I have the privilege of featuring Evan and Dwight from Wilhelm Wedding Cinema on the blog today. This duo create absolutely beautiful films of some of the most important days in a person's life: proposals, engagements, weddings, and so much more. Be sure to give this vendor feature a read through to see some of Wilhelm's work, as well as an interview with these talented videographers! 

I'm especially excited about the first video in this feature: Jordan and Sarah's proposal. Jordan and Sarah were married in January, and I had the privilege of being their Day-Of Coordinator (pictures will be coming soon). Be warned though, be sure to have the kleenexes out before you start watching their proposal video. ;)

Who are you? We are Evan Bourque and Dwight Jantzi of Wilhelm Wedding Cinema.

Why did you start doing weddings? As underwhelming as it sounds, I (Dwight) first started creating wedding videos because my friend’s sister asked me to. I had been making snowboarding and skateboarding videos with my friends for awhile but I was looking for a new challenge so when the opportunity came about to shoot a wedding I jumped on it. In the six years since then I’ve fallen in love with creating beautiful and emotional wedding films that capture the personality of the couple. It’s always a pleasure because every couple is different and so telling their story is always a new challenge.

What is your favourite part of working in the wedding industry? The best part about shooting weddings is hearing and seeing first hand the development of amazing love stories and then having the opportunity to show them off to the world. A great example of this is our engagement films. We typically meet with the boyfriend in the months leading up to the proposal and talk about who they are as a couple, their story, and what they’re all about. From here we help to craft a proposal that is personal and impactful. It’s an amazing feeling to see our couples announce their engagements to their friends and family the day after the proposal using the film we created for them.

Any advice for brides and grooms who are currently planning their wedding? Your wedding day will go by so quickly so our best advice to you is to enjoy it as much as you can! Throughout the day be sure to stop for a few moments to take it all in because it is all about you and it only happens once. Another tip to help with this is to hire a photographer and filmmaker to save those memories for you forever. We are there to capture all the moments that quickly pass you by so that you can enjoy them for years down the road so definitely put time and effort into choosing companies that will work best with you!

A random fact (or two) about yourself. When we’re not making wedding films that make you feel feelings we love to snowboard, jump bikes, hike, skateboard, and make music. If you’re curious to hear the beautiful sounds that Evan creates check out his music project at www.facebook.com/EvanBourqueMusic. On the other hand if you want to see Dwight awkwardly fall on a dirt jump you can head to Vanier park in Vancouver on a nice summer night.

If you are a vendor interested in being featured on the Jodi Marie Events' blog, please email Jodi at info@jodimarieevents.com.

A year ago today, dear friends of mine got engaged. It was so fun to be part of the planning for the proposal, and I'm excited to share the story on the blog today. 

Andrew, a close friend of my husband and I, starting talking to us about how he wanted to propose to his girlfriend. He knew he needed a bit of help pulling it off, so we started to brainstorm. First, we needed a location. Second, we needed a reason and a story to get Andrew's fiance Sarah to Fort Langley on the day of the proposal. Third, we needed an excuse to get Sarah to the exact location of the proposal without her questioning it. 

Andrew decided that Fort Langley, where him and Sarah had their first date, was where he wanted to propose. Andrew, my husband Nic, and I then came up with a plan to get Sarah to Fort Langley. We decided to tell her that we were going on a double date that would start in Fort Langley for lunch and end at Castle Fun Park for mini golf. We excitedly relayed these plans to Sarah, trying to act as normal as possible, and she seemed to buy it without question.

A few days before the proposal, we met with Andrew to plan the exact location, go over the details of the proposal, and pick up a few items (including the ring!!!). We found a beautiful clearing overlooking the water in Fort Langley, and knew that it would be the spot. There were enough trees around to hide the location until you came around the corner, and there were some perfect spots for the photographer, Natasha Priya, and the amateur videographers, Nic and I, to hide to capture the proposal. Once the location was selected, we determined how it would be set up. We decided that Sarah would be situated on a stool facing Andrew, and that he would have his guitar setup on a nearby bench for easy access. We decided exactly where Nic, myself and Natahsha would hide. One big aspect that we brainstormed was where we would hide the ring and ring box. It was a big ring box, and would be difficult to hide in Andrew's pocket. We came up with the idea of hiding it inner pocket of Andrew's guitar case. After he was finished playing a song to Sarah on the guitar, he would put the guitar back and grab the ring at the same time. With the details in place, we went to Andrew's to pick up a few items from him: a stool, his guitar, a tuner for the guitar, red rose petals, and of course: the ring! We also arranged for Andrew to order pictures of him and Sarah to be picked up at a print shop near our house. 

On April 19th, Nic and I were very excited and were really hoping that the proposal would go off without a hitch. We collected everything, picked up the photos from the print shop, and picked up a single red rose. We then met with Natahsha in Fort Langley and began setting everything up. A pathway of roses leading to the stool where Sarah was going to sit, a single red rose on the stool for Sarah, the guitar case open on the bench with pictures of the two of them displayed, and the ring nestled safely inside the box. Nic and I hid behind one tree and Natahsha behind another, and then we had to wait. Waiting is the hardest part.

Andrew kept texting us to keep us updated on where he was. Once they were in Fort Langley, he told Sarah that Nic and I were running late for the double date and he suggested that they go for a walk along the water while they wait. He sent us a quick text to say that they were close and before we knew it, they had arrived. Andrew began playing a beautiful song to Sarah that had us all tearing up. Sarah's back was to us, so after the song was over, Nic and I inched closer to film the proposal. We had the privilege of witnessing the entire proposal, from the song to the sweet words to him getting down on one knee and asking Sarah to be his wife. It was so beautiful and I was definitely in tears. After the ring was on her finger, Andrew gave us a thumbs up. Sarah spun around to see Nic and I sitting there. She had no clue we were there. And she honestly had no clue that Andrew was about to propose until she saw the pathway of roses. We rushed over to give them our congratulations and to celebrate this big moment in their lives. The whole proposal was beyond perfect and I was so privileged to be a part of it. 

It's time for another vendor feature on the Jodi Marie Event's blog! This feature is of The Wedding Lot, a local company that has combined four services into an all-in-one package. This talented team are highly equipped to help in many different ways on your wedding day, including photography, videography, a photobooth, and DJing. I highly recommend giving this vendor feature a read through to learn more about The Wedding Lot! 

Who is The Wedding Lot? We specialize in photography, cinematography, photo booths, and DJ services. Evan and Brett have both come from different areas in media. Evan comes from a cinematography company and design background, and Brett comes from a photography and a DJ background, Together they have 10 years of experience in the wedding industry.

Why did you start doing weddings? We knew the wedding industry was changing drastically. The style of capturing moments and technologies used were changing and still today are evolving. While running their own companies they thought it would be much easier for brides and grooms to deal with one company, rather than having to book 4 different companies. There was a demand for media services and they knew they could tackle it and provide it all without losing quality of work, in fact the goal in joining forces is to push the creative envelope.

What is your favourite part of working in the wedding industry? Evan and I both really enjoy people, we love to see the Bride and Groom really excited to work with us, and most of all hear that first response when the say "they loved the photos, loved the video, that their wedding was the best dance party, and that all their guest loved using the photo booth." That really is our goal, from the first meeting to the final proofs and delivery of our services and products, for the bride and groom to be excited about it all.

Any advice for couples who are currently planning their wedding? Planning a wedding is stressful, there are so many major details, as well as minor details. It is probably one of the biggest parties you’ll ever throw, if not the biggest. Couples often forget to celebrate and enjoy time together while planning their weddings, because it’s such a busy time in their lives, and time can pass by very quickly. For a lot of people the wedding day itself can be the most stressful time, trying to make sure everything is in order. 

So when looking for vendors be sure to find ones that you can trust, ones that are confident in their skill sets, and a vendor who you get along with, almost like an instant friend. Photographers and videographers especially, don’t get that awkward vendor who isn’t friendly or polite, because when it come time to your portrait sessions with video and photo, that awkwardness or will show up in all your photos and video. You want someone you can be comfortable with, as they actually spend most of the day with you on one of the biggest days of your lives. I would say the same thing for the DJ, they will often make or break a wedding, they need to be on cue, for ceremony and reception and they need to be able make last minute changes, and be flexible on the day. There can be many changes when it comes to where they set up, schedule changes or adjusting their playlist if it’s not working. One of the best values a DJ can have is being someone that understands that it’s your wedding day, and is not about him and his own show. He is there to facilitate entertainment for you and your guests, and if your guests aren’t dancing and they have requested multiple songs and he refuses to play them, then I think that DJ is in the wrong industry. I think it’s important to hire the right people to relieve your stress not add to it.

A random fact about The Wedding Lot. Evan and Brett were in a band and recorded an album and played on a radio show together, it was the beginning discussion of joining ventures and creating the wedding lot.