taken from Tabitha McCausland's blog http://www.tabmccausland.com/
My trip to Jamaica
December 4, 2010

So it is official I am an international wedding photographer!! I am going to try to put the experience into words but honestly it is days like these that I wish I was a better writer. You know how you hear people say “it was a life changing experience” and you think ummmm yeah right your a wackadoo. Well not to sound cliche but I had a “life changing experience”. At first it seemed the “no problem mon” and “every ting is iry mon” was just something the natives say to us tourists, but at a further look you realize it is not just a saying it is a way of life. They have a carefree no one really wears a watch or is in a hurry lifestyle. They are passionate about love, sleeping, dancing and rum not money or power. When women found out it was my birthday they would HUG me….do you hear what I am saying??? Grab me…put their arms all the way around me and HUG ME!



Here are some things I learned about Jamaica:

1) They drive on the left side of the road which felt really weird.

2) The national fruit is Ackee and it looks like scrambled eggs when cooked.

3) 2nd behind tourism the countries biggest contributory to the economy is a company called Bauxite which mines the soil and produces aluminum.

4) Cauliflower in cashew nut sauce is the BOMB!

5) If you stay on a piece of land for 5 years without someone claiming it then it becomes yours. They call it capturing it and 30% of the whole island is own by capturing.

6) There are goats everywhere! Side of the road in yards everywhere. I did not see one dog but I saw a million goats.

7) Fire coral is serious shit and I do not recommend putting a piece in your bathing suit. Trust me I speak from experience!

8 ) Gave my taxi driver 2,000 Jamaican dollars which is about $23.00 US dollars.

9) A bacon, egg and cheese croissant at a Burger King in Jamaica tastes the exact same as one in US.

10) Pay the extra money to upgrade to ocean view it is worth every penny I was literally rocked to sleep every night to the sound of waves crashing.

I learned so much in just a few days including that I need to slow down sometimes and enjoy my family more. I know I will never be a person who doesn’t wear a watch but finding some balance I know is really important and I will find it!

Stunning wedding at the Global Gallery in Downtown Orlando.


Venue - The Global Gallery, Downtown Orlando

Event Planner - Laurie Anne Portella, Bliss Weddings and Events

Florist & Decor - Blossoms Orlando

Catering - Arthur's Catering

Cake - Bake Me a Cake

Photographer - Robert McClory

DJ - Scotty B

Officiant - Rev. Kevin Knox

Adapted from The Knot
Imagine your dad, decked out in a tux and with his glass raised, delivering a toast that leaves you and most of your guests reaching for the hankies. Your photographer will snap the pics to preserve the moment, but after the champagne glasses clink together, Dad's words are only a memory -- unless you have them on film. Wedding videography captures the sights and the sounds of your day, evoking a feeling and portraying the day's emotion. Your videographer is bound to catch something you missed. The bonus: With digital video -- often called DV -- becoming the norm, your DVD promises to have a much longer shelf life than a grainy VHS tape. That means future generations will be able to see how Grandma and Grandpa married -- even if at that point they have to ask what a "DVD" is. Here are some of our favorite video innovations.


The Digital Revolution
DV is pretty much the highest quality format that currently exists. One of it's many benefits is that you get super-high resolution on your wedding DVD, and the quality will stay no matter how many copies you burn. You can send discs to people who couldn’t attend as well as to close family and friends along with your thank-you notes, and their versions will be just as good as the original copy.

Hot on DV's tail is shooting in high definition -- the same crystal-clear picture that's driving many to buy flat-screen televisions. With high-def wedding video (if your TV is HD-compatible) you'll see that the quality is incredibly sharp and amazingly clear.

As is the case with most new technology, the drawback to high-def wedding videography is the cost -- since videographers need all new cameras and editing equipment when they make the jump to high definition, their investment is reflected in a higher price. But you can't beat high def for the supersharp, feels-like-you're-there quality -- you might even find yourself reaching out for another slice of cake!

The Subtle Factor
In the past, many brides bristled at the thought of an intrusive, gear-laden cameraman following them around all day. But new technology means a wedding videographer today is much more of a fly-on-the-wall presence than in the past. "My two videographers worked so stealthily, I didn’t even see them during the ceremony," says Rosie, 32. "I looked for understated personalities when interviewing, and it paid off in their quiet work style."

New cameras are built specifically for filming these events, so they're well suited for shooting in low light and don't require bright spotlights. The specialty cameras require so little light (they might need an extra on-camera bulb, but it only has to be about 50 watts), in fact, that your videographer can portray the atmosphere of your wedding as it really happened, rather than how it would look lit up and reenacted on the History Channel.

Knot Note: If you're having a very dimly lit ceremony and the site won't allow extra lighting, consider asking an assistant to raise the lights slightly to film the processional and recessional. The lights on the congregation can then be dimmed when you're at the altar, which is generally adequately lit anyway.

The Sound Check
And don't worry about guests stumbling over microphone wires. Many wedding videographers use wireless mics during the ceremony, hidden discreetly just under the groom's boutonniere (the mic's tiny and black, so you'll never see it on his tux) with a small pack that acts as the transmitter and clips onto the back of his waistband under his jacket.

If placing the microphone on a boutonniere, it should be at least halfway down the lapel since if placed too high it could easily pick up the sound of the groom breathing. At a Jewish wedding, your videographer can even try hiding the microphone in the huppah, an ultradiscreet alternative.

The New Angles
Part of the reason it's become so much easier to get creative with editing is because it's also simpler to shoot from unexpected angles. No more plunking a camera on a tripod and letting it roll. Innovations such as attaching a camera to a pole (it's flexible, sort of like a pole vaulter's pole, so the shot isn't shaky) that can extend from 5 to 23 feet and rotate 360 degrees means you can have a shot start on a close-up of your centerpiece and circle all the way around the table while rising toward the ceiling.

It's like floating, and the camera itself is small -- about the size of a fist -- so it won't interfere with your photographer's pics while giving you otherwise impossible shots (like being alongside the newlyweds while they're lifted in chairs for the hora, a Jewish dance).

Your Own Indie
New approaches to wedding video editing have flourished over the last few years -- gone are the days of long interviews with drunk uncles slurring their congratulations set to a background track of Kool & the Gang. The trend: a combination of documentary and cinematic styles. "We wanted a condensed version of what the whole day was like and something our friends and family might actually want to watch," says Felicity, 28, "so we decided on a highly edited style of video."

Knot Note: Even if you don't want a highly edited video, ask your videographer if you can give him or her a CD of preferred songs to use.

Today's videographers often use filmic techniques (think flowing compositions, dramatic music, and wide-screen shots) to make the video even more dynamic. Effects that were once prohibitively expensive are now much more accessible, and the results are wedding videos that feel more like feature films than ordinary home videos. That's just perfect for your extraordinary nuptials.

-- Miles Stiverson
Thanks to John Zale, director of education, WEVA

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A Michele Butler Events Real Wedding – Mallorie & Matt « Michele Butler Events Blog

Orlando Wedding Photographer | Kristen Weaver Photography | Bridal | Green Wedding

Orlando Style Magazine Shoot for May 2010

Green Wedding

Photography - Kristen Weaver Photography

Stylist - Melanie Pace

Coordinator - April Dorsey, The D-Tales

Florals - Lee Forrest, Lee Forrest Designs

Cake - Anna Hightower, Anna Cakes

Gowns - The Collection on Park Ave

Videography - Cinematique Films

Working with Carissa and Kyle Bealert was such a breeze and really quite entertaining.  I had first seen the beautiful bride on a local TV show "Hot Spots" and when she called for information, she was amused that I knew who she was. 
The day of the wedding at the Omni at Champions Gate, she was full of energy and ready to marry the man of her dreams with no reservations, only giggles and anticipation.  She was so giddy and relaxed before the ceremony that she made us all feel at peace.  Here is a clip from her final video that she received yesterday.  She posted on our Facebook wall today that she "LOVED LOVED LOVED IT!".  We were so relieved to hear that as when I met with her yesterday to give her the video she informed me that her photos from the wedding were not at all what she had hoped for and was very sad at their turn out.  She was acutally considering reconstructing the day to recapture thoses priceless memories!  I told her that we would be able to pull stills from our footage if she wanted some of the shots from the movie I handed her.  She was very happy to hear that!
We love when our clients are blown away by their wedding films and it is the most rewarding experience to know that we were a part of their most amazing day, thus far in their lives.  It is always bittersweet for me, when they get their movie as I had chosen several years ago to foego that vendor at my own wedding. 
Father Daughter dances will always hold a special place in my heart...

Carissa & Kyle


Omni at Champions Gate

Event Planner - Eventfully Yours (Tracy Marini)

Officiant - Rev. Glynn Ferguson

Cake - Party Flavors (Pricilla Lucas)

Thanks to the fabulous ladies at Style House Weddings for the blog post!