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.

“Way overdue, but we have baby on the brain these days and it doesn’t make room for much else, but I wanted to let you know that upon arriving home from our anniversary trip on the 26th of April, we watched our wedding video and laughed the entire way through it!! Seeing the pics of Tiki from the slideshow brought both laughter and tears, but I am so thankful of the way you showcased that portion of the video because when her first picture showed up, we can hear the audience yelling, “Tiki”!!! I know that someday, Tiki won’t be the only one missing from our lives that were captured on the wonderful video you created for us and they will be met with the same laughter and tears, but I am forever grateful that they have been captured. Lifestage is still the only videography company that should ever be considered when thinking of documenting the precious moments in our lives! Thanks again for creating such a spectacular piece for our history collection!! Kisses and hugs to all of you!!!” – Patti

We jumped on board as soon as we heard the great idea of honoring someone in the wedding industry that inspires us. The BrideTide (a HUGE source for news and everything weddings) in conjunction with The Pledge Bank started a movement about a month ago that we just had to be a part of. It’s simple yet, powerful. Our instructions: blog about someone in the wedding industry that inspires us at Life Stage Videography. In our circle of vendors that we work with frequently, there is no shortage of people that inspire us, but William “Paco” Strickland takes the cake. You see, here in Wilmington, NC, or even this side of the country, there isn’t anyone as talented as Paco on the guitar. His Flamenco style and skill set is inspiring in and of itself. Beautiful music! We frequently see him at weddings either during the ceremony or at the cocktail hour. But his story is even more inspiring. Paco has been diagnosed with a form of Bone Marrow Cancer, is enduring the not so fun experience of Chemotherapy. And although he has the HUGE support of our community, you’d never know the battle he has been going through by seeing him or speaking with him. His attitude and character is something we should all aspire to have, and has been an example to many. So sit back and enjoy the song posted below by none other than Paco. His unique talents are not only such a blessing to our coastal community here, but to any bride or groom that gets the chance to book him for their wedding. Thanks Paco, for being an example to all of us, and giving back with your music.

Download audio file (Canon%20in%20D.mp3)

Photos by Matt McGraw and Brownie Harris

“You both do such amazing work. When Leslie was budgeting her wedding, she told me that “after all was said and done”, the video and photographs of her wedding day would be the most important thing to her so we cut back in some areas so we could spend more in others. Leslie works in marketing, so she was able to get most of her printed materials (invitations, koozies, programs, etc…) produced either free or extremely inexpensively. She made her own reception centerpieces and after finding “THE” wedding gown in a store, she went online and found the same dress “slightly used” for significantly less than we would have paid to buy it new. Did anyone know the difference? I highly doubt it. Her focus was to put our money into the video and photography, so she was pretty picky. But that’s Leslie. When it comes to creativity, she’s always been picky. (I love that child.) The fact that Life Stage was her final choice spoke volumes to me. I knew you had to be something exceptional. I, too, will be/am SO excited to relive the wedding day through your eyes.

I have to say that one of the things I found fascinating is how you two could be “everywhere” yet always so inconspicuous. How you can be so discreet when you’re trying to capture every important moment?¬† I remember watching you both in action…and then I don’t remember being aware you were even there. (Perhaps it was the wine????!)”

Audrey

“MATT AND MELISSA!!!!!!!!!¬† We just finished watching our video and LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!¬† It really is the best thing ever!! I could watch it all night long!¬† And the DVD cover is so cute and clever!¬† You two are never going to have a free weekend once word gets out about you two!!¬† THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!
Love, Millie and Willis”

Just a few excerpts from some recent comments we received from Molly after she received her videos. It makes our week to get letters like this from happy clients!

“I just got the videos and I’m dying for Matt to get home from work so we can watch it together! I did pop it in the DVD player and immediately cracked up at the song.¬†

I hope I can appropriately express how much we enjoyed working with you two. We talk all the time about how talented you are. Just yesterday Matt was watching a video of some sort and said, “this is pretty good, but Matt could’ve done a MUCH better job.” You’re extraordinary at what you do and we feel so lucky that we got you to film such a special day for us. It’s such a comfort to know we have a keepsake that so beautifully captured our wedding day, and something we can show our grandkids. We will treasure it forever!”

“Matt and I were just saying how much we appreciate the way you guys treated us. We felt so special the entire time, like we were your only clients. We know that it’s genuine and you probably treat all of your clients that way. The passion you have for your business really shines through in your work.” – Molly

“Life Stage (Amy and Somerled) created a beautiful wedding video for us and were a pleasure to work with.¬† It’s wonderful to be able to relive our special day over and over again.¬† Thank you!”

Kinsey and Corey were married in May right on the beach at Ocean Isle, NC. This year, Amy seems to be our “Beach Wedding” expert videographer, as most of her weddings she has filmed have landed her right on the beach! If you are getting married on the actual beach, we would highly recommend getting a professional videographer, even if it isn’t us! With the wind and sea always being unpredictable, only a professional knows how to get the best possible sound and video so you can relive your ceremony and vows.

Photography was by Millie Holloman, and you can see more pictures and learn more about this awesome couple as they were featured on Southern Weddings Blog recently. Check it out!

[See post to watch Flash video]

“On my wedding day, Life Stage was extremely non-intrusive and captured everything I could have wanted! Our families and wedding party felt extremely comfortable with them around and at the end of the day it was the one thing we all couldn’t wait to have back. My church had restrictions against videotaping during the ceremony, which forced the taping to be done from the balcony. Despite this disadvantage the footage was a wonderful quality and captured the ceremony beautifully. All of the details of the day that we didn’t get to see because we had to be elsewhere or that we simply forgot from the business of it all are now ours to watch time and time again. The quality of the finished product was phenomenal – footage, music, special effects, scene selection and especially the highlights. I would recommend Life Stage Videography to anyone getting married. Thank you for giving us our most cherished wedding present!” – Elizabeth (& Ryan)

“LifeStage Videography is THE best around! The LifeStage team met with me and answered my MANY questions before our wedding. The DVD quality was superb and was extremely professional and “movie like”. The moment we watched our wedding video for the first time was magical! It was so important for us to capture every word in the ceremony because we knew we would miss a lot and would begin to forget things as time went on. The best part was that the LifeStage team was so courteous, client-focused and easy to work with. It’s hard to find this kind of service in the wedding business any more. It is evident that their work is truly where their heart is. Take it from us‚Ķ budget for the extra time and cost to get your entire event recorded. We did not and truly regret it. Thanks so much LifeStage Videography!”

Mary Blake Williams

Photography by Kevin Millard Images