Dan Creviston of George Street Photo and Video in Chicago, IL, has guided countless couples as they feel their way through the process of ensuring their weddings are captured perfectly, professionally and at a fair price. “With technology changing constantly and countless options to explore, it’s crucial that they know what questions to ask in order to make informed decisions, avoid the pitfalls and perfect their videography.”

So, without further adieu, we will share the top 5 mistakes to avoid when deciding on videography package:

1. Failure to Use Multiple Cameras - More videographers need to use dual cameras. By doing so, the videographer will capture multiple perspectives simultaneously and better tell the story. For example, they can capture both the bride walking down the aisle AND the groom’s reaction at the same time. Inside Tip: Make sure your videographer’s cameras are ALL HD!

2. Failure to Go High Definition – By going HD, couples ensure their videos are the best quality and this formate avoids limited clarity and pixilation. Inside Tip: There should be no extra charge for HD, so avoid companies that do.

3. Failure to Understand High Definition Technology: For the highest quality and clarity, you must have HD footage prior to uploading into an HD format. For example – you must shoot in HD, then burn onto a blu-ray disc. Inside Tip: Some videographers shoot in standard definition and burn onto a blu-ray disc (or shoot in HD and burn to DVD!) – this is not truly HD! Make sure to know the difference so you aren’t tricked.

4. Not Requesting Multiple DVD Formats – It’s only a matter of time until you have a blu-ray player, so get your wedding video on an HD blu-ray disc as well as a standard definition DVD. This is important to enable your video to maintain top quality and clarity for the future! Inside

5. Not Chatting With Your Videographer A Week In Advance – It’s important to discuss all details with your videographer before the wedding day, so check in one week prior so that instructions are fresh. Discuss all your expectations and if you have specific requests, express them clearly. This is especially important for locations as churches, synagogues, mosques and chapels may have specific areas that cannot be filmed. You don’t want any unwelcome surprises!

In Roseville, CA, The Wedding Planning Institute has just announced their latest online course for wedding industry professionals: The  Green Wedding Planning Certification. This 4-week online instructional course is going to teach wedding professionals how to incorporate environmentally-friendly methods, strategies and techniques in a way which reduces overall wedding costs whilst simultaneously reducing the harmful environmental footprint left by a wedding.

With over 2 million weddings occurring in the United States each year w/ an average of 150 guests, the environmental impact of moving, entertaining, wining and dining over 300,000,000 people produces an extraordinary amount of pollution and waste. Today’s brides and grooms are becoming more aware of this startling figure and are actively seeking out wedding planners and professionals who offer ‘green’ options.

The Green Wedding Planning course is being taught by Kate Harrison, founder of the Green Bride Guide. For $375, students will be able to interact directly with Ms. Harrison and fellow students via an easy-to-use online instructional platform which allows students to work at their own pace. The class begins on November 9th and you may enroll here: http://www.weddingplanninginstitute.com/green_wedding_planning.html

Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau’s “Couples Retreat” is a Hollywood Blockbuster which delivers a big dose of reality with it’s depiction of marriage. From the pressures of everyday life to a spouse’s cheating, this film does a nice job of depicting couples struggling with real-world situations. Unfortuntately the film fails to provide any realistic methods to heal the damaged relationships. Patty Howell, Vice President of the California Healthy Marriages Coalition says, “Since everyone’s flawed, we all bring imprefections to the relationship. It’s fun to see these depicted in film and I’m happy the filmmakers showed couples staying together through the tough times. What’s sorely missing is seeing a realistic pathway to success. America has a big need for this information.”

Relationship experts all agree that a happy marriage requires a foundation of skillful communication. Unfortunately for many couples, their conflict-resolution skills and communication abilities are seldom developed enough and most would benefit from a class in Marriage Education. Howell says “We are ready and willing to work with future filmmakers on how to show couples in realistic, skillful communication with each other.”

1. Consider having your photographer there for some of the getting ready and behind the scenes events. There tends to be a lot of real genuine moments to capture when your more in your natural element of getting ready and having some fun with your friends. The greatest moments of your wedding day, is not always the picture perfect moment of you walking down the isle.

2. Remember to be natural and have fun!!! Most photographers specialize in capturing those real moments. Therefore, don’t bother stopping to look at the camera and feeling the need to say cheese. Just be yourself and allow the photographer to grab those real moments.

3. The most stressful part of the day for everyone, including the photographer is the family portraits. Lets face it, you have a pretty big party ahead of you, the last thing you want to be doing is standing around making fake smiles. Be sure to have a plan, as far as who you want to be in the formal photos, and how quick and painless you want to make it.

4. When planning your timeline, and deciding when to have the photographer start and stop shooting, its always better to allow more time at the beginning of the day versus the end. As stated earlier, there is a lot that goes into getting ready for a wedding. Towards the end of the night, it tends to be the same crowd of people dancing all night. Of course you will want some pictures of your guests enjoying the dance floor, but more than an hour of late night dancing is generally enough.

5. Instead of a guest book, consider a photo booth. Not only does this provide hours of entertainment for your guests, but it is a great way for you to capture a keep sake of all your guests that attended your wedding. Many photographers as well as private vendors are now offering this feature to accompany your reception.

http://www.palmbeachweddingphotographer.net/

10. Little Palm Island: Coming in at number 10 on our list is Little Palm Island. This small island has been known to host some famous guests in the past. The island’s only hotel is the Little Palm Island Resort and Spa which is a favorite among presidents and celebrities. This resort has handled countless beach weddings over the years and are ready to create a unique and special beach wedding for you.

9. Crescent Beach: When you consider where to have your beach wedding, don’t forget to consider the atmosphere of the town or village surrounding the beach. For fun and laidback artsy atmosphere, Crescent Beach is the perfect destination for your beach wedding. With it’s fine white sand and tropical beach feel, many couples have found that this beach wedding destination is a prefect choice.
8. Bahia Honda State Park: Florida really made the right choice when they designated this area a state park. With breathtaking tropical beauty and a variety of exotic plantlife Bahia Honda State Park makes for an exotic-feeling beach wedding location. We suggest marrying at dusk to experience a truly amazing sunset vista.
7. Captiva Island: With an oceanfront chapel and priceless views, Captiva Island has been recognized as the”Most Romantic Beach” for two consecutive years. The sparkling white sand beaches and breathtaking tropical scenery combine to make it the perfect location for your wedding.

6. Sanibel Island: With a famous seaside chapel and stunning tropical views, it’s no wonder that Captiva Island was named “Most Romantic Beach” two years in a row. With crystal-blue water and pure white sand beaches, Captiva Island is a perfect location for beach weddings.

5. Amelia Island:Amelia Island is a unique beach wedding destination which offers something many do not: horseback weddings. Amelia Island is known for their romantic horseback rides on the beach and beach weddings. It was only going to be a matter of time before the two were combined.

4. Seaside: Seaside is a master-planned community which has been designed to offer a perfect location for a beach wedding. Choose from a wedding on the white sand beaches of Seaside or an adorable seaside pavillion if you want to avoid getting sand between your toes. Seaside should definitely be on your list of possible beach wedding locations.

3. Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park: If you think you’ve seen this place before, you probably have! Bill Baggs Cape is the home of a unique tropical lighthouse which has been featured on countless postcards and pictures of true paradise. This beach wedding location offers a variety of unique corners which are perfect to have your wedding ceremony. And, just like Seaside, if you’d prefer to avoid the sand, a seaside pavillion is available.

2. Marco Island: Coming in at a close 2nd on our list of the best beach wedding locations in Florida is Marco Island. This tropical destination specializes in beach weddings and offers a variety of quaint inns and resorts. Marco Island weddings are well priced, convenient and are the epitome of a tropical beach wedding.
1. Lover’s Key State Recreation Area: Sprawling and secluded, Lover’s Key has become such a beach wedding destination that the state of Florida constructed a gazebo for all the beachside weddings. Lovers Key is the #1 place in Florida to have a beach wedding.

10) ‘Bless the Broken Road’ by Rascal Flatts

Album: ‘Feels Like Today’ – Released in 2005

Also appeared in: ‘Hannah Montana: The Movie,’ in which the band appeared as themselves and played ‘Bless ‘he Broken Road’ for Miley Cyrus’ grandparents.

Interesting Facts:Originally written in 1994 by members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Marcus Hummon, Rascal Flatts’ version is the most successful, topping the Billboard Country Music charts for five straight weeks.

9) ‘Valentine’ by Jim Brickman & Martina McBride

Album: ‘Evolution’ – Released in 1997

Also appeared in: The TV special ‘My Romance: An Evening with Jim Brickman,’ in which the two performed the duet together.

Interesting Facts:The song went platinum, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart, making it one of McBride’s first hits on contemporary radio. Both artists are known for their romantic sound.

8 ) ‘Wonderful Tonight’ by Eric Clapton

Album: ‘Slowhand’ – Released in 1977

Also appeared in: ‘Friends’ episode ‘The One With the Proposal,’ which has been deemed by fans as one of the best episodes in the series’ 10-year run.

Interesting Facts: This wedding song was written for Clapton’s then-wife Pattie Boyd, a model who was previously married to the Beatles’ George Harrison. For Nelson Mandela’s 70th birthday celebration, Clapton played with the band Dire Straits as a guest guitarist with a surprise rendition of ‘Wonderful Tonight.’

7) ‘Open Arms’ by Journey

Album: ‘Escape’ – Released in 1981

Also appeared in: An episode of ‘The O.C.’ titled ‘The Power of Love.’ Throughout the series, references are made to main character Ryan Atwood being a huge Journey fan.

Interesting Facts: ‘Open Arms’ almost did not make it on Journey’s album because guitarist Neal Schon hated the song, commenting that it sounded like ‘Mary Poppins.’ In a 2005 article from ‘Lumino’ magazine, the song was referred to as a “wedding anthem.”

6) ‘Faithfully’ by Journey

Album: ‘Frontiers’ – Released in 1983

Also appeared in: Season 7 of ‘American Idol’ when the song was covered by Kristy Lee Cook for the show’s “80’s Week.”

5) ‘Don’t Know Much’ by Aaron Neville & Linda Ronstadt

Album: ‘Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind’ – Released in 1989

Also appeared in: An episode of ‘Scrubs’ titled “My Lucky Night’ in which Turk sings it in an elevator.

Interesting Facts:This song was recorded by Bette Midler in 1983 as ‘All I Need to Know,’ with minor chart success. In 1990 the song won a Grammy for best pop performance by a duo with vocal.

4) ‘Everything I Do (I Do It for You)’ by Bryan Adams

Album: ‘Waking Up the Neighbours’ – Released in 1991

Also appeared in: The ‘Family Guy’ episode ‘Oceans Three and a Half,’ where Stewie attempts to win over the affections of a newborn and creates a detailed music video to ‘Everything I Do.’

Interesting Facts:This was the most successful song of 1991, reaching the No. 1 spot in 18 countries. It was composed last-minute for the film ‘Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves’ when the producers decided they needed a promotional song.

3) ‘I Finally Found Someone’ by Barbra Streisand

Album: ‘Duets’ – Released in 2002

Also appeared in: The 1999 album ‘All Time Greatest Movie Songs,’ released by Sony.

Interesting Facts:This wedding song was co-composed by Streisand for the 1996 film ‘The Mirror Has Two Faces.’ The song reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was Streisand’s first hit in nearly a decade.

2) ‘Unchained Melody’ by The Righteous Brothers

Album: ‘Just Once in My Life’ – Released in 1965

Also appeared in: The pottery scene of ”Ghost,’ starring Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze, easily one of the most memorable scenes in American movie history. The movie relaunched the song in 1990 to a new generation of listeners.

Interesting Facts:This is one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, with a reported 500 versions in various languages. Six weeks before his death, Elvis Presley included a cover of ‘Unchained Melody’ in a television performance, which would be his last. Also, this was the wedding song for Kevin Costner and his wife, Christine Baumgartner.

1) ‘At Last’ by Etta James

Album: ‘At Last!’ – Released in 1961

Also appeared in: 1998’s ‘Pleasantville,’ starring Reese Witherspoon and Tobey Maguire.

Interesting Facts:This song has been recorded more than 30 times, two of which occurred before Etta James cut her famous version. James’ rendition was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999, though it reached only No. 47 on the U.S. Billboard Pop Singles Chart. At Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher’s wedding, the bride walked down the aisle to ‘At Last.’

The chapel says Moon will wed or reaffirm the marriages of more than 40,000 people. More than 20,000 will participate Wednesday at Sun Moon University in Asan, south of Seoul, in a ceremony that will be broadcast live at similar events worldwide.

One of the largest “blessing ceremonies” will take place at the Unification Chapel-owned New Yorker Hotel in Manhattan on Tuesday night, chapel officials said.

The mass marriage ceremonies — the chapel’s largest in a decade — come as Moon is moving to hand day-to-day leadership over to three of his 11 children.

The three sons insist their dad remains in charge and in good health. Chapel officials say the massive global ceremony is intended to mark two key anniversaries in the leader’s life: his 90th birthday and his 50th marriage ceremony anniversary.

‘Tear down barriers’
Moon, a self-proclaimed messiah who says he was 15 when Jesus Christ called upon him to carry out his unfinished work, possesses courted controversy and criticism since founding the Unification Chapel in Seoul in 1954.

He held his first mass marriage ceremony in the early 1960s, arranging the marriages of 24 couples himself and renewing the vows of 12 wed couples.

Over the next two decades, the marriage ceremonies grew in scale and began to involve followers from Japan, Europe, Africa, the U.S. and elsewhere. Several were held at Madison Square Garden  in New York, with protesters shouting outside.

“My wish is to completely tear down barriers and to create a world in which everyone becomes one,” Moon said in his recent autobiography. He says the blessing ceremonies pairing followers from different backgrounds are part of his vision of building a multicultural religious world.

In recent years, the marriage ceremonies have been smaller in scale. Still, chapel officials said this time followers in nearly every U.S. state would take part.

Critics who accuse the chapel of engaging in cult-like practices say the mass marriage ceremonies prove it brainwashes its followers. In the past, followers let Moon pick their spouses on the belief that he possesses divine insight. Many met their mates for the first time at the mass marriage ceremonies.

These days, prospective partners meet days or weeks before their marriage ceremony, chapel officials say, and couples are matched after careful scrutiny of their photographs, biographies and other personal data.

Participants can also reject Moon’s choice of their spouses — but few do, chapel officials said.

“There is no other faster way than a cross-cultural marriage ceremony to reach the ideal of a peaceful world,” Moon wrote in “As a Peace-loving Global Citizen.” “We must marry people from countries we consider enemies to achieve our goal of a peaceful world as quickly as possible.”

‘Overcome by true love’
The Rev. Moon Hyung-jin, the American-born, Harvard-educated son tapped to head the chapel’s religious affairs, defended his dad’s vision.

The native New Yorker allowed his dad to arrange his own marriage to a South Korean; he was 17 at the time. The dad later wed three of his grandchildren to followers from Japan, Korea’s former colonizer.

“The philosophy behind my dad’s blessing is that the pain and grief between enemies can only be overcome by true love,” Moon Hyung-jin told The Associated Press  in a recent interview. “If people from Korea and Japan marry with this broad mindset, their children won’t see their parents’ countries as enemies and instead will come to love both countries.”