Videographer for Dallas Wedding Video Wants You to Look Your Best

The Dallas Bridal Show

Last weekend was the Dallas Bridal Show at Market Hall.  We met many wonderful brides who want a wedding video over those two days – as well as many grooms, moms, best friends and bridesmaids.  We also took time to walk through the show and meet with the vendors.

Of course there were wedding planners, venues, photographers and stationers all the usual wedding trades.  What surprised us was the number of vendors who were there specifically for the bride, to help her be her absolute best on her wedding day:  day spas, aestheticians, plastic surgeons, weight loss systems, physical trainers and many more.  We’d seen a few of these kinds of vendors in the past, but their numbers had multiplied greatly.

Looking Your Best

Planning a wedding is a very stressful project.  A day at the spa could help ease the burden.  Add to that the idea that a wedding day is the first day of a new life and a bride might want to go into that new life with a fresh outlook.  Perhaps weight gain has always been an issue or getting rid of a pair of glasses has been a long time goal.  That makes great sense.

But before you dip too deeply in your wedding budget to completely remake yourself, stop and remember your fiance fell in love with you just the way you are.  That’s the woman he wants to marry.  That’s the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with.  Scrimping on your wedding day to look good for the camera might be a misuse of funds.

The Wedding Video

We listen to our couples after the first peek at their wedding video.  They talk about how wonderful it is to share the activity before the wedding when they were separated.  They love the footage we have of beloved family members and friends.  They enjoy the humor they missed in the stress of the day.  They recognize how precious the toasts are and how little of them they comprehended when the toasts were first made.  They are grateful our videographers spend time at the reception recording well wishes from their guests.

One of our favorite moments in a wedding is when the doors open and the groom sees the bride.  The groom’s expression and whispered phrase usually tell more about his love for his bride than all the vows he makes over the course of the ceremony.  In every video it’s clear, the groom is enchanted by his bride.

So how can you look best on your wedding day?  A good nights sleep, plenty of fluids and some aerobic exercise to fight the nerves and stress – those are the keys to looking good on your wedding day.  Well, that and the right people behind the camera.  As videographers we know that they type equipment used, the lighting, the audio equipment and the experience of the videographer make all the difference in your wedding video.  Contact us at info@lenicam.com or 972-378-0446.

The explosion of social media has created a new moment for brides.  Just a few years ago no one expected a bride to post a highlight wedding video.  Now its almost as important as the wedding license.  A piece of paper might do for government entities, but your friends and family expect a video.

So Where Do Highlight Videos Come From?

There’s another wedding moment you’d recognize if you frequented bridal shows – it’s when the bride-to-be figures out just how overwhelming it is to plan a wedding.  Either they just got engaged in the last few weeks or they just set the date.  Now they have to plan a wedding.

It’s a real deer-in-the-headlights moment.  They wander through a bridal show with their mom or a maid-of-honor gathering brochures into a free tote bag.  As they look into our booth we can see dollar signs and question marks billowing out of their ears.

“Have you booked your wedding videographer?” we ask gently.

• “I don’t know if I can afford one.”
• “I haven’t thought about it.”
• “I think my photographer provides one.”
• “My uncle is going to do it.”
• “It’s not in my budget.”

These are the usual answers, but there should be question marks at the end of the sentences.  We do meet brides at the shows who say they are actually in the market for a videographer, but that’s not the usual response and those brides are usually further along in the planning process.

Whatever the bride answers, our job is not over.  We want to be sure that when the wedding is over, the bride has what she wants.  As a part of our Dallas Wedding Videography, we provide a short highlight film online for sharing, but that’s just the icing on the cake.  Several of your vendors such as your venue, your coordinator or even your photographer might offer the same thing as part of their package, but will it be enough?

Who Has Time to Watch a Full Length Wedding Video and How Often Will You Do It?

A sweet pair dropped by our booth on Sunday.  Mom was the budget-minder.  The bride-to-be was just overwhelmed.  The bride knew she wanted to post a highlight reel shortly after the wedding and the mom was pretty sure they were going to use a photographer who included it in their package.

You could almost imagine the photographer’s sales pitch.  He was going to save them money by providing the free video and then he planted the question.  Are you really going to have time to sit down and watch a full length wedding video and even if you did, how many times would you actually do it?

To a busy bride-to-be time is something in very short supply.  They try to imagine carving out enough time sit through full length wedding video and if they had to do it before the wedding they know have no time for it.  But you are not always going to be a busy bride-to-be and you’re not the only one who will be interested in your wedding video.

LeniCam provides five copies of your wedding video.  Most brides share these with parents and/or grandparents.  Your parents and grandparents want to watch the whole wedding video and they want to see it more than once.  In fact, they’ll probably show it to anyone they can get to sit still for more than a moment.

What’s more, our videos are divided up into chapters and have scene selection, just like the video from the box at the grocery store.  You don’t have to have more than a few minutes available to watch a favorite moment from your wedding.

A week or so after our couples return from their honeymoon we send them a proof copy of their wedding.  Some couples watch it right away, but sometimes it takes them weeks to get around to it.  Either way the couple is always amazed at what they see.

• “It was great to see what the groom was doing while I was getting dressed.”
• “Watching her be transformed into a bride was amazing.”
• “I didn’t realize so many people there.  I don’t remember seeing some of them.”
• “My favorite part was when [groom] saw me for the first time.  Without the video I would have never known what he said at that moment.”
• “Who knew that the funniest part of the day would be while we were taking pictures? I forgot all about that!”
• “I got to see the part of the service before I came down the aisle.”
• “I loved that interview you did with my aunt.”

These are the kinds of things we always hear over and over and over.  Whether the couple themselves wanted the video or someone else had insisted they get it, our couples love their wedding video.  They may put the video on the shelf for a while during their first busy first year, but then their first wedding anniversary comes around and they pull it out.  Or someone they know is getting married and wants to see their video.  Or they have kids someday and want to share the day with them.  Or they lose that special aunt and want to hear her voice one more time.  Or they are going through a tough time and need to be reminded of the good times.  The list goes on and on.

Maybe We Do Need More Than a Highlight

That sweet budget-minded mom and her overwhelmed bride-to-be?  Well, they knew they weren’t going to be satisfied with just a highlight wedding video.  When your wedding, that you’ve spent so much money, time and effort is over, your photos and video will be all that lasts.  The photos do capture moments, but only a video will capture the movement and sounds of that moment.

His face transforming from anxiety to joy?  Her laughter?  The breeze capturing a corner of your dress and sweeping it into the sky?  Grandmother’s sweet words?  For that, you need video.  Call us at or email us at to book your date.

Chinye and Osagie in Dallas Wedding Video

Chinye and Osagie at the Marty Leonard Chapel and Mira Vista Country Club in Fort Worth

“You can’t kiss me yet,” Chinye warned when Osagie spontaneously hugged her during their vows. The kiss would come later and what a kiss is was! Chinye and Osagie were married at the beautiful and architecturally-significant Marty Leonard Chapel  in Fort Worth, Texas .

For her wedding day Chinye chose a white satin ball gown with a sweetheart neckline, worn with a short-sleeved bolero jacket. The shirred fabric of her drop-waist bodice hugged her torso and a jeweled belt emphasized her waistline. Opaque appliquéd flowers dusted her sweetheart neckline. On the full skirt of the gown, shirred satin eased into softer folds strewn with pearls.

Chinye’s bridesmaids wore sleeveless chiffon gowns in a rich plum color. The honor attendant wore the same gown in lavender. The attendants carried bouquets of white hydrangeas and stepped out in sliver shoes. The bride’s bouquet was filled with plum and lavender roses.

The wedding ceremony began with a parade of rambunctious young fellows in tuxedos carrying a series of signs informing Uncle Osagie that his bride, Aunt Chinye, was about to appear. The doors of the chapel were closed as the flower girl in her frilly white ball gown solemnly made her way down the aisle. Then the doors opened for the beautiful bride.
The audience was filled with guests wearing colorful cultural clothing inspired in Africa. The bride’s family wore deep blues and purples, while the groom’s side favored crimson and peach. Everyone sang lovely hymn accompanied by a live harpist.

Chinye carried the music into her vows by singing a passage from Lamentations to her groom, but she was too emotional to finish on her own. The congregation joined her for the final portion as her anxious groom wiped away her copious tears. She bravely continued by reading a passage from the Book of Ruth. During Osagie’s vows he promised to provide “very tender loving care,” something he’d already demonstrated when he wiped away her tears. Coming to the end of his vows he was so overcome with emotion that he grabbed his bride up in a hug – that’s when she warned him to save the kiss for later.

The couple included the lighting of a unity candle in their service, leaving the tapers of each family glowing after the unity candle was lit to indicate that their strong family ties would continue. Then finally it was time for the kiss.
Osagie grabbed his bride up in a passionate embrace which caused the young groomsmen to react with exaggerated animation, jumping into the air and hiding their eyes. The audience voiced their approval and as the kiss continued, the maid of honor exclaimed, “Alright! Get it on!”

All that Chinye could say after being released from the extended embrace was, “Oh Baby!” The couple’s joy was so great they danced through their guests during their exit.

Between the ceremony and reception the newly married couple was joined by their wedding party for formal photos. The exuberant nephews were irrepressible, climbing all over the bride and groom as the photographer struggled to get the perfect shot. Finally everyone reunited at Mira Vista Country Club for the lively reception.

A towering cake of lacy icing with purple orchids cascading down the side dominated the room. After cutting their cake, sharing a first dance and tossing the bouquet and garter, the bride and groom made a wardrobe change, returning to the room in outfits in the African tradition. Chinye wore a headdress and top in plum matched with a white wrap skirt and shawl. Osagie was all in white. As they stepped onto the floor and began to dance, their guests rushed to crowd around them, showering them with money.
The couple made another wardrobe change, this time choosing cultural clothes in various tones of brown, the color they had chosen for the new family they had formed. Their guest waved sparklers as the couple made their way to a beautiful white Camaro convertible and drove off into the night.

 Behind the Scenes with LeniCam Video Productions

Our videographers captured this sweet ceremony with a pair of professional grade HD videocameras. One of the cameras was our custom-designed proprietary camera. That’s how we got the intimate shots of the couple’s vows and captured the exuberant responses of the wedding party to that kiss. It seems as if our cameraman must have been standing just behind Osagie, but instead our camera was hidden from sight among the beautiful floral arrangements and the cameraman did his work remotely from the back of the church, watching the scene unfold on a monitor.

We were able to clearly record Chinye’s voice as it faded away during her sung hymn, because we had a wireless microphone of Osagie’s lapel. The microphones on the cameras picked up the soft voices of the congregation as they finished the psalm. In the video it flows smoothly, just as it did at the ceremony, however, the effect was only achieved by careful editing and mixing.

We Sweat the Small Stuff So You Don’t Have To

LeniCam Video Productions – Dallas Wedding Video

Michelle and Paul – Dallas World Aquarium hosts West End Wedding in Wedding Video Dallas TX

There was something decidedly fishy about Michelle and Paul’s wedding.  It took place in front of a huge tank of tropical specimens at the Dallas World Aquarium in West End.

The bride and groom were first introduced at a Yummilicious yogurt store by a pair of doctors they knew.  The prescription was right for the beginning of a delicious relationship.  Brian was smitten, so he pursued Michelle until, according to him, he “finally wore her down.”

The beautiful Michelle looked stunning on her wedding day.  Her strapless white satin gown featured a sweetheart bodice covered in crystals, which trailed along the low backline to the corset closing.  The bridesmaids wore short strapless dresses of deep burgundy.  The fall colors of the bridal party’s bouquets were echoed by elaborate floral displays for the ceremony.

The couples wrote their vows for one another, listing all the things they loved about one another.  Some of the items listed were pretty funny, but afterwards there wasn’t a dry eye among their guests.  After the ceremony the wedding party posed for a series of formal portraits.  With all the birds flying around the aquarium/zoo/conservatory the bride hoped drops of moisture hitting her skin came from the waterfall, not the wildlife.

At the reception the guests had plenty to keep them busy.  Dinner and dessert were served buffet style.  The dj kept the dance floor hopping all night long.  Nearby a photo booth offered an array of crazy props for hamming it up.  If a guest needed a break, they could just sit down and watch a slideshow of photos from the couple’s courtship.

If it’s true that the guests who catch the bouquet and garter are the next to get married, none of Michelle and Paul’s single friends will be getting married anytime soon.  The flower girl and ring-bearer who caught the bouquet and garter are a little young to start considering marriage.   At the end of the evening the bride and groom escaped through a swirl of bubbles.

Behind the Scenes with LeniCam Video Productions  

Lighting is tricky in an aquarium.  The ambient light is left low, so the light in the tanks can show off the fish.  Meanwhile, our cameras needed light to show off the bride and groom.  Our videocameras do have lights on them and we are able to adjust the lenses.  Also the glass tanks reflect light, causing another hazard for our videographers.  Despite the venue’s lighting, everything in the video is easy to see thanks to our constant setting and resetting on the fly.

Sounds are also important to a video and capturing them in the wide open spaces of the aquarium with its wildlife and waterfalls required our expertise.  One of the strategies we used to get clear sound on the video was employing a variety of audio feeds.  We needed to clearly capture every word that was spoken during the vows.  We also wanted to include the charming ambient sounds of the waterfalls and wildlife.  We just didn’t want the ambient sound to overpower the words.  By editing and mixing the audio in our studio, we created a perfect soundtrack to the video.

Since weddings are a one-shot opportunity without do-overs, LeniCam always brings back-ups for our equipment and back-ups for our back-ups.  As the dj was setting up, he discovered he’d left one of his microphones behind.  Because of our planned redundancy we were able to loan him one of our.

We Sweat the Small Stuff So You Don’t Have To

LeniCam Video Productions – Wedding Video Dallas TX

Nicholette and Warren at Northeast Wedding Chapel in Hurst on Dallas Wedding Video

Exuberance, energy and enthusiasm were the hallmarks of Nikki and Warren’s wedding at the Northeast Wedding Chapel in Hurst.  In the dressing room, the bride and her attendants danced chorus- line style, while not far away the groom and his attendants threw their fists into a ring, like team members beforea big game.  When the different wedding parties realized they could hear one another through the walls, a noisy competition exploded out of unrestrained joy.

Nickki’s fit-and-flare gown of lace-trimmed chiffon featured a row of buttons and a train in the back.  Her sheer, sleeveless, empire-waisted bodice rose to her neck, but revealed a sweetheart neckline.  The fingertip tulle and lace veil cascaded from a crown of curls.  She carried a bouquet of white roses.  Simple long black bridesmaids’ dresses complimented the bride’s white and the attendants carried yellow roses.  Two flower girls wore coronets and sashes of bright yellow with their white gowns.

A peaceful fountain greeted guests in the chapel’s lovely garden and whimsical hand-painted signs directed the way.  Favors and a goody bag were prepared for each guest.  The bride provided a unique method for her guests to mark their presence at her wedding.  Instead of signing a guest book, each guest signed the back of a puzzle piece and fit it into a completed jigsaw.

Nikki and Warren wrote heartwarming words to one another in their vows and their devotion to each other can be heard as they read them.  During the reception, the best man’s toast compared their upcoming married life to a long journey.  His metaphors were both touching and humorous.  The guests said “farewell” with bubbles and the couple drove away in a car decorated with yellow and black, ribbons and bows.

Behind the Scenes with LeniCam Video Productions

During the few hours of Nikki and Warren’s wedding and reception a lot happened, before the ceremony, during the vows, throughout the reception and on to the farewell.  Without a wedding video, many of their precious moments and words would be lost forever, but the college students had a tight budget. Still, our videographer worked a little magic and was everywhere, all the time, yet almost invisible – capturing the special scenes without intruding into them.

To record the fun of the “shouting match” while the bride was dressing, the camera person taped the bride and the bridesmaids.  Then he took the camera next door and encouraged the groom and his groomsmen to repeat their performance. Later, while creating the actual wedding video, the editor wove the two pieces of film together, making it appear as if two cameras had been at work.

During the ceremony and the reception, the camera person mounted the camera on a rolling dolly in order to move quickly from one position to the other.   The dolly allowed him to record Nicholette coming down the stairs into the chapel and then make a speedy position change to get in place to tape her as she went down the aisle.  Then he needed to be in a position for close-ups during the vows.  The changes during the ceremony were fast, but the reception moved even faster.  Nikki’s careful planning was evident throughout the day, but it was our job to capture her memories.

We sweat the small stuff, so you don’t have to.

LeniCam Video Productions – Dallas Wedding Video

In fact, experienced Dallas wedding video companies will tell you it’s what makes or breaks a wedding video. Without the right kind of lighting equipment, the video will look grainy, dark and full of shadows.

On the other hand, an experienced wedding videographer realizes he can’t change existing lighting conditions, so he brings the right kind of lighting equipment to improve it. The result is a wedding video that is shot with crisp images and vibrant colors, making it enjoyable to watch over and over again.

Set the Mood of Your Wedding Videos

One of the reasons why lighting is important is that it helps set the mood of the entire wedding. With the right kind of lighting equipment, an experienced wedding videographer can make your wedding video look fun, solemn, or romantic, depending on your taste.

Radiant Looking Close Ups

The lighting inside most wedding venues can cause shadows to cast underneath your eyes, giving you those unwanted dark circles. Definitely not something you’d want during those close up shots. An experienced wedding videographer can bring in the right kind of lighting equipment and put them in strategic parts of the venue so that these dark circles don’t show up in your finished wedding video.

See Everyone in the Wedding Video

This is very important if you’re having an indoor wedding. The layout of the venue and its existing lighting fixtures can create shadows in some areas. It may not really be a problem during the wedding day. But, it’s a completely different story in the wedding video. Without the proper lighting equipment, these areas will be so dark that it’s impossible to see who was sitting there.

Getting an experienced videographer who understands the importance of lighting will make sure that none of your guests are sitting in the shadows. So you don’t have to worry about friends and relatives getting offended when they come and watch the wedding video with you.

Making Natural Lighting Friendly to the Eyes

If you’re having an outdoor wedding, you have the sun at your back, creating a silhouette. Wedding videographers that have done a lot of outdoor wedding videos already anticipate this. They know how to compensate in order to get the lighting on your face perfect.

Choose LeniCam Video Productions for Your Wedding Videos

LeniCam Video Productions is a Dallas wedding video company that has filmed hundreds of indoor and outdoor weddings. We use the latest video and lighting equipment so that you get high quality wedding videos regardless of the time of day or location. Call us at (972) 378-0446 or email us at info@lenicam.com today to learn more about our comprehensive wedding video packages.

LeniCam Video Productions – Lighting for Wedding Video