This week we're marking a big milestone at Merryweather: filming our 100th wedding! We're celebrating the occasion by looking back at the journey that brought us to this point. Along the way we've met and worked with some truly incredible people, won a few awards, and captured countless amazing moments. We cannot express enough gratitude to all of the couples, parents, planners, photographers, vendors, and more who helped us get here. Thank you all so much!!!
Merryweather Films was founded in 2013 by our fearless leader, Colin, with a simple mission: to blend artistic creativity and a cinematic approach with professionalism and respect. 100 weddings later, we believe that we've managed to stay true to that mission while constantly striving to improve with each new wedding.
We've made it a point to not seek out a large number of bookings each year, but rather strive to offer a "boutique" experience to everyone we have the pleasure of working with. We don't have a cookie-cutter formula for our edits, and our small, experienced team works hard to reflect the distinct personality of the couple and their day. We're incredibly proud to gain new work through word-of-mouth and referrals, rather than paid listings and pay-to-play "features."
What's Changed
Over the past four years, there has been plenty of change at Merryweather Films. We've streamlined our packages in order to give more to every couple we work with -- our standard packages now include a three-person crew, a Highlight Reel, and Full Length videos of your entire ceremony, toasts, and more. We created a more budget-friendly option that doesn't sacrifice quality with Merryweather Simple. We launched our own Slow Motion Video Booth. We upgraded from Canon DSLRs to the Sony A7Sii, an amazing camera that can see in the dark (that means no need for obnoxious video lights)! And we were thrilled to announce recently that we would begin offering tasteful, unobtrusive drone footage.
We've also had a few experiences that we can always look back on when we're in need a of laugh, like the time one of our shooter's pants split right down the middle (and managed to get a replacement pair without missing a beat) or the time another shooter stepped on a giant nail in an old barn (and kept shooting)!
Our Advice
With all of our experience attending and capturing weddings over the years, we've learned a few simple things that can "make or break" a wedding, and we're happy to share some of these tips with any brides and grooms to be! Here are a few of our most important tips:
Plan things out as best you can ahead of time, but go with the flow on the actual day. Everything will not go exactly according to plan, but if at the end of the day you had a good time and got married, that’s all that really matters!
Pass along some advice to the speakers at your wedding to help them give the best toast possible.
Think about sound, especially if you’re having a backyard-style wedding!
Hire a photographer that you like. We’re not just a talking about their work, but their personality also. They are the vendor you interact with the most throughout your wedding day, so it’s important that you jive well.
Try to be present and take in the day, don’t let yourself get railroaded by parents or planners (but also be flexible... especially if the person(s) paying for it would like some small thing that doesn’t really bother you)
Have a rain plan! Have a rain plan for your ceremony. Have a rain plan for your transportation. Have a rain plan for your photos. Have a rain plan for your reception. Have a rain plan.
Don’t forget to eat! It might sound simple, but it’s easier than you’d think to get swept up in the day, miss a meal or two, and end up queasy at a very inopportune moment!
Here’s to the next 100!
We have a calendar full of incredible events that we're excited to share, from our first celebrity wedding to our first destination wedding abroad! Stay tuned!
