Colorful African Clothing Brightens Wedding Ceremony in Video by Wedding Videographer Dallas TX

Kehinde and Akin – An American Wedding with African Roots at Stonegate Mansion

Amid friends and family who were dressed in a bright sea of colorful African cultural clothing, Kehinde and Akin were married under a huge tree with wide-spread limbs at Stonegate Mansion in Ft. Worth.

Kehinde looked lovely in her white satin, empire-waited, strapless gown with sweetheart neckline and corset closing.  The form-fitting dress was shirred through the torso and then spread wide at the knee.  The empire waist was highlighted by crystal beading and a large crystal decoration gathered the shirring to the side, just before the dress spread out.  Kehinde’s elaborate up-do showed off her crystal necklace with matching earrings.  She finished off her look with a crystal-edged veil and burgundy suede pumps.

To escort Kehinde down the aisle her father wore a burgundy-colored cultural costume.  Kehinde’s face was obscured by a heavy veil.  The setting was beautiful:  bright green grass, white folding chairs, the huge tree and all the colorful outfits of the guests.  Kehinde’s bridesmaids wore long red satin dresses in a variety of styles and they carried bouquets with roses of several colors accented with eucalyptus pods.  In the tree was a huge basket filled with flowers.

During the ceremony, the groom and the father of the bride chanted part of the ritual in their native tongue.  When the minister invited Akin to kiss his bride, the groom lifted the veil and offered an affectionate embrace.  Kehinde said, “You look so handsome!”  Then she was embarrassed, because she realized everyone heard the comment.

The reception began with the bride and groom’s families dancing into the room.  The colorful parade preceded a similar performance by the wedding party, followed by the bride and groom.  The unique multi-tiered cake had one layer decorated with diamonds of color.  Others had white icing with dark filigree decoration.  The top was a bright bouquet of flowers and the entire cake was surrounded with rose petals.

Dancing was an important part of the reception and whenever the bride and groom danced they were showered with dollar bills from the guests.  After a while the bride and groom disappeared to change into their own cultural costumes in a deep orange hue to establish their own family color.  Then the showers of bill multiplied.

Behind the scenes with LeniCam Video Productions

We love outdoor weddings – especially on a day as beautiful as Kehinde and Akin’s wedding day – even though it means some extra work for wedding videographer Dallas TX.  Outdoor weddings mean greater distances to cover and a use of more different camera settings to get high quality video.  The results are so stunning that we relish our labor.

Whatever effort we put into filming a wedding, we like to be invisible while we’re doing it.  We use professional-grade HD videocameras because they allow us to stay at the edge of the crowd and still get wonderful close-up.  Some videographers choose equipment that requires them to be next to the bride and groom to get that kind of close-up.  We think that’s too invasive.  The bride and groom should have the spotlight alone.

Another technical device we used for Kehinde and Akin’s wedding was lavalier microphones on the groom and minister.  The purpose is to clearly record the words of the vows and we love it when we capture comments like Kehinde’s “You look so handsome.”

Because we’ve recorded so many African weddings we’re familiar with the exciting dancing that would kick off this reception, so we were ready.  We had our camera on a wheeled dolly to help us follow the dancers into the room and capture their performance.

We were everywhere, capturing the sights and sounds of Kehinde and Akin’s wedding, but our technology helped keep us invisible to the guests and participants.  We love it when our couples can’t believe the shots we got, because they didn’t remember seeing us there.

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

LeniCam Video Productions – Wedding Videographer Dallas TC

Dara and Bisi – Eastridge Park Christian Church in Mesquite Wedding Videography Dallas TX

Wedding videography Dallas TX caught a celebration embracing an American homeland with Nigerian traditions.  Dara and Bisi were married at Eastridge Park Christian Church in Mesquite.

Dara and Bisi began their day together in a photo session across the street from the church in Town East Park.  A gentle breeze lifted Dara’s veil just like the wind machines do for models in magazine spreads.  After Ivy Weddings photographers got all the shots they needed, Bisi helped his bride cross busy Town East Boulevard.  Inside the church, guests in gorgeous Nigerian caftans and headdresses were eager for the bride to come down the aisle.

Dara looked stunning in a ball gown with a ruffled halter which fell into a V neckline.  The shirred bodice was gathered into a beaded belt and then spread out into a full skirt.  She carried a bouquet of pink and white roses.  Her bridesmaids in short black dresses, carried red roses and wore red pumps.

To escort Dara down the aisle, her father wore a spectacular woven caftan with bright orange ornamentation and a golden cap.  Throughout the congregation other family and friends wore turbans in turquoise, hot pink and other colors, each color representing a different family unit.  To honor these various families Dara and Bisi lit a unity candle during the ceremony.

The reception was held in the fellowship hall of the church.  Tables were covered in white linens with a red topper and the chairs were draped to match.  The guests enjoyed a buffet meal and the couple’s beautiful wedding cake.  Soon thick rolls of greenbacks came out and the guests showered the couple with bills peeled off the rolls.

Since the wedding established a new family, Dara and Bisi disappeared for a while to change into cultural clothes made of a soft pink – the color for their new family.  After more celebrations the couple drove away in their mini-van.  Gabe Villalobos of Biel Events should be proud of this wedding and reception.

Behind the Scenes with LeniCam Video Productions

Budget is an important factor in planning a wedding.  Dara and Bisi needed to watch their budget very carefully, so we worked with them to trim our cost to a price they could afford.   One of the ways we kept costs down was by using only one cameraman.  The fact that both the ceremony and the reception were at the same location also helped.

An important part of Dara and Bisi’s reception was the formal introduction of the bride and groom and their families.  As each family unit was introduced, they would enter the reception dancing. In order to capture the groups as they entered and follow them through their dance we used a wheeled dolly.  Our cameraman would more with the family as they entered the room.  When a group’s presentation was over, we would then roll back to the entrace to capture the next group.

Using only one cameraman limits the amount of footage we can shoot and the number of locations we can cover, however, we don’t allow it to effect the quality of the video we produce.  We still use professional grade HD vidoecameras and the best in audio equipment.  We meticulously edit and mix the video in our state-of-the-art studio.  The finished product is a wedding video we can be proud of and the couple can enjoy for years to come.

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

LeniCam Video Productions – Weding Videography Dallas TX

Amara and Kenny at St. Peter and St. Paul Anglican Church & Arlington Hilton in dallas Wedding Videos

The quaint stone church of St. Peter and St. Paul Anglican sat quietly in its wooded setting until Kenny and his groomsmen climbed out of a long Hummer limousine.  “Yes! Let’s do it!” Kenny announced eagerly.  His lovely bride was nearby in her fit-and-flare gown of tulle and satin, with wide lace straps and a sweetheart neckline.  Her jewelry sparkled with crystals and she carried a bouquet of purple and white flowers.

Kenny and Amara’s day was filled with Nigerian traditions, beginning with the bright geles and filos (headdresses) bubas (tops), iro (skirts) and kabas (caftans) worn by the guests.  Each family was represented by a different hue, creating a rainbow of color.

After coming down the aisle, Amara kept her veil over her face and modestly averted her eyes from her groom.  When the minister declared them man and wife, the veil was lifted and the couple shared an enthusiastic embrace. Then the couple sat on a pew as the men of the congregation danced around them, putting monetary gifts into a large brass pot. Afterwards the couple returned to the altar for communion.

Formalities over, the wedding party noisily posed for photographer Edward Ramairez and then headed to the Hilton.  Amara and Kenny danced into the reception with wide smiles.  The smiles remained as they serenaded one other during their First Dance.

The wedding cake, a tower of square layers, was decorated with flourishes of green icing and flowers of purple.  The groom’s cake showed homage to Kenny’s love of soccer.  The couple’s single friends were eager to join the ranks of married couples and battled for the bouquet and garter when they were tossed.

Soon the dance floor was full of guests in their rainbow of cultural clothing vying for the opportunity to shower the newly married couple with paper money.  The festivities continued long into the night with great joy and vigor.

Behind the Scenes with LeniCam Video Productions

Amara and Kenny’s wedding, with its sea of colorful headdresses and charming Nigerian traditions, was fun to capture. Our microphones were planted in a variety of locations and our videographer scrambled to be everywhere, all day long, so every detail could be preserved.

One of our favorite moments of the day was the First Dance, when Amara and Kenny, with no regard for pitch or melody, belted out their song to one another.  Tender moments like that are our reward for putting a lapel mic the groom before the ceremony and leaving it there until the end of the evening.

When the wedding day was over, we returned to our studio with all the audio and video recordings.  Over the next few weeks, we edited and mixed the bits and pieces, until we created a video which would help Amara and Kenny keep their wedding memories fresh throughout all the days of their marriage.

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

LeniCam Video Productions – Dallas Wedding Videos   

In a splendid wedding showcase, merging Hispanic and Nigerian wedding traditions, the radiantly beautiful Jennifer married the happy and handsome Casanova in a Catholic ceremony celebrated at the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Downtown Dallas.

When the glowing Jennifer stepped out of a Hummer stretch limousine and onto the church’s steps, bright sunshine filled the streets of Dallas, igniting her white satin gown and bouquet of white roses. A gentle breeze teased at the edges of her cathedral-length veil.  A short-sleeved lace bolero complemented the strapless, empire bodice of beaded and sequined lace.  The rusched satin of the skirt was pulled up to her hip on one side by a bouquet of satin roses, revealing a beaded and sequined lace skirt underneath.  The train of her gown exploded into puffy ruffles below the corset closing.  Waiting at the altar was an eager bridegroom looking spectacular in his black tuxedo.  The beauty of the united couple was matched by the magnificent accoutrements of the historically-significant cathedral.

The bright colors of Nigerian bubas (tops), iro (skirts) and elaborate geles (headdresses) were sprinkled among the sea of guests, as were garments and accessories of deep sapphire blue, marking Jennifer’s family and attendants.

The love the couple felt for one another was easy to see as they vowed their lives to one another.  When the priest prompted Casanova with, “I will love you and honor you all the days of my life,” Casanova firmly added an “always” before “love”.  After the ceremony, the wedding party stopped on the portico of the cathedral for formal photography and there were so many attendants, they filled the stairway.

Jennifer and Casanova held their reception at the lovely Marriot Quorum where guests were greeted by a mariachi band.  The bride and groom were led to a stage, where they sat on thrones while being showered with blessings and prayers, some in the Nigerian native tongue.

Gorgeous floral displays adorned the tables and at each place setting guests found a gold favor box and a water bottle with the couple’s picture.  Each place setting also had a champagne flute and a shot glass, making guests aware that they could expect to have a good time at this party.  The guests showed their appreciation by showering the couple with money throughout the evening, going far beyond the boundaries of a money dance.

The couple stood next to the huge multi-tiered wedding cake, which was covered in silver flowers with white icing foliage, for the cake cutting ceremony.  Afterwards Casanova dipped Jennifer for a dramatic kiss.  Crystal monogrammed flutes waited for their toast.

After sharing a few more moments like the First Dance and the Bouquet and Garter Tosses, it was time for a wardrobe change.  Casanova appeared in a sapphire buba with intricate silver and gold embroidery in an emblem on his breast.  Jennifer wore a sapphire kaba (single-pieced dress) with a shawl and crown of kola nuts.  By appearing in these cultural clothes on their wedding day, they established their own colors for the new family they were beginning. Even Jennifer’s parents embraced the Nigerian tradition, wearing matching Nigerian cultural clothes in their own colors. Eventually the time came for Casanova and Jennifer to say good-bye and start their life together.

Behind the Scenes with LeniCam Video Productions –  Videography Wedding Dallas TX

What a special day we had with Jennifer and Casanova and their unique celebration.  We were excited about capturing everything from the glowing bride on the cathedral steps to the beautiful panorama of Nigerian cultural clothes.  The trick is to be everywhere all the time, recording the sights and sounds of the day, while remaining invisible to the guests and participants.

Experience allows us to move quickly from the bright sunlight as the bride arrives, to the dimmed interior of the cathedral, all the while making adjustments on the fly to the lights and cameras.  Inside, we know where to stand between the huge columns, to record the bride as she walked down the aisle with her father, because we’ve done many weddings at this venerable old cathedral.  Experience has taught us to put a wireless mic on the groom, so that we can capture important phrases like Jennifer’s exclamation of “My husband,” as their car headed to the reception.

At the end of the day, we take all our footage and recordings back to the studio where they can be woven into a cinematic memory Jennifer and Casanova can enjoy in the years to come.

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

Here’s what  Jennifer had to say about us on The Knot: “Best Way to Remember the Day – by far one of the best investments we made to capture all our memories on our wedding day! LeniCam Video Productions is BEST OF THE BEST in my opinion and I will use them again for other special events. My husband and I ordered extra DVD’s and gave them as Thank You Gifts to family and friends: all of them couldn’t stop talking about the quality! I would recommend to any bride or to those who want to get the Bride/Groom a special gift! Worth every penny!!!!!”

LeniCam Video Productions – Videography Wedding Dallas TX