Fort Worth’s Historic Thistle Hill Hosts Wedding with African Roots in Wedding Videography Dallas

Juliette and Umaru – African Traditions at the Historic Thistle Hill in Fort Worth

Umaru and Juliette’s wedding day was ten years in the making.  They met at graduation ceremony of one of Juliette’s nieces and over time, the casual introduction grew into love.  Juliette and Umaru were married at Thistle Hill, a beautiful historic home in Fort Worth.

Thistle Hill is a fitting venue for a wedding, because the lovely edifice was built as a wedding gift back in the early 1900’s.  The gorgeous home features a large stairwell in the front entry hall which served as the site of the wedding.  As guests entered the hall they were greeted by a tasty buffet of candies and offered seats in the entry hall.  The ceremony took place on the stairwell’s landing, in front of a colorful stained glass window.  The bride and groom with their attendants standing on the steps below them made a dramatic tableau.

Juliette was a lovely bride.  She wore a white satin ball gown with a strapless corset-style bodice.  The tulle overskirt was gathered into pick-ups.  A crystal tiara with matching necklace and earrings added sparkle to her look, along with very high heeled sandals covered in glitter.    She finished her ensemble with lace-covered fingerless gloves and carried a bouquet of white roses.  Her most beautiful accoutrement, by far, was her dazzling smile.

Juliette’s tulle veil with wide lace trim was worn over her face for the ceremony.  During the her vows, the bride kept her eyes demurely cast downwards until the last few promises. Then she looked at Umaru and the love in her eyes shown through the sheer fabric. To symbolize the joining of their lives the couple lit a unity candle.  After exchanging rings the officiant asked Umaru to kiss his bride’s hand, which he did very elegantly.  When he was able to lift the veil, he offered a more enthusiastic sign of his affection.

A lively reception with a buffet dinner was held on the lawn.  The couple danced into the gathering and onto the dance floor where guest showered them with money.  Many of the guests were wearing cultural costumes with elaborate turbans and colorful dresses.  The wedding cake was made to look like a white castle with turrets and was decorated with red and black emblems.  The groom’s cake resembled a soccer ball.  At the end of the evening the couple thanked everyone for sharing their day.

Behind the Scenes with LeniCam Video Productions

This video features some beautiful close-ups of Juliette during her vows.  Because the ceremony took place on the tight stairwell, we had to use all kinds of ingenuity to get the shots.   Though we have a huge inventory of equipment to help us capture events, in this situation, technology wasn’t the answer.  Only our many years of experience allowed us to create this video.

First we carefully filmed through the banister as the couple moved from the bottom of the stairs to the top.  Then back in the studio we took extra care with our editing and mixing.  The result is a video which gives the viewer a better view of the ceremony than anyone attending the wedding enjoyed.

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

LeniCam Video Productions – Wedding Videography Dallas

Lindsay and Justin – Hall of State Wedding at Fair Park in Wedding Video Dallas TX

Dallas’ Fair Park is a treasury of beautiful Art Deco buildings dating from the time of the 1936 Texas Centennial.  Lindsay and Justin chose the Hall of State, easily the grandest of the remaining architectural wonders, for the site of their December wedding.

The gorgeous bride was stunning in her trumpet-styled lace gown with a Queen Anne Neckline and Keyhole back.  The skirt of the gown was a jubilant explosion of tulle ruffles.  Her crystal chandelier earrings featured large stones set in gold which complimented the large gold bangle bracelet set with pave gems at her wrist.  Finishing her bridal ensemble was a tulle veil in two layers – one cathedral length to follow her down the aisle and the other fingertip length, which she wore over her face for her entrance.  Her bouquet was a mixture of white roses and white peonies.  Lindsay’s bridesmaids wore a variety of gowns, some in soft dewy pink and the others in a subtle taupe.

The distinctive venue looked resplendent for the occasion.  The Texas limestone walls, fluted columns and unique chandeliers set a dramatic scene.  Guest picked up their programs from a lace-covered table with large silver candelabra topped with white hydrangeas.  The ceremony was flanked by enormous flower arrangements featuring pink and white roses with hydrangeas.

When the ceremony was over, guests moved to another part of the building where an exquisite wedding cake waited.  The bottom layer was covered in smooth gold fondant.  The next appeared to be wrapped in white lace below a thinner layer wrapped in gold lace.  The penultimate layer had neat taupe and white stripes topped with a bouquet of three gold flowers.  The final layer was simply covered in smooth white fondant.  The accompanying groom’s cake looked like a recently abandoned poker game.

Lindsay and Justin looked very comfortable and very accomplished during their First Dance to a recording of Sam Cooke’s Stand By Me.  A live band waited to entertain the guests.  Lindsay was a frequent face on the dance floor, deftly handling a flute of champagne.  Shortly after Lindsay led the way, dancers crowded the floor and stayed there throughout the evening.

As their special day drew to a close, Lindsay wrapped up in a white fur stole and departed with Justin down the many steps of the Hall of State.  At the bottom of the steps guests showered the couple with glitter as they entered the white vintage Rolls Royce waiting to whisk them away.

Behind the Scenes with LeniCam Video Productions

As you watch Lindsay and Justin’s wedding video, one thing is very clear; a lot of planning went into the execution of the glorious event.  One of our goals was to record every well-planned detail – from the magnificent lighting on the exterior of the Hall of State to the engraved shot glass favors lined up for the guests, each glass with a shiny pastel ornament inside.

To capture the ceremony we used two cameras.  One camera on a tripod at the back of the audience with a videographer directly manipulating it and another camera at the front.  The camera at the front has an extra tall tripod so that we could film outside the line of sight, but still be out of the way.

We also provided the sound system for this ceremony.  This is not something all brides need, since many venues have this as a part of their package, but we were glad we were able to accommodate Lindsay in this way.  She needed microphones for the minister, readers and musicians and loudspeakers. The equipment was already in our inventory and we have plenty of experience.

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

LeniCam Video Productions – Wedding Video Dallas TX

Amanda and Aaron

Amanda and Erin’s Fall Celebration of Love and Laughter at Ft. Worth’s Marty Leonard Chapel in Video Wedding Dallas TX

The beautiful Amanda with her striking auburn hair was perfectly complimented by the rich harvest colors chosen for her autumn wedding.  Amanda and her handsome groom, Erin, were married in Fort Worth’s unique Marty Leonard Chapel, designed by the famous architect, E. Fay Jones.  The lovely event was planned by April Coltharp of Flair Events and coordinated by Katherine Lewis of the Marty Leonard Chapel.

The fitted bodice of Amanda’s white satin ballgown combined a sweetheart neckline with crumb-catcher ruffles in an asymmetrical design, then fell into rusched gathers over a wide skirt and train.  A tulle veil and crystal jewelry completed her ensemble.

The bridesmaids wore strapless sheaths of brown satin, which echoed in the brown satin vests of the men in the wedding party.  A pair of flower girls wore white dresses with large satin sashes, and a pair of ring bearers toting moss-covered cushions, completed the wedding party.

The bride and groom were giddy with joy and the officiant kept them laughing throughout their wedding.  More chuckles were heard when an older couple offered their advice as part of the ceremony.  A more tender part of the ritual was the lighting of the unity candle.  Using two tapers to light the unity candle, Amanda acknowledged both of her parents and their new spouces.

Later, the bride and groom boogied into the reception at the Omni Hotel in Downtown Fort Worth.  Transitioning into a formal First Dance, Erin tried to put a few moves on his new wife – but she told him to ‘save it,’ renewing the generous laughter which filed their wedding ceremony.  The same eye to detail which had coordinated the wedding’s flowers with the bride’s hair could be seen in the wedding cake traced with curlicue leaves and vines.  The groom’s cake sported a Star Wars theme.

At the end of the reception, the new husband and wife only had to make their way to a room in the Omni, so their guests showered the couple with streamers as they came down the escalator and turn to offer one final fond farewell.

Behind the Scenes with LeniCam Video Productions

A bride takes a lot of time planning the minute details of her wedding, then on the day of the ceremony, it’s impossible for her to actually experience what she’s created.  A wedding video from LeniCam can turn back time and let her see the day from every angle.  Our DVD allowed Amanda to enjoy the live guitarist entertaining her guests before the ceremony, even though during the actual event, she was dressing in another part of the chapel.  The guitarist’s music is woven throughout the video to provide a fitting background for Amanda and Eric’s wedding memories.

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

LeniCam Video Productions – Video Wedding Dallas TX