I wanted to post a trailer for Allison & Ben’s wedding back in June.  They had the ceremony at the Amphitheater  at Worlds Fair Park.  It was a beautiful venue and a very special wedding ceremony.  There were a few bumps in the road that day, but nothing could stop this very special couple from sharing their vows with their family and friends.

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Tomorrow is shaping up to be a long day and I’m looking forward to it.

I have had the past 3 weeks off with no weddings, which has been a blessing on a number of levels.  The heat has been incredible here lately with no end in sight.  The highs have been in the 90’s almost every day and the heat index, which according to the weather geeks here, is how hot it feels to our skin.  Really?  Can’t we just say it’s like a blast oven out there and just move on from there.

Having the past couple of weeks off has allowed me to really focus on editing some of the weddings I’ve had this summer.  When I finished my last wedding in July I had a total of 7 weddings sitting on my desk that needed work. As I write this I can tell you that I have finished up 3 of those weddings, two have been shipped and one is with my final editor for her approval.  So, that leaves me with four on the desk and one this weekend.  That sounds like a lot, but to me it sounds like a lot of fun.

I wanted to post some new trailers I have finished up for the three weddings I have wrapped up.  The first one is a very sweet couple, Ashley & Daniel.  They have an amazing story to share.  They have been dating for right at 8 years.  They met on a mission trip and it seemed like love at first sight. There was one little bump in the road for these two; Daniel was 18 at the time and Ashley was 14.  Her parents were not too sure about letting their 14-year-old daughter go out with a collage freshman.  But, as always, loved prevailed and these two have been by each other’s side ever since that first night.  So here is their trailer:

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There is also something really special coming very soon and I am just so excited to be a part of.  If any of you remember The Brides Lounge then you will love “Enchanted Details Event Boutique”.   The ladies at One Enchanted Evening are behind this wonderful endeavor.  “Enchanted Details” is going to be a one-stop shop for any bride in and around the East Tennessee area. Brides are going to be able to come in and browse through some of the top wedding vendors in and around Knoxville.  You will be able to look though florist, photographers, venues, rentals, caterers and the list just goes on and on.

By far one of the best assists at “Enchanted Details” will be the great people who are running the boutique.  Brenda, Lisa and all the gals at One Enchanted Evening are going to be around to help you with all your wedding decisions.  They are going to be able to match you up with the vendors that could best suit you and your needs.  But there are also going to be learning workshops where you’ll learn “How To’s” from some of the top professionals in the area.  There will also be “After Hours” events. This is going to be a venue for you to have your bridal shower, baby shower, family planning sessions, and so much more.

One of the other great things about “Enchanted Details” is it will provide a professional environment to meet with your vendors. Most vendors have a store front where you can go and meet with them at their shop, Florist, Dresses, Tux rentals are some examples.  But, many wedding vendors, myself included, work from our home.  It is much more cost effective for us to work out of our house and allows us to keep our prices completive.  The draw back to that is you may not feel comfortable meeting with a vendor at their house. So, that leaves us meeting with you at places like Starbucks or Panera Bread.  This is ok, but it is very difficult for vendors to show you their work plus we competing with the noise of the customers who are there.  “Enchanted Details” will offer several meeting areas that will allow you and the vendor to meet in a quite, relaxed environment.

There is so much more to “Enchanted Details” that I could fill pages and pages of blogs with everything.  I’m really excited to be a part of “Enchanted Details” and I know every bride in the East Tennessee area will be excited as well.

Will and Arlene are just an amazing couple.  They are completely and totally over the moon for one another and it’s just great to be around them.  They are constantly laughing and having a blast with one another.  They enjoy each other, their friends and family and life.

This shoot was done at Volunteer Landing in Knoxville, TN, which was also where Will proposed to Arlene in March 2010.

We would take pictures of them anytime because they were great to work with.  Their wedding date is October 2, 2010 and we wish them many years of happiness.

“Don Samples and Midnight Magic Video are top-notch! Let me just say that Don made my wedding the most incredible time of my life. He was there for every special moment and did not leave out a single detail. Wedding planning can be extremely stressful and time-consuming! However, I knew that my wedding videographer would be something I had absolutely no worries about and knew would be in great hands. I looked forward to every meeting we had with Don and our wedding video turned out absolutely wonderful! I believe your wedding videographer should be something you take great care in choosing. Your wedding video is what will capture all of the special memories and will be watched for years to come! It should definitely be put in capable and experienced hands. I could not be happier that we found Don Samples and Midnight Magic to help us always remember our wedding day!”

I cannot say enough great things about Whitney and Jon, they were a videographers dream to work with.  They were open to every idea and so willing to try just about anything I wanted to do.  I wish them the best of luck in their future together.

Then last weekend I had an all day bridal fun day shoot. On Friday I did a bridal luncheon on The Volunteer Princess of Knoxville Yacht. Then the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner coverage that night at Rothchilds Catering followed by a full day Saturday covering the wedding and reception at Dara’s Garden.  Then Sunday, another full day with another special wedding at Temple Beth El with the reception at The Foundry.  Then, Wednesday evening I had a rehearsal for a rare Thursday wedding at Hunter Valley Farm.

Was I tired? Yes!!  Did I have a blast with it all?  Definitely! What does it all mean?  Some marathon editing sessions in the coming weeks and I’m really looking forward to spending some time in front of the computer.  Along with those edit sessions will come some trailers and some fun video clips that are going to be posted very soon.  In the past couple of weeks I’ve gotten wedding parties dancing up the aisle and bridesmaids doing a fun toast for a very surprised bride.  All that and more… the video clips are coming soon.

At this past Thursday’s wedding I got an interesting question from one of the guests.  She asked me; “Why do you do this? Why not just work for a TV station or some cable channel?”.  Great question, why do I do this?  I mean, I could do anything.  I made a nice career in sales doing both insurance and ad sales.  I could go back to school and learn a new skill in the medical field.  I could do anything, so why do wedding videos?

I do this because I love every aspect of this business.  I love working with brides helping them capture one of the most memorable days of their lives.  I love knowing that some place right now a couple could be putting the video I did for them in their DVD player and reliving their wedding day.  I love working with all the wedding vendors I have become friends with.  I have found that these people who are working in the wedding business have some of the biggest hearts and they truly love what they do.  They give of their selves over and over again to make dreams come true.

Stay tuned… and be on the look out for great videos clips to come very soon. Hello editing chair and Final Cut Pro… here I come.

We are excited to be offering this new service and look forward to planning some sessions.

Now, if you know me you know that I am an Apple junkie.  I love Apple computers and all the gadgets that they have as well.  I have the iPod, iPad, AppleTV and so on.  I’m not saying that I just blindly buy an Apple product just because  Steve Jobs says I should buy it.  I look at each product, research it and see how it will fit in with our family’s lifestyle.  Well, when the new iPhone 4 was announced I wasn’t sure if it was really something I wanted to get. In fact, at first glance I decided not to get the phone. I thought it just wasn’t worth it at this point in time.

Well, over time I looked at it more and thought it was something I wanted to get to replace my current iPhone hoping that the reception and battery life would be better. When pre-orders were being taken, I jumped in and ordered one, and that is where this whole thing begins.

Now, to my thinking, when you reserve something that means you should get a bit of priority in getting your item and not have to wait for a long period of time for the item.  That is one of the reasons you call to make a reservation at a good restaurant  so you don’t have to wait for a table .  You arrive at your appointed time and go to your table ahead of the people who just show up hoping to get a table.  Well, that is what I thought would happen today for the big release of the new iPhone.  I didn’t go first thing this morning because I knew it would be a huge crowd  and didn’t want to just stand and wait so, Leeann and I decided to go at about noon thinking the crowd would be down and we wouldn’t have to wait that long. Boy, were we wrong.

When I walked into the mall I saw a very long line going toward The Apple store.  I thought that is the line for the people who didn’t make a reservation. So, I walked to the front door of The Apple Store and much to my surprise, that long line was for those who DID reserve the phone.  I couldn’t believe how long the line was.  But, it shouldn’t take long right? I mean, this is Apple after all.  They put their customers first and do everything to take care of them. Well, not today.

I waited in line for 2 hours 38 minutes. That’s right, over 2 and a half hours.  What I didn’t understand was, they have the phones in the store; I can activate the phone at home; they have little hand held point of sale devices, why not just go down the line and hand out the phone to those who reserved it?  Makes sense doesn’t it?  I mean, that would be the fastest way to serve the most customers in the shortest amount of time possible. Sounds like good customer service to me.

Apparently, Apple didn’t think this was a good idea.  What Apple wanted to do is get you in the store and try to sell you any product you didn’t have; new computer, iPod, AppleTV, anything they could think of.  Sorry, I already have all the items I want or need from Apple right now.  Just let me get my phone and let me go on my happy way.  So, after waiting in line two and half hours in line, it took another 30 minutes in the store to get everything set up and paid for.

Now, I was more than just a little mad and ticked off at the whole thing. That was until I found out how long the people who didn’t make a reservation had to wait.  As I was about to go into the store, I was talking with the couple behind Leeann and I, complaining how long we had to wait when the gentleman who was next to go in from the non reservation line told me he had been in line since 6:30am.  This guy had waited in line for 9 hours. 9 hours, in the mall, standing in line just to get a phone.

So, here are my thoughts on the whole thing; if you didn’t make a reservation you shouldn’t get the item the day it is released. And to Steve Jobs, we Apple fans already know what we need and what we want with the phone, we know all about AppleCare and Mobile Me. We just want to get our reserved item in a timely manor and get on with our lives.  There has to be a better way to do things like this and not have to stand in line for 9 hours.

Oh, in case you want to know, I really like my new iPhone and I do think it was worth the wait, Just has to be a better way to the masses.

The first wedding this month was Ashley & Daniel.  Their story is a great one; they meet on a mission trip to Jacksonville, FL.  Daniel was smitten from the moment he saw her and Ashley really thought Daniel was “just too cute” (her words, not mine).  They wanted to start seeing each but there was two major hurdles standing in their way; their age difference and her parents.  See, Daniel was 18 and Ashley was 14 when they met.  Now you can see why her parents were also a hurdle.  In stepped the youth minster, who has known Daniel for a good portion of his life, to comfort Ashley’s parents that Daniel was a good guy.  The parents gave in, but with some huge rules.  Jump forward 8 years later, these two toughed it out, finished school and made their plans to make their life together forever.  The only issue during the entire day was the make up girl.  Seems this was the first time this gal had ever done make up. Period.  Add to that Ashley is not one to wear make up and you can see how uncomfortable she was.  When the make up girl left my ace assistant, Alexis, put down the camera and jumped in to save the day.  She not only got the bad make up off, she did her wedding make up and Ashley looked beautiful.  The advantage of a great second shooter is greater than words can convey.

My next wedding was for Jennifer and Daniel (yea, two Daniel’s in a row, what are the odds?).  They had their wedding at The Lilly Barn in Townsend. Their story is one of fate working it’s hand in their lives.  Jennifer decided to hike the Appalachian Trail to take some time to herself and do some soul searching in her life.  Well, along the trail she met Daniel at a rest stop, started talking and finished the rest of the trail together.

The most memorable part of the wedding day was the heat.  I think when they scheduled the wedding for mid June they had no idea it was going to be so hot.  But, they made the most of the  day and everyone at the wedding had a great time and partied well into the night.  My favorite shot of the wedding, and one I will post soon, was of the bridesmaids standing barefooted in the creek in their dresses to try and cool off from the day.  It was awesome.

That brings us to this past weekends wedding, Allison & Ben.  Their wedding was also outdoors at the Amphitheater at Worlds Fair Park.  This couple just flat out had fun most of the day.  There was one hitch in the day that could have runied the entire event.  But these two were determined to get married, so they put the issue behind them and moved forward with their life together.  I was so impressed with their determination and drive.  I hope it helps them get through some rough times they will encounter in their years to come..   There was also 2 other wedding going on that day at the Knoxville Convention Center so there were 3 photographers, 3 videographers,  and 3 sets of guest.  So the entire day we were asking each other “Which wedding are you working?”.  It was a lot of fun.

This weekend I have the pleasure of working on Kara & Nick’s wedding at The Butterfly Gap Retreat.  Yes, it is another outdoor wedding and the highs are going to be well into the 90′s, but I’m looking forward to the day.  I will be posting the trailer from this and the other weddings as soon as I can.

In the top right corner you will see my latest Twitter posting so you can keep track of where I am and the weddings I’m at each weekend.  Each page, with the exception of the blog pages, will have the ability to send me an email.  I believe this will give brides the ability to contact me at any time.

One other huge change you will notice is up in the menu bar is “Pricing and Packages”.  From the beginning of Midnight Magic Studios I always offered a different pricing structure.  I always offered a menu of choices to brides so that they could build their own video package. While most brides really enjoyed the ability to pick and choose their own package, some brides told me that the menu seemed too  overwhelming and had too many choices.  Some said they liked the ability to just pick a pre designed package. So, with that in mind, I have designed 4 packages for brides to choose from as well as continuing to offer the A’ la carte options.

“Simple Magic” is for the very budget minded bride and it builds from there.  Each of the packages are examples of the most popular choices brides have chosen in the past year.  I took these choices, put them together and offered a discount on each one.  However, for the bride that wants to completely customize the options in their video, I will still offer the menu of choices.

I really want to welcome you to the new Midnight Magic Studios website and as always, I welcome your comments and suggestions.

I did want to share with you the trailer of Autumn & Andrew.  I first met this couple over a year ago to plan their video.  In that time I have really come to know them and have enjoyed working with them.  Their wedding was on a beautiful day in May.  They both had so much fun and I think we all laughed the entire day. I think this is the saddest part of wedding videos for me, I spend so much time getting to know couples and work with them on one of the biggest day of their lives then they go their own way. I will miss working with them and wish them the best in their future together.  Here is their trailer:

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Best of luck to you guys, thanks for letting me be a part of you most special day.