Taylor/Dennison Wedding

Two weekends ago, I got to spend some time shooting the wedding of Audra Taylor & Michael Dennison in Bells, TN. This cute couple met when they were just 10 years old! Their story is the "All American" girl and boy next door story. When our crew arrived, we drove through the gates to one of the most beautiful estates I have ever seen. We parked our cars near the gate and were taxied up the drive to the house in golf carts. The whole vista was a site to behold. Tents were on the front lawn, the house looked like something out of Southern Living Magazine, and a gorgeous arbor stood in the middle of the rose garden where the couple exchanged vows.

In the back yard, there was an even larger tent with lots of tables for guests and everything looked fabulous. The wedding was designed and coordinated by the talented team of Dawn Schenkel and her team from Premier W.E.D. www.premierwed.com. The food was yummy, the band was good, and of course it is always a pleasure to shoot with Norm Gilbert and his talented team from Norman Gilbert Photography www.photonorm.com. Norm is a master of light! I love his work.

Audra and Michael were a joy to work with and their family and friends made us feel so at home. Thank You! You can see highlights from their wedding as well as a few photos from Norm down below.

Audra and Michael Highlights from Étage on Vimeo.

How To Look Radiant On Your Wedding Day

On the most special day of your life, your wedding day, you want to
look your absolute best. Am I right? Sure I am. As a professional
photographer and cinematographer, let me suggest that you pamper
yourself and assure that you look your very best. Hire a professional
makeup artist. Not all makeup artists are equal. May I suggest one
who has helped me and a number of my producer friends with
commercials, magazine ad shoots, and films. Lisa Maners does a
wonderful job of making our clients look their best- and on a day when
stress can often run high...it’s great to have someone with such a
wonderful and calming affect. You can learn more about Lisa at her
new website at www.lisamaners.com.

A Busy Month

The month of May has been insane! Wow! We've been busy producing two or three weddings on Friday nights, then two or three weddings on Saturdays; plus, multiple Love Story interviews and Bride's Day shoots during the week...all month long! It's been a busy month, but we want to say "Thank You" for asking us to be such a special part of your lives.

A Day at the Park

We had such a wonderful time shooting their Love Story at the park in Germantown!
Although the azaleas weren't blooming, Amanda and Brandon's love sure was. -- Wow! That was cheesy.

These two were so much fun. We laughed a lot as we recounted their stories, and even cried a little (Brandon is so emotional). The video is going to be great! (check back later for that)

We are honored to be a part of this marriage between such special people, and we wish you many blessings in the future.
The Étage Team

Select photos from the day!

More Destination Weddings Planned

Each year, destination weddings are getting more and more popular. The seasoned documentary filmmakers and photographers at Etage specialize in providing the best destination coverage possible. Check back here all summer long to see where we go next...and to hear about the fabulous weddings we cover.

The next Destination Wedding for Etage will be to shoot at the world-famous Biltmore in North Carolina. Can’t wait to see the photos and movie!

5/2/08 Anna Pieralisi & Brad Humbarger

Road Trip!

It’s always fun to pack up the Etage gang and head off to some new place to shoot a wedding. Last weekend, we headed to the Mississippi Delta and the sleepy little town of Indianola.

I was amazed to see the beautiful and tranquil bayou that ran just in front of the grand home where the wedding was held. Anna’s dad had a special bridge built in honor of the couple and it was the perfect place for wonderful photos.

Across the street on what resembled an Indian Mound, a special arbor had been erected to create the perfect outdoor chapel. White chairs were in place for family and friends. The emerald colored grass almost glowed after a light dusting of rain.

At about 6pm the guests began to arrive. The string quartet began to play beautifully on the lawn, and just as one would expect in the delta... everyone was dressed to the nine’s. They were there to celebrate the wedding of the season!

The pre-ceremony photos, ceremony coverage of video and photography, and the reception all went off without a hitch.

One of the main reasons we enjoy preserving and telling wedding stories is that we expand our family every week. We want to thank Anna, Brad, and their families for making us feel at home!

The Wedding March

Just recently we were invited to participate in The Wedding March created by the Social Butterflies and hosted by the Peabody Hotel. The invitation-only event featured the best-of-the-best for brides, their grooms, and family members. I’ve never seen anything quite like it!

Everything was beautiful, classy, and very elegant. The Peabody is a World-Class hotel, and the Social Butterflies “wow” me all the time with their creativity.

Cake Diva, Sylvia Weinstock from NYC, shared the latest trends in wedding cakes and showed beautiful slides of cakes she created for celebrities. We even got to “mug” with her for a photo. She was very sweet and spoke highly of the Peabody Hotel and their stay here in Memphis.

Also, Grace Ormonde, Wedding Style Magazine was on hand to share tips and offer valuable insights to the audience. Each bride received a copy of the nation’s premiere wedding magazine, an invitation only magazine that features the very best wedding professionals in the country.

The food, flowers, and decorations were gorgeous, and Sylvia’s cake was definitely the best tasting wedding cake
I have ever eaten! The first annual Wedding March was fantastic and I’m sure that it will be even better next year. Can’t wait!

We so appreciate Michelle and Jamie, the Social Butterflies, inviting us to be photographers and videographers for The Wedding March. The folks at the Peabody were outstanding hosts, and all of the vendors were so fun to work with.

We wanted to say thank you to them for the opportunity by creating this short highlight film of the event, along with a custom leather album of the photography.

Hope you enjoy!

The Wedding March from Étage on Vimeo.

Don's Soapbox

I am amazed at how much brides will spend on veggies and napkins! (And a number of other things that no-one will remember or even care about.

As a father and grandfather, I guess that I’ve gotten a little bit sentimental these days...but darn it...you couldn’t give me any amount of money for the photos and videos of my kids’ weddings! And you couldn’t pry their “Love Story” videos from my dead hands either.

Perhaps it takes getting a little older, and hopefully wiser, to see what REALLY matters in life. God, my family, and my memories of them are definitely the most important to me. I often have moms or dads call to ask us to document their daughter’s (or son’s) wedding. Then I hear that the bride and groom weren’t planning on having a video, because...
1)they didn’t think they would watch it...
2)they didn’t think it was worth the extra money,
3)they already spent their budget on everything else (including the veggies and napkins)...
4)they thought that the photos would be all they needed...
5)and the list goes on.

WEVA International hired an ad agency to do a national survey about brides and wedding videography. I really wasn’t surprised to read that of everything brides paid for on their wedding day, the video was the most important thing they invested in. It was the only way to really relive the day. It was the ONLY way to hear their vows, to hear the music, to hear and see their parents, grandparents, siblings, and friends “be themselves” and enjoy the wedding!

The conclusion: Professional Wedding Videography is a “Must-Have” Priority!

Weddings go by so very quickly. Months of planning, even a lifetime of dreaming, come to fruition in just a few short hours. No wonder so many brides report that their wedding day was just a blur. Thankfully all the sights and sounds of that wonderful day can now be preserved on DVD for a lifetime of enjoyment! The next time someone tells you that you need something that won’t stay with you for a life-time...consider the lifetime value of your memories.

I’ll get off of my soapbox now. ;-)

How to find a Professional

In an earlier blog, I gave you six reasons why it is important to hire a professional, but just how can you find the one that is right for you?

-Ask friends, family, and/or coworkers. While there might be significant differences in taste or budgets, this is a good place to start. You should meet the photographer or videographer and view samples of their work before making a decision.

-Search the Internet. These days, I can find almost anything I want by using a good online search engine like Google. By simply searching for “Photographers Memphis or Videographers Mid-south”, you can find a number of good choices, but remember, not every professional uses advertising AND many poor photographers and videographers may use advertising heavily. Just because you find them on the internet doesn’t mean they are the best choice. Use the internet to narrow your search and save valuable time, but ask for references, ask to see samples, and ask your friends, family and co-workers for their input.

-Consult other vendors. Most can relate their experiences with wedding videographers. The important caveat is that some vendors offer recommendations solely based on remuneration. That doesn’t necessarily invalidate their recommendations, but it is fair for a bride to ask that question.

-Magazines. Many wedding/bridal magazines also have web sites, and both the print and electronic versions will have editorial and advertising information. Some of the web sites have message boards, where brides share their wedding vendor experiences with fellow brides.

You will be spending a lot of time with your photographer and videographer, so make sure that you like their personalities as well as their abilities.

Help your Photographer

There are plenty of ways you can assist your photographer in recording unique and personal pictures of your wedding and wedding events.
Real Life: Use your environment. After all, there's a reason you chose to marry where you did. Whether it's by a huge oak tree in your favorite park, or in the courtyard of the fanciest hotel in the city, or in the bustling downtown area where there are great alleys, art, and fountains, the natural environment and the objects around you will create a colorful and wonderful palette. Don't be concerned if the background isn't perfect: just let those kids continue their snowball fight and the trolleys full of tourists come and go. Remember, you're capturing real moments in real life
Ways to Pose: If you've chosen a photojournalistic approach, your photographer and videographer will be attracted to whatever you're doing; they're trying to capture the true spirit of your day, not an artificial pose. For portraits where posing is a necessity, think of ways you can take a formal picture without having your wedding party lined up looking stiff, uncomfortable and unnatural. For example, is your groom an avid golfer? His groomsmen and he might take a picture teeing up at a nearby golf course. By staying true to yourself and the moment and just having fun - leave the work up to those you hired - you'll be sure to capture the essence of life going on around you on your wedding day.

Six Reasons to Hire a Professional Videographer

Briefly, then, here are the reasons I believe a professional videographer must be a part of every wedding:

-A professional will be a cooperative part of the wedding-day team. The most successful studios are built from referrals, which only come from mutual respect and cooperation.

-A professional will have the ancillary equipment to properly record the event in a discreet and unobtrusive manner. We’ve all heard stories about someone’s friend recording a wedding without sound, or not knowing when the camcorder was actually recording. Or, to the other extreme, there are those who enter the ceremony with all of the gear and equipment of a Hollywood production.

-A professionally produced video is the perfect compliment to professional photographs, as the video best captures sound and motion. Both trades are indispensable parts of the wedding-day team.

-A professional videographer will be able to produce a wedding DVD movie that will become an instant family heirloom.

-The wedding day truly is a blur, and today's professionally produced wedding DVDs allow couples to enjoy details that they could not absorb otherwise.

-Professional videography is available in every market, in every budget range

Old Wives' Tales

Old wives tales are kinda like urban legends...they sound really believable...but they’re a lie.

For years, wedding videographers have struggled to get the respect they deserve. In the early days, they had to lug huge equipment and use lights that would practically blind you... but all that has changed.

Videographers and their associations have worked closely with major video gear manufacturers for many years. This has ensured the development of new equipment that is specifically designed for the intimacy of weddings and social events. As a result, professional video cameras have become smaller, lightweight and require very little light to produce extraordinary images from ceremonies and receptions.

Computer-based editing now allows skilled videographers to create high-quality wedding productions on DVD. Improvements in digital video production techniques have allowed creative wedding and event videographers to turn out programs that rival anything seen on television. Some of the brightest stars in the broadcast industry are making the switch to special event videography, and with them comes experience and skill that just makes the industry better.

Sure, I know that a few Bozo’s have ruined it for many videographers. Even after 35 years in broadcasting, being president of Columbia School of Broadcasting, and doing work for all the major networks, I still get resistance from brides, moms, and wedding coordinators...IF...they have never worked with me or my team before. But, because of our experience, skills, and wisdom, we win them over quickly. The Etage staff is dedicated to raising the bar for the special event industry, and we are ready, willing, and able to dispel the old wives tales that prevail about the industry. Just give us a chance to prove it for you.

The Story of Étage-Part 2

Who are we?

Don Lawler comes from a 25 year background in the broadcast and professional production world. Leaving all of that 7 years ago to focus exclusively on weddings, he has never been happier. His aim at perfecting the creative process and brides’ experience has taken him all over the country as a top wedding videographer. His experience both technically and artistically is proving an invaluable asset in this effort to raise the bar on what a wedding video and photography experience can be.

Donny Granger, as an artist, has found that video and photography, as a tool to reach the hearts of the viewers, is the perfect way to draw out his creativity. Creation Studios began as a side occupation, but as word spread about the creativity and client oriented service it soon became full time. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Creative Development for an international media company, but left that position to help found Étage along with Don Lawler. “I just LOVE weddings!”

The Story of Étage-Part 1

For the past seven years, two companies have stood out in the Memphis market as the creative leaders in the wedding videography industry. They are the “first-call” from a number of the area wedding planners. Creation Studios, owned by Donny Granger, and Storytellers, owned by Don Lawler have both been built on exceptional customer service and meticulous craftsmanship and artistry.

Well, here we are moving into 2008, and these two companies have decided to partner together! This partnership, under the new name, Étage, is born out of the simple belief that more is always possible, and the creative bounds are endless.

We should tell you, before we go much further, that Étage is French for “story” -- and that is what we are all about. Telling stories that matter is our passion!