Focal Point Video Blog

Oregon Bride Magazine's "Best Wedding Videographer 2011"

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 10:11:56 -0700

We’re extremely happy to report that for the third consecutive year Focal Point Digital Media has been voted “Best Wedding Videographer” by the readers of Oregon Bride magazine! Additionally, we were one of three finalists for the top prize of “Best All Around Wedding Vendor,” an honor which we won in 2010. Thank you SO very much to our brides, their families, friends, and fans that voted!! We absolutely appreciate the support of every one of you!

This year’s Best of Bride party was packed, and it was a blast. Held in downtown Portland’s park blocks at the Oregon Historical Society, it was wall to wall vendors, brides and friends and was so fun to be a part of! In addition to being announced as the winner, another big highlight was this year’s bridal fashion show featuring recent brides modeling their own gowns... including Corree, one of our own brides from last year! The Best of Bride party is always one of the best parts of our summer and since it’s open to the public be sure to come next year and cheer on your faves!

Each year the Best of Bride Awards are determined exclusively by the voting of Oregon Bride’s readers. The brand new “Best of 2011” magazine issue featuring all the winners was released at the party and hits newsstands next week, so be sure to check it out! Oregon Bride magazine is the leading bridal publication in the area, with a readership of 95,000 per issue. A full listing of the 2011 Best of Bride winners is also available online by clicking here.

Lastly, a huge congratulations to our many good friends who were honored as well, a partial list of whom included venues Skamania Lodge, Youngberg Hill, Zenith Vineyard and Abernethy Center, wedding coordinators Blush Bridal Consulation Group, Stargazer Weddings, SHE Designs and With This Ring Wedding & Event Consultation, invitation designers Paper Bloom and Red Pearl Designs, Willaby’s Catering, and hair/makeup artists Face Body Beauty and Powder Inc. by Nicole Wagner. It’s awesome to see so many friends and colleagues honored, congratulations to you all!

For more complete information on our 2011 award for Best Wedding Videographer, please click here to view our news release in PDF format.

Amanda & Tony's Wedding Video Sneak Peek at Zenith Vineyard

Tue, 8 Feb 2011 10:28:16 -0800

Amanda and Tony came all the way out from Boston for a fantastic wedding in the heart of Oregon’s Wine Country, and they couldn’t have picked a more beautiful day for it. Zenith Vineyard was gorgeous as always, the couple was up for anything and extremely easy to work with, their guests were ready to cut loose and have a good time, and their lineup of vendors was first class. Add it all up, and the wedding was bound to be a success!!

The clip featured above is just a few minutes taken from early in their 30-minute wedding film, covering the action from their “first look” moment through their photo and video session (and this, I just noticed, is the second consecutive blog post featuring a wedding that we worked with Maggie from Honeysuckle Photography on. As always, the pics were amazing!). After a little PDA down by the barn and pictures with their wedding party, Amanda and Tony had a lovely outdoor wedding officiated by pastor Carroll Myers overlooking the rows of grapevines, sipped a little vino during cocktail hour on the deck, enjoyed an amazing dinner catered by Vibrant Table, and then partied the night away at their reception DJed by our good friend Marc Brooks from Event Team Entertainment. So fun!!!

I’d love to share more of this wedding video, so if you’re interested in seeing the rest of this or any other full-length Focal Point wedding film, please contact us to set up a no-obligation consultation at our studio. We’ve still got some good dates left for 2011 but they’re filling up fast!

Threepeat: We’re A 2011 Bride’s Choice Award Winner!

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 11:00:06 -0800

WeddingWire just announced that Focal Point Digital Media has been honored for the third straight year with a Bride’s Choice Award! The 2011 Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes and honors the top 5% of vendors from the WeddingWire Network and Martha Stewart Weddings which includes over 200,000 vendors. Recognition for the Bride’s Choice Awards is determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 750,000 WeddingWire newlyweds. Many of our past clients are among those that shared their experiences on WeddingWire, and we are so grateful for their support!

“WeddingWire is honored to celebrate the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire community,” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “With the annual Bride’s Choice Awards program, WeddingWire has the unique opportunity to recognize the best wedding professionals across the US and Canada. We applaud Focal Point Digital Media for their professionalism and dedication to enhancing the wedding planning experience last year.”

Ryan, Gary and the rest of the staff at Focal Point Digital Media would like to thank our past clients for speaking on our behalf and helping us win the 2011 Bride’s Choice Award! We greatly appreciate the positive reviews that helped us achieve it. Here’s to a great 2011!!!

Kat & Quoc's Wedding Video Sneak Peek at the Portland Art Museum

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 13:50:26 -0800

About mid-January each year the Oregon winters start to seem a little drizzly and dreary, so how here’s a little peek back at what it’s like in the summer! Kat and Quoc’s wedding fell on a gorgeous, sunny, very warm day and the short clip you’ll see above was taken as they strolled from the Church of St. Michael the Archangel up through the park blocks and eventually to their crazy dance party stately reception at the Portland Art Musuem. Even without me mentioning the date you can tell from the video it’s definitely summertime wedding season: did you notice the THREE wedding parties all on the same block?! That definitely doesn’t occur in January! ;) And keep your eyes peeled for a quick cameo appearance by Maggie from Honeysuckle Photography... she’s one of our faves!

If you would like to see more of this or any other full-length Focal Point wedding film, please contact us to set up a no-obligation consultation at our studio. We’d love to hear about what you have planned for your own wedding day and how we can be a part!

It’s That Time Again... Wedding Shows Start This Week!

Sun, 9 Jan 2011 13:38:39 -0800

Have a shiny new engagement ring on your finger, but still need to plan just about everything else? No worries: this week kicks off bridal show season! Bridal shows are a great way to gather new ideas, inspiration and info from many top vendors in one easy location, plus attending a show is guaranteed to get you excited for your wedding!

The “big one” is this Saturday and Sunday, January 15-16: the original Portland Bridal Show at the Convention Center. Doors open at 10:30am both days, so please be sure to stop by booth #113, grab some of our information and a demo DVD, and of course say hello and meet us in person! In addition to the Portland Bridal Show, we will also be showcasing our wedding films at the following events in the coming months:

Portland Bridal Show • Portland, Ore.
January 15-16 at the Oregon Convention Center
(Booth #113)

January 30 • Oregon Golf Club Bridal Open House (West Linn, Ore.)
January 30 • Skamania Lodge Bridal Open House & Tasting (Stevenson, Wa.)
February 2 • Abernethy Center Tasting Event (Oregon City, Ore.)
February 5 • Greater Vancouver Bridal Show (Hilton Hotel, Vancouver, Wa.)
February 27 • Willamette Valley Vineyards Bridal Open House (Salem, Ore.)
March 11 • A Luxe Bridal Event in the Pearl (Urban Studio, Portland, Ore.)
April 17 • Oregon Golf Club Tasting Event (West Linn, Ore.)

See you there!!!

Fitsum & Josh's Trailer at the Portland Art Museum

Sat, 16 Oct 2010 16:26:58 -0700

Our final huge wedding weekend of the season ended with a great one! Fitsum and Josh had a two-day wedding celebration, starting with a traditional Ethiopian kelekel (reception) at the Eliot Center. Having never shot an Ethiopian wedding video before, I didn’t quite know what to expect at a kelekel but I’ll tell you what I found: very spicy food, and TONS of dancing! Josh was a dancing maniac, jumping right in with Fitsum’s family and friends and busting out his rendition of traditional Ethiopian dances all night long... and then he kept the energy just as high the following evening at their second reception held at the Portland Art Museum! The guy was a machine. And Fitsum was drop-dead gorgeous... so put the two together and it’s pretty easy to predict this will be an outstanding wedding film. I can’t wait to edit the “real thing” but in the meantime enjoy the sneak peek at their theatrical trailer, and of course let us know if you would like to see more of this or any other full-length Focal Point wedding films by contacting our studio.

In addition to being a genuinely fun and engaging couple to hang out with for the weekend, Fitsum and Josh also assembled an amazing dream-team of vendors for their big day, including many of our favorites to work with! Photos were covered by Kate Kelly Photography (who we LOVE), Kevin Venables of Northwest Mobile DJ Service was spinning the tunes, yummy food and drink from Vibrant Table was on the menu, and wedding planner extraordinaire Amy Nuttman of Blush Bridal Consultation Group kept everything running smoothly. What a great team to be part of, and what a fabulous wedding weekend to experience with Fitsum and Josh! Congratulations you two!!!

Taylor & Ethan’s Trailer at First Unitarian and West End Theater

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 12:30:34 -0700

I knew this was going to be a great event the instant they played the Oregon fight song during the reception! Taylor and Ethan are huge Duck fans, even to the point of getting married on a Friday in order to go to Saturday’s game before leaving for their honeymoon in Maui AND scheduling their return for the very next Friday, again to be able to hit the next Saturday Oregon game! It takes a lot to make my cry at a wedding, but dedication like that brings big green and gold tears to my eyes. ;)

Ahh, but this post is supposed to be about Taylor and Ethan’s wedding, not their favorite football team... and what a wedding it was!! After a beautiful formal evening ceremony at Portland’s First Unitarian Church we grabbed a few quick nighttime shots in and around the Park blocks and then eventually ended up exactly one block from where we started, at the West End Theater. The elegant reception was constantly moving and buzzing all night long thanks to the antics over at the Paparazzi Tonight photo booth in the lobby combined with the often-rowdy live dueling pianos inside the theater, courtesy of Dueling Pianos Anywhere of Salt Lake City, Utah. Such a fun wedding to be a part of! Congratulations Taylor and Ethan, and GO DUCKS!!

If you would like to see more of this or any other full-length Focal Point wedding film, please contact us to set up a no-obligation consultation at our studio. We’d love to hear about what you have planned for your own wedding day and how we can be a part!

Megan & David's Trailer at Abernethy Center

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 12:12:18 -0700

Megan and David’s is the first of three wedding video theatrical trailers that will be going up in three days, so come back again tomorrow for another fix. It’s Trailerpalooza 2010!!

Starting the day getting ready at The Nines Hotel, Megan and David made their way to Aberenthy Center for a beautiful outdoor wedding in Abigail’s Garden. We were part of a first rate team of wedding professionals that pitched in to make the day a success, including planning by Mandi with Champagne Wedding & Event Coordination, officiating by Beverly Mason with Radiant Touch Weddings and amazing still images by Craig Mitchelldyer.

Enjoy the video and stay tuned the next couple days for additional wedding preview trailers! And as always, if you would like to see more of this or any other full-length Focal Point wedding film, please contact us to set up a no-obligation consultation at our studio. We’d love to hear about what you have planned for your own wedding day and how we can be a part!

Corey & Aaron's Oregon Wedding Video Sneak Peek

Fri, 17 Sep 2010 11:01:10 -0700

Want to see two of the genuinely happiest people you’ll come across? Want to see volleyball in a wedding dress? Want to see both at the same time? Then definitely check out this short clip from within Corey & Aaron’s larger wedding film, shot in the minutes immediately after the conclusion of their wedding ceremony... and their FIRST kiss! Their outdoor wedding took place at a private residence near Salem and a bit of rain (okay: a downpour!) did nothing to dampen their spirits, as you’ll plainly see when you look at their wedding film. Congratulations again Corey and Aaron!!

We had a great time on this wedding, and had the privilege of working with one of Eugene’s top photographers, Richard Roman of Richard Roman Photography. Check out his blog for some awesome still images of the day! And as always, if you would like to see more of this or any other full-length Focal Point wedding film, please contact us to set up a no-obligation consultation at our studio. We’d love to hear about what you have planned for your own wedding day and how we can be a part!

Sarah & Bobby's Oregon Cascades Wedding Sneak Peek

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 13:13:50 -0700

Just a quick clip I wanted to share, taken directly from within Sarah and Bobby’s longer main feature. They were married on a midweek morning, before close family and friends along the North Santiam River in the foothills of Oregon’s Cascade range. To me, the amazing thing about this is how completely natural and genuinely happy the couple is... they had been married maybe 5 minutes, so it took essentially no coaxing to get the shots you’re seeing above, they were just doing what the felt. After 10 years together Sarah and Bobby were clearly thrilled to have tied the knot, and their just-married joy and affection made the moment exactly right for the cameras to roll! Although you won’t see her in this clip, my good friend Jenny of Jenny Hill Photography was there too, capturing beautiful still images of the same... check out her blog to see some of the shots. And as always, if you would like to see more of this or any other Focal Point wedding film, please contact us to set up a no-obligation consultation at our studio. We’d love to hear about what you have planned for your own wedding day and how we can be a part!