DDM Photo and Video Blog

4/27/08- Nick and Starley

Review Coming Soon!

3/29/2008- Sylvia and Carlos

     This was one of the more unique venues we have ever shot it. Held at the Womens Club of Portsmouth, it provided a rustic yet romantic backdrop for this wonderful couple. Being very much about the beach and all things tropical, their coordinators arranged for a tropical setting in a nostalgic location, complete with an aisle to the alter made of sand, and surrounded by tropical plants and decor.

      Aside from the tropical decor, the wedding was a traditional Christian ceremony, and was well attended. After the ceremony, we headed out for the formals. One of the features to add here....bridal party shots which at full strength was 38 people! We got em' all in there though, and despites Jon's attempt to take a dive, he came out in clean form without damaging his camera.

    Once we completed the pics, we went back inside for a great dinner of chicken, pastas, potatoes, just a lot of great food. I cannot remember the name of the caterer (our bad), but they were fantastic. This was followed by all of the traditional reception elements, and of course a lot of great dancing. Good luck to Sylvia and Carlos, they have nothing but great things ahead of them!

3/22/2008- Indrani and Raj

     While half of our staff was over at Andrea's Quinceanara, we had the rest of our videographers over at the Sheraton Oceanfront for a double ceremony featuring Indrani and Raj. For anyone who has never attended a Hindu wedding, they are nothing short of amazing. To cap this one off....after the Hindu ceremony was over, they went back and did it again as a Christian Ceremony!

     This wedding was a beautiful event, with all of color and pageantry one would expect. The sheer site of the parade (The barat) on the boardwalk prior to the start of the festivities was a thrill to everyone who saw it. (those involved, and those lucky enough to be down on the boardwalk to see this). There was the traditional family greetings, and into the ceremony officiated by a Hindu priest. The pageantry, and significance of everything that transpires is amazing, an experience that does touch everyone involved.

    After the ceremonies concluded, and portraits completed it was on to a fantastic party and great time for all. While the reception is much like a typical wedding, there are some special elements to it, as well as some fantatasic culinary treats for those who like exotic foods. Beyond that, it was to dancing the night away, well past midnight.

    This couple was a beautiful and wonderful couple, as were their families. It was our honor to handle these services for them, and wish them the best as a new couple!

 

3/22/2008- Andrea's Quinceanara

      One of the best parts of being a part of this industry is that we get the unique opportunity to work with events that are out of the norm, or are unique in their nature. March 22nd of 2008 we had two beautiful events. This post though deals with something that we are seeing more of, a celebration of passing and growing up that has been a part of other cultures for many years, but is now showing up more and more in American culture...The Quinceanara.

    This event was one of the largest in scope we have ever put together. An amazing team led by Pearl Taylor of Uniquely Your by Pearl was assembled months in advance to ensure this even delivered a show that was nothing short of spectacular The main event was held in the Marriot Watersides 3rd floor ballroom. Isha Foss of Isha Foss Events did an amazing job as always with the decor and assisting Pearl with many elements. We combined our video efforts with Pike Media Resources to deliver an unsurpassed lighting and live video experience, with top notch photographer Don Monteaux handling the photography services for the client. Marilen from Art Inspired handled the choreography, which of course began rehearsal months in advance.

    The night was complete with choreographed ballroom dancing numbers, a live singing performance by Andrea, as well as video segments of Andrea growing up, and speaking to the large attentive crowd. After a incredible dinner, the floor was taken over by the DJ Shaggy of radio station Z104 to lead a full event of dancing and fun for everyone there. It was nothing short of amazing.

    Along with the shear amount of work and talent that was involved in this event, I must say that we were also very impressed with Andrea herself. Cleary a talented young lady, she is also polite, charming, and friendly and was a pleasure to work with. She is certain to have a lot of great things in front of her, and wish her the best in her future.

 

 

Paige and Dave

If you ever want to have a great party, and great time just stop by Paige and Dave's. We're not telling ya where they live, but they have a view that can't be beat, and are true masters of the BBQ. Bit I digress..lets talk about that fantastic wedding.

It was elegant, fun, crazy, and beautiful all in one shot. Starting at the Chapel at Naval Station Norfolk, it was a stunning military wedding, with the whites that all women swoon over, and Paige looking stunning. Sarah with Weddings by Michelle was in charge of the day, and didn't miss a beat coordinating the day, and all the different locations we were to visit. After the ceremony, we stopped by the hangar area to do the formals in front of the E-2 aircraft that Dave pilots. This just rocked! After this part of the day, we headed to the VB Oceanfront for more pics, including a group shot of everyone from the upper floors of the Sheraton Oceanfront, as well as some great beach pics. Finally, we headed over to the Officers Club at Oceana Naval Air Station to celebrate the reception, which was nothing short of Spectacular.

We'd like to wish the couple all the best in the world, and look forward to some more of that great BBQ in the future!

 

Mike and Kimberly

Grand Affairs Los Gaviatos provided the location for the wedding of Mike and Kimberly. With a smaller group of people, the wedding really had the flavor of a real family event, while keeping the elegance and flavor of a great wedding event. We had beautiful weather for the day....sunny, warm, but not too hot. The staff at Grand Affairs did a great job preparing the facility, and everything there was outstanding. After a quick contemporary ceremony, we took advantage of the remaining daylight to finish out the formals, and quickly moved on to the party inside. There were some great moments at the reception that night, a real cast of characters. We wish Mike and Kimberly all the best for a great future, and continued success!

Tracey and Jon

A gorgeous wedding and a great day! The Norfolk Botanical Gardens set the stage for a day of romance and fun. Going a different route than most of our clients up there, Tracey and Jon chose the Butterfly Garden as their backdrop. Its really a gorgeous meadow, with a nice gazebo backed up to the water. Michelle Kilgore of Weddings by Michelle was of course in her normal form, ensuring that everything went off smoothly and without so much as a hiccup. All the guests were treated to a fun tram ride over to the ceremony site, and shuttled back to Baker Hall following the ceremony. David Schwartz used both the Butterfly Garden, and the Rennasaince Garden as formal locations, which the lighting was perfect, and made for some great coverage for all of us who are into imaging. The reception was also a great party, and unlike our last trip to Baker Hall, no racoons raided the facility looking for cake. Be on the lookup for the video recap here on the blog....it will be posted as soon as its completed!

Tina and Steve

     One of the best things about being in this type of business is that you get to meet a lot of different people, from many different walks of life. We've covered Christian wedding ceremonies, Hindu wedding ceremonies, Hispanic ceremonies, Jewish ceremonies, the list goes on. Each ceremony is different in certain ways, but in the end the all are about two people who are in love making a committment to love one another.

     This past week we had the pleasure of being there for Tina and Steve's spiritual wedding ceremony at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. They came down from Pennsylvania for the big event, planning to do their vows on the beach as the sun rose in the east as a backdrop. Unfortunately, the weather did not want to cooperate with their plans, and so the ceremony was moved indoors.

     A big thanks goes to the GM Christina down at the Holiday Inn (also one of our past clients), who arranged to have the ceremony done in one of their banquet rooms with windows facing out to the beachfront. We arrived on site at 5:30am (wow, that was early!) and found the room tastefully decorated in scented candles on the floor, with small rose bushes set around a center table with the unity candles. The smell of incense was in the air, and everyone was in great spirits despite the howling weather. A close friend of the couple acted as the officiant for the ceremony, which was spiritual in nature yet contained some very emotional vows, and of course a great kiss at the end.

       Immediately after the ceremony, we shared champagne, chocolate covered strawberries, and cake with our newlyweds. Chef DeLong of The Gourmet Bake Shoppe again out-did herself, with a fantastic strawberry cake that was just sinfully delicious.  After a brief celebration, we got the couple together to take some pictures with the newly available light, and then we headed out for a mid-morning siesta. Tina and Steve were absolute delights to work with, truly wonderful people who we wish the best to for many years to come. While it may not have been the biggest wedding we've ever covered, it was certainly every bit as powerful, emotional, and full of love as any wedding that we have ever had the privilege to be a part of.

 

Annie and Dan

Following the specially planned baptism of Dan from the night before, Annie and Dan exchanged vows at the Thalia United Methodist Church on April 21st, 2007. A jam-packed morning of surfing, primping and power outages made way to a flawless ceremony, which then in turn, led to an absolute gorgeous reception at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens.   Many kudos go to Danyelle with "Weddings by Michelle" for putting together this great event. After dinner, we were fortunate enough to take a stroll around the park while guests enjoyed drinks on the gazebo. Once inside, the Maid of Honor and both fathers made heartfelt toasts and Dan was presented with an "I'm a Keeper" t-shirt. Dancing and more dancing (even by Grandma) brought the special night to a close. We thank Annie and Dan for letting us share their special day with them - and we wish them the best in their fun-filled lives together.

Blair and Todd

Click Above to view the video short What a fun couple, and what a great wedding! The day started at St.Pauls Catholic Church in Portsmouth. While most brides get ready with the bridesmaids at a house or hotel, they brought the house to the church for the girls final preperations. (Courtesy of the family's nicely equipped RV!) St. Pauls is a beautiful church, with great architecture, beautiful statues, stained glass windows, and fine artwork. The staff was wonderful to work with as always, and the ceremony went beautifully. Veronica Dana, a fabulous photographer who we really enjoy working with, guided the families through the portrait sessions inside the sanctuary, outside the church, and on the grounds at the Cavalier Golf and Yacht Club. It was a beautiful day for outside portraits, with not a single cloud in the sky. There was ample time for some fun, creative photos, and I'm sure there will be a LOT of great shots to go through later. The reception was a lot of fun...a real Carribean themed event. The guests enjoyed tasty food, a fun live band, and watching the thrilling sparkler exit followed by Blair and Todd's yacht departure. Congratulations to Blair and Todd on a beautiful wedding, and best wishes for a great future together! We very much enjoyed being part of thier special day!