Feeling the Love!!!

We just wanted to THANK Jewell Savadelis of Savadelis Films for such a fabulous post on their blog  about the launch of our NEW WEBSITE! We have heard from so many of our readers, fans, clients, and industry professionals and we just want to say THANK YOU! We love what we do so much and it is so great to hear from all of you! We are so excited about the new site and keep coming back as we add more and  update it! 

Also...we didn't want to not mention...that the oh so talented Jewel has her DIY wedding video seminar coming up on March 22nd and it is NOT to be missed....today is the last post of her 3 part series so we hope you enjoy! We also want to thank Jewel for all the information she gave to our readers and hope you all can make it to the seminar as it is something you will NOT want to miss!

Part III: Four Tips to Instantly Edit A Better Video

OK. You’ve gotten some decent shots, now how do you make the video interesting to watch?

TIP 1: Create a story.
Let’s take an example: opening a champagne bottle. Here are 6 key shots:
a. Unwrap the foil
b. Nudge the cork up with your thumbs
c. CRITICAL SHOT: see the cork and spray go flying and hear the cork pop
d. Pour the champagne into a glass and hear the fizz
e. Offer the glass to a guest
f. See guests toasting, drinking and hear them laughing

If you could only get ONE SHOT, it would be the third in the series – seeing the cork fly, accompanied by the unmistakable pop. But think how much richer the video would be if you led up to the cork popping with a little suspense. What is the best way to show the second shot, the thumbs nudging the cork up? It would be a close-up! By showing only the thumbs and neck of the bottle, you are focusing the viewer’s attention. What is the best distance to shoot the last shot, the group laughing and toasting? A medium wide shot, waist –up, so you can see the whole crowd of 4 or 5 people, So as you compose your story,
(1) Reduce the story to its key elements, in this case, 6 shots
(2) Think of the best way to portray each element of the story, whether close-up or wide shot
(3) Then put the images together in the best order to tell a story

The #1 key to good editing is telling a good story.

TIP 2: Make it brief.
Our motto is “not one frame more than necessary”. What makes a video boring? Usually TOO MUCH boring material. Do a first cut, then cut it down, then cut it down again and you will have a much better video.

TIP 3: Get a good reaction.
Sometimes the reaction is what really counts. Reactions can express happiness, surprise, laughter, and deep feelings that you can’t even name. Reactions are a universal language, and a good reaction can eliminate a lot of words. A good movie produces emotions in the viewer and reactions help to do that.

TIP 4: Connect one image to the next.
The biggest difference between videography and photography? In a photo album, the images are often unrelated, the order hardly matters. But in excellent videography, the clip before and the clip after each image should relate to each other. This is what creates movement, flow and emotion.

A Savvy Event Wedding Featured On..........

A Savvy Event is excited to announce that one of our weddings is featured on Polka Dot Bride 

Today!!! The wedding is the wedding of Rachel & Mike at The Harvest Inn in St. Helena. This was such a beautiful wedding and Rachel & Mike were so fun to work with! Please check the wedding out here.

If you aren't familiar with the Polka Dot Bride it is a fabulous wedding blog based in Australia! Ms. Polka writes the blog and it is fabulous!!! You will want to make sure you bookmark the blog if you don't have it bookmarked already! Thank you Ms. Polka for the post!!!

Guest Blogger Melangerie Inc.

Today A Savvy Event Welcomes Guest Blogger Melangerie Inc. 

Elana & Julie of Melangerie Inc have some great tips and ideas for your wedding! Thank you for joining us today!

At Mélangerie Inc, we specialize in designing bespoke paperie & gifts for events, which of course includes weddings. One of our most popular services is creating welcome gifts, which we callMélanges (referencing our company's namesake). Our definition:

Mélange n. (may-lanj): a thoughtfully curated group of items accessorized with distinct design details (and no cellophane wrap, thank you). It's our answer to the gift basket.

Since our Mélanges are tailored to each client and their event, we like to construct gifts that are personal, specific, and of course, well-designed. The following are a few of our tips for creating wedding welcome gifts your guests will treasure while also reflecting you and your beloved:

1. Set a budget: To put your welcome gift budget into perspective, determine how much you have to spend overall and then divide this amount by how many welcome gifts you will need. For example, if you have budgeted $3000 and will need 100 gifts, that puts you at around $30 per gift. This per gift cost will help guide you in selecting packaging and contents. Also, don't forget to consider shipping and tax.

2. Pick the Packaging: When selecting packaging, consider how and where the gift will be distributed. For instance, if you are giving them out at an event, packaging should be easily portable, like a gable box or tote bag. Also, consider re-usability: tote bags are great because guests can easily pack them flat into their luggage. Silk-screening art work specific to your event onto the tote can also be a nice touch. Try thinking of alternatives outside of your names and the date.

3. Curate the Contents: When considering what will go in your welcome gift, think quality over quantity. Rather than loading up your package with lots of little things, use fewer items, but make them more significant and well thought out. Here are few ideas for inspiration:

• Pick a theme: Whether it be your wedding location, your favorite movie, or your favorite color, selecting a theme for your gift helps tie everything together. Settle on an aesthetic or concept for your gift, and let that guide your packaging and content selections.

• Take cues from your wedding location: If you are having a beach wedding, select contents that are useful in the sun and sand, like a beach bag, towel, or a travel game to play on the beach. If your wedding is in an urban area, include items to get guests out and about, like a guidebook or small denomination gift card to your favorite coffee shop.

• Think local: Selecting products (especially food items) that are native to your wedding location makes them more relevant and more economical. For instance, if you are getting married in New York City and want to include bottled water in your gift, go with a locally bottled brand like Tap'dNY or New York Spring Water. Consider sourcing cookies from a local bakery, or wine from a local vineyard. Many packaged snacks are manufactured in specific regions as well, like Cape Cod Potato Chips, or popcorn from Hampton Popcorn Company. Using local items will save you cost on shipping, and give a shout-out to your wedding locale.

• Make it personal: The best wedding gift contents are those which reflect you and your partner in subtle ways. For example, if you like cooking, include a favorite recipe paired with a local cookbook or ingredient. Or, if you are art lovers, include post cards by your favorite artists. Labeling items with brief remarks about your connection to them is a nice touch as well.

4. Consider a Wedding Weekend Guide: While some guests may bring their wedding invitation, many leave them at home. Compiling a small booklet or envelope with your key wedding events and locations, as well as pertinent information (directions, contact info) is a useful and thoughtful addition. We often like to include a short list of recommended places to eat, visit and hang out from the bride and groom. Plotting the wedding events and recommended locales out on an enclosed map adds extra ease and organization.

And of course, if you get stuck or are looking for a little help along the way, give us a ring and we are happy to assist.

Related Links:

Mélangerie Inc.
http://melangerienyc.com

Mélangerie Inc. contact email:
hello@melangerienyc.com

Tap'dNY
http://tapdny.com

New York Spring Water
http://www.newyorkspringwater.com

Cape Cod Potato Chips
http://www.capecodchips.com

Hampton Popcorn Company
http://www.hamptonpopcorn.com

----

About Mélangerie:

At Mélangerie Inc. we celebrate festivity. We design bespoke gifts, memorabilia and event details for all occasions, big and small.

With great attention to detail, Mélangerie Inc. can help design everything from a gorgeous invitation, favor, or event detail to a whole wedding identity (think super-supped up monogram) and accompanying paperie suite. We design truly unique pieces by incorporating the handmade, the unusual, and the specific. Just need some advice? Mélangerie Inc. is happy to offer design or gift consulting for an hourly rate.

Here are a few things we can create for your wedding:

Save the Dates
Wedding Identity or Monogram
Invitations
Programs
Guest Book (or creative alternative)
Place cards & Table Numbers
Menus
Favors
Thank You Notes
Welcome Gifts for Guests
Bridal Party Gifts
Custom Memorabilia
Other Event Details

Elana Dweck & Julie Tinker are founding partners and designers at Mélangerie Inc. They met on a balcony overlooking the Hudson river during orientation for the MFA Design program at School of Visual Arts in New York City, and that was that.

We're LIVE!!!

Our website LAUNCHED today!!

We are so excited!!!

Please check it out at www.asavvyevent.com

Leave us a comment if you like it!!!!

Happy Mardi Gras~

DIY Wedding Video Seminar Part 2

We are so excited to welcome back Jewel of Savadelis Films for Part 2 of DIY Wedding Video

Make sure you sign up for the DIY Wedding Video Seminar as this is sure to be something you will not want to MISS! Click Here

Part II: Five Tips to Avoid Missing the Most Important Moments at a Wedding

TIP 1: The bride and groom and camera-people should have an honest conversation about what the couple expect and what effort the cameraman is willing to commit. Determine if there is an agreement of what needs to be done well in advance of the wedding day.

TIP 2: The cameraman should get a schedule from the bride or event coordinator. Get to the activity ahead of schedule so you can set up and be in a good position before things get started.

TIP 3: The cameraman should ask the bride and groom to keep you posted if something impromptu is going to occur.

TIP 4: Keep an extra memory card or tape and camera battery with you at all times

TIP 5: During periods of the day when there are no formally scheduled activities, look around. Adorable young children will often provide great moments as will one or two tables of rowdier friends and the infamous ‘cousins’. Or maybe you’ll just catch the bride and groom in an unguarded moment admiring their rings or brushing a lock of hair from the other’s face. It might just turn out to be the best shot of the day.

Thank you so much Jewel! Stay Tuned next week for Part 3.

We Had To Share This With Our Readers

As a wedding planner I get asked all the time ....What does a wedding planner do? Most people think that it is such a glamorous job and the typical response I get is Your job must be so fun! Fun...hmmm after reading the below I am sure you may not equate wedding planning to fun. Granted there are many aspects of this job that are fun but if you are having fun at your wedding you probably aren't working hard enough.  This past summer I met Amy Rubins at Engage 08 in Orlando, Florida. Amy is a wedding planner out of Minneapolis and her personality is bigger than life she is so much fun to be around and she just lights up a room. She has a blog called the Wacky Wedding Planner and sometimes in this industry that is exactly how you feel some days a little wacky! I just love her blog and love all the things she has to say but when I saw this post I had to include it on my blog as truly I don't think people realize how hard wedding planners work and what we really do to make sure everyone has the "PERFECT WEDDING DAY" So...I hope this post helps you all understand what a wedding planner really does and the list could go on from here...Enjoy!~

Blog Post from Amy at Wacky Wedding Planner....Thank you Amy!!

Really...Everything??? 

A wedding planner colleague in Las Vegas recently expressed frustration with a bride who was in town to plan her wedding. The bride was going to meet the planner to discuss wedding day services but at the last minute canceled the meeting. The bride said, "I don't want to waste your time since the florist and venue said they'd take care of everything."

REALLY...everything? You mean they will...

-Empty the water from the centerpiece vases
-Eive the flowers to guests in extra plastic bags that I'm sure the bride thought to pack along      with an emergency kit
-Re-pack vases in bubble wrap and place in refrigerator size boxes for overnight storage
-Look for Grandmother's camera she left "somewhere" by the guest book
-Pack gifts, cards, guest book, pens and the antique bowl used for card collection
-Take off 25 specialty linens, 200 chair covers, 200 sashes and stuff them all into laundry bags
-Drag these laundry bags which now weight about 40 pounds each across a football field size        banquet facility into the storage closet the venue conveniently tucked away three stories down
-Pack up leftover favors, the table runners Aunt Grace made, personalized decor, toasting g  glasses, cake knife and server, votive candles, silver candelabra from mothers house and all the  other little goodies that made your wedding so... you
-Load onto service carts if you can find them and then locate the nearest elevator so you can    head down the back halls of the venue through the kitchen across the employee locker room  and into the loading dock where you can finally load into family vehicles which are usually too  small to carry everything etc, etc, etc

Nope I'm afraid this will be left to you ...BECAUSE... florists rarely return at the end of the night unless they're paid oodles extra...the coordinator at the venue leaves after dinner...the banquet captain doesn't touch personal property nor do they handle specialty linens unless extra labor fees have been added...and the wedding party is exhausted or drunk or both...but by this time it's too late to go back and meet with my wedding planner friend in Las Vegas who was going to do all this for you and more.

A Savvy Event Welcomes Back Annette from Swanky Tables

A Savvy Event is so excited to Welcome Back Annette from Swanky Tables! She will be guest blogging with us once a month on a Swanky Table Idea! This month she is highlighting a Valentines Day Party or Wedding Candy Buffet. So with out further adieu.....

Surprise and impress your guests with a sweets table for your Valentines Day Wedding or Party. Below are some guidelines to get started:
Items you’ll need:
· Tablecloth or runners to place underneath your display that compliment your color choices

· Glass containers in a variety of shapes and sizes work best, but I also like using white, black, or metallic containers. Be sure to check that all vessels are food-safe and wide enough to accommodate a scoop or tongs.

· Candy

· Candy scoops or tongs

· Cellophane/Glassine bags or small boxes for guest to fill with candy. It’s a good idea to have personalized labels or ribbon for guests to secure their bags after filling.

· Ribbon, tags, and labels can also be used to decorate the containers and identify the types of candy.


How much candy?
There are a few questions to keep in mind when you are ordering your candy:
How many people are attending the event?
· Large Events & Weddings: 8 – 10 types of candy {10-15 lbs each}

· Small Events (under 100): 5 – 8 types of candy {5 –10 lbs each}

The key to a great table is lots of candy. Your candy display is as much a part of your décor as it is a sweet favor for your guests. Order your candy well in advance so you can assemble a similar sized table with your tablecloth, containers and candy. This way you will have plenty of time to order more candy or add containers if need be. Practice makes perfect!

What type of candy?
Choose pink, red, or white candy for your Valentine's Candy Display. Hard candies that won't stick together work best. I love using sours, jelly beans, and whirly pops!

Some of my favorite sites to find candy include:

Ohnuts.com
Hammondscandies.com
Bulkfoods.com

Thank you A Savvy Event for letting me share my sweet tooth with your readers!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Annette

Swanky Tables

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DIY Wedding Video Seminar Part 1

Greetings! Today we are so excited to have Jewel Savadelis from Savadelis Films here with the first of a 3-part series on How TO DIY Your Wedding Video. We find the #1 regret among brides after the wedding is that they didn’t get a good video. Here’s a way you can avoid that regret.

Jewel and her husband Chuck are among the best videographers in the country. Based on six years’ experience producing great wedding movies, they have put together the most important tips for getting a better wedding video, just for our readers.

To Bay Area couples – Chuck and Jewel are offering a seminar on How to Make a Wedding Movie Everyone Will Love on Sunday, March 22 in San Francisco. Click here  for more information and to register. If you leave a comment at the end of this post by February 14 with your name and email address you will be entered into a drawing to win TWO FREE TICKETS to the seminar! In addition anyone can enter the drawing to win a FREE FLIP VIDEO CAMERA ¬here

Part I: Ten Tips to Instantly Shoot Better Video

The four reasons you DON’T want your buddies to shoot your wedding video are: poor images, poor sound, they missed something important, and the video is B-O-R-I-N-G. Here are some tips to fix the first two problems. Part II will address the last two problems.

TIP 1: Stop the wild camera movements!
If your subject is worth seeing, it’s worth seeing well. The hallmark of a novice videographer is that they jump from one thing to the next, not holding any shot long enough for anyone to see what’s going on. And, please, stop the zooming! The constant in-out-in-out movement is distracting from what your viewers want to see – a beautiful couple getting married and friends and family having a good time.

TIP 2: Take the jitter out
Once you’ve settled down (see Tip #1), learn how to hold your camera so you can take out those small movements that make viewers feel seasick. Here’s how:
a. Bring your elbows into your sides and hug the camera close to you; don’t hold it out in front of you where it is unsupported.
b. Lean up against a wall for support.
c. Go down on one knee and lean your camera elbow on your knee to steady the camera.
d. The wider the shot, the less noticeable the shake.
e. Put the camera on a tripod for the steadiest of all shots.

TIP 3: Hold each shot for at least 10-15 seconds
You can always make a 10-second shot a 2-second shot.

TIP 4: Shoot more than you think you need.

TIP 5: Frame your shots well
Obey the “rule of thirds” Imagine a tic-tac-toe board over your viewfinder. The lines intersect in four places. Frame the action at one of these four spots, off-center not squarely in the center. Oh, and don’t “bull’s eye” your shot. That is, if you draw a horizontal line that bisects the screen so 50% is above and 50% below it, do NOT frame the shot so a person’s eyes are on that line. Frame the shot so a person’s eyes are on the top line (66% line) of that tic-tac-toe board. This is one of those things you have to experiment with and then you get the “ah ha” moment. See what I mean?

TIP 6: Shoot from many angles
For static shots like the ceremony and toasts, the best place for the camera is on a tripod. But for the unscheduled activities like the cocktail party and open dancing, take that camera off the tripod and shoot from creative angles!

TIP 7: Get good sound
Even a cheap mic close-up will get better sound than an expensive mic far away. If what you’re recording is important enough (like your vows), rent a professional grade wireless mic for about $40 to get much, much better sound than you get from the built-in camera mic. Oh, and check to make sure the sound is on, that you can hear it through your headphones. And make sure YOU are not talking while the sound is recording! Video accompanied by ambient sound is much more interesting (glasses clinking, people cheering, children laughing).

TIP 8: Know your camera well
Learn how to use the manual focus and manual exposure on your camera. Your shots will improve greatly.

TIP 9: Turn off the special effects
Please! If your camera has special effects like sepia, B&W, autofade or dissolves – turn them off. Nothing looks quite as dated and cheesy as those effects. There’s plenty of drama going on at the wedding. Focus on that.

TIP 10: Have fun!
Shooting video is a lot like dancing. Once you have the basic steps, it becomes natural and then you can really really have fun. The more you practice, the better you’ll become.

Greetings! Today we welcome back Jewel Savadelis from Savadelis Films (www.savadelis.com) with the second of a 2-part series on How TO DIY Your Wedding Video. We find the #1 regret among brides after the wedding is that they didn’t get a good video. Here’s a way you can avoid that regret.

Jewel and her husband Chuck are among the best videographers in the country. Based on six years’ experience producing great wedding movies, they have put together the most important tips for getting a better wedding video, exclusively for our readers.

To Bay Area couples – Chuck and Jewel are offering a seminar on How to Make a Wedding Movie Everyone Will Love on Sunday, March 22 in San Francisco. Click here (www.movie-me.com) for more information and to register. If you leave a comment at the end of this post by February 14 with your name and email address you will be entered into a drawing to win TWO FREE TICKETS to the seminar! In addition anyone can enter a drawing to win a FREE FLIP VIDEO CAMERA ¬here (www.movie-me.com/register.html)