) really gets the crowd moving!

Lastly, there is nothing quite like a live band to create a fun atmosphere for all your guests. This clip is of tHE.DESIGN! Can you imagine how fun they would be at your wedding?

View in HD HERE

For years we have created wedding films for brides and grooms who want a creative, fresh, and unique spin on wedding videos. We treat our work like art.

But we want everyone to enjoy a well crafted, entertaining wedding video to re-live your day. We also know not everyone wants our stylistic approach, or all the bells and whistles. We also understand budgets. Our documentary package caters to the couple who wants a professional documentation of their wedding day on video at an affordable price. By editing your wedding video down to the essential elements and main events, you can still enjoy a video that preserves all the excitement and emotions of your hectic but incredible wedding day.
Available in the Wilmington, Jacksonville and Myrtle Beach areas, we provide up to 6 hours of wedding day coverage. Here is an overview. When you contact us about your wedding, we can provide a much more detailed package listing. The video above also gives an overview on the differences between our “Signature” packages and these professional alternatives that still record all the main events of your day.

- We film from the beginning of your ceremony and up to 6 hours after.
- We capture the main events – Ceremony, First Dance, Toasts, Bouquet/Garter Toss, and any other special event you have planned at your reception.
- Recorded in HD video quality, along with unobtrusive microphones to capture all the music, vows, and toasts in crystal clear quality.

We are so proud of the work we GET to do everyday. We love what we provide families. And we try to provide them something different. Out of the ordinary. We don’t want it to be the same as everybody else. We hope you see the difference. So throw the term “wedding video” out the window.

We are excited about this video mainly because we feel brides aren’t being educated enough about the powerful impact of videography on their marriage. We hope more and more bridal magazines and blogs start spreading the news that having a video is a good, and priceless gift to yourselves after your wedding day is over. Especially if its well crafted, and captures all the details you never knew about. And we want choosing a wedding videographer to be the EASIEST decision you have to make during all your hectic wedding planning. We wish we could have interviewed all of our brides and grooms from the last couple years, but we think these 2 couples will do a great job telling you what we are all about. Thanks to all of the families who have already entrusted us with your wedding memories. And here’s to many more in 2009 and 2010! Enjoy the film, and let us know what you think!

Back in June we had the privilege of filming Millie & Warren’s wedding. It was such a fun experience. One of the most unique things we have ever seen at a wedding was an artist, just painting everything. The location, the people, small details, all in watercolor! It was her watercolor interpretation of the day! The artist, Brenda Freeken Behr, just floated around all day. We of course captured her on video, but little did I know she captured me too! Last week we received a very kind thank you card in the mail from the bride’s mom. Not only did the stationary have an original painting of the ceremony by Brenda, but a package was sent with it that included a painting of me! How cool is that!? I am going to proudly put it on the wall in our studio to be constantly reminded of the importance of the work we do and the service we provide to families. Brenda titled the piece, “Recording History”. Definitely contact her if you are interested in a unique way to preserve the tiny details of your wedding day as they happen.

We are excited for many reasons lately! First, because Melissa gave birth to a beautiful little girl last Friday, and she is very healthy. But also, because we are overhauling our blog and introducing a new website design very soon! I have had this video sitting on my computer waiting to be unveiled at the launch of our new website in the next few weeks, but I just couldn’t wait to share it with everyone. Our new website’s homepage will soon have a video upon loading instead of a picture slideshow like we currently have. We like to call it our “Life Stage Commercial” because we edited it in a way that grabs the viewers attention as soon as you enter the site. We wanted to quickly show all the emotions wrapped up in a wedding, and how important it is to hire a videographer that not only simply documents your wedding, but captures the EXPERIENCE. Pictures are great but c’mon, we are videographers! Let’s roll out the video! Let us know what you think.

Honestly, when you hire us to film your wedding, we make it a priority to have fun at your party. I’m sorry, call us selfish . Just wanted to share with everyone this shot that I adore because it truly captures how we feel about our incredible job of documenting your most important day. This is Karen Walker’s 90 year old grandmother. Karen is one of our bride’s from September and I have never seen a more feisty and energetic 90 year old woman! I just had to dance with her! Also note her son, the Father of the Bride in the background…I gave him my camera! (Luckily brides, we have insurance…) Hope you enjoy getting to know us a little bit. We have fun at your wedding because it shines through in the quality of your video. With Lifestage, you aren’t just hiring a videographer, you’re hiring a friend.

Photo by Matt McGraw

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0DmtmmFEVo[/youtube]

Amanda & Read Reception Dancing from Matt Davis on Vimeo.

Molly and Matt were married in May, and you will be seeing their highlights video of their wedding very soon. But for this piece, Molly was excited about having a “vintage” Super 8 mm film feel to add to the elegance of her dress. Both Melissa and I were very happy with the feel she chose, as well as her natural beauty on camera! We hope you enjoy this priceless service we offer to all of our brides. The way we see it…you search high and low for the perfect dress only to wear it for a few hours…why not show it off! Leave your comments please!

View in HD HERE

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Molly – A Bridal Elegance Film by Life Stage Videography (HD) from Matt Davis on Vimeo.