Changing Times....

Well everyone, it has been a whirlwind for us here at Fat Cat over the last 8 years. We 'officially' began our business back in 2002 but had been doing video work for longer than that. We started out Part Time making "extra money" on the side until the workload got to be so big that we took the business Full Time, trading it in from my employment as a Paramedic after 14 years. What a change that was! We shared a beautiful studio with T&J Studios in Valley Center for almost 2 years...then, economic times changed in the world and we again had to move our business back to Part Time and I had to regain Full Time employment elsewhere back in the medical community.

This lead to another path- I started Nursing School earlier this year and am excited for it to be done at years end! But now the time has come for a change- again. We have been receiving quite a few emails and phone calls lately inquiring about our availability to film weddings in the 2011 season. As much as we have thoroughly enjoyed our time filming weddings and meeting SO MANY wonderful brides and grooms and their families, we have had to make a difficult decision for our business. With our change in our Full Time employment status this year and coming this December/January as well, Fat Cat currently will not be accepting any 2011 weddings at this time. We will still continue with our love for filming and cinematography by completing Love Stories for the wedding day and Baby Stories (a few of which are in the works currently for this fall) and other smaller projects such as our recent work with the Fire Department, local schools and Hutchinson Community College Paramedic Program.

There were several reasons behind this decision and we deeply apologize for any inconvenience or disappointment this may cause to our "future" brides we have not had the pleasure of even meeting! We have a few more weddings this year to attend with some awesome brides still, so a few more prequels to come for you to enjoy in the wedding department. We hope to share other work with you in the future as the business takes on a new change. It has been a huge part of our lives and we are not sure where new roads will lead us, only time will tell. Steph

Whirlwind Start for 2009!

Hello one and all, an update here on all-things-Fat-Cat! I have finally added pictures to the long year end post below if you care to take a gander at a few dog pictures :)

Things have been moving along here at Fat Cat, slowly gaining on some of our delivery times with a slower winter as far as the shooting schedule goes, so if you are waiting on your spring wedding, we are working on those currently. Editing begins when we receive the final payment scheduled. We will be in touch with our brides as soon as their video is up and ready for edit.

The bridal fair was insanely busy. We passed out 400 of our newest Demo DVD's, all hand made, very personal and unique. The calls are starting to come in for the remainder of the 2009 wedding season. We only book one wedding per day, so if you are waiting to contact us don't wait any longer! :) Dates fill on a first come-first serve basis.

Come join us on FACEBOOK! Fat Cat has a new group! FAT CAT ROCKS! We will be posting some info on the business from time to time and you can see what we are up to personally as well in our crazy lives! :) Thanks to our past and current brides who are logged in, we really enjoy seeing what you are up to! Also, a big congratulations to several of our brides on new babies arriving or learning that they are expecting and on the way! Wow! So many! So don't forget about our sister website http://www.announcemychild.com/! A NEW Baby Announcement will also be online this week, so check back!

You can finally see the complete 28-minute Broadcast version of the work we have done for Hutchinson Community College Field Operations at this link from Paramedic TV! The video is getting great playback and increasing a wonderful stir for the college, agencies from as far away as the Bahamas are contacting the college to try to participate this year and see what all the fuss is about! Thanks to our wonderful friend Chy, YOU are the Bomb-Diggity! We can't wait to film this years installment in June!!!!

We mentioned at years end that Barry is pursuing higher education and is finishing pre-reqs for a nursing degree. Well, now I have the bug, and I have also recently enrolled and am finishing my pre-reqs as well! So please be patient with us as we now work school into our evening schedules!

Don't forget our Bridal Open House is quickly going to be upon us Sunday, February the 8th from 1-5pm here at the studio. 142 S. Meridian, Valley Center. So if you've hesitated about why you need a wedding video of one of the single most important days of your life, come see what all the fuss is about. This ain't your Uncle Charlies wedding video! :)

Everyone have a great 2009! More updates are on the way!

SG

OPEN HOUSE!

Open House for brides and grooms who are still looking for their vendors for their 2009 weddings will be held Sunday, February 8th, 2009 from 1pm - 5pm at Studio 142 in Valley Center.

The address is 142 S. Meridian, Valley Center, 67147 for those google maps folks!

We will be having wedding movies playing in the Fat Cat Productions Blu-ray Theater and photography albums will be on display by T&J Studios, we will also have a few other vendors there for you to visit with one on one! Jubilations Events for all your event planning, Accent Mobile Music and Another Dimension DJ will also join us along with the Wild Geranium florist! Meet some previous brides of these vendors so you can ask them questions about how their special day flowed with these vendors!

We will provide snacks and of course, the best part being the admission fee- IT'S FREE! Just bring your smile and your questions for our vendors. There will be plenty of one on one time and all vendors will be available for booking for your event.

Hurry out! It's going to be a fun time! RSVP to openhouse at fatcatrocks.com!

Madison/Brinckman Wedding: A Destination Wedding

This past Labor Day Weekend, we headed west to Denver, Colorado for the wedding of Candace and Marcus. We first met Candace at a wedding of one of her friends here locally and she called to see about her own wedding video and if we traveled to Denver. Of course! She had also not picked a photographer at the time but soon chose T&J Studios here in Valley Center. Candace had been planning this wedding for quite some time and her husband wanted a wedding in the mountains. Although this did not pan out for them, they chose to add an eXtreme session in Rocky Mountain National Park the day after the wedding to get the mountain shots they had hoped for originally. So it was great fun traveling with our friends Tyff and Jeff.

We drove out Thursday and got a good nights rest prior to the Friday rehearsal we all attended. We reviewed the days itinerary with the bride and groom and headed off to bed for an early start on the wedding day. Tyffany and I plugged directions into my new favorite toy, my iPhone, and off we went to Broomfield, Colorado to follow the ladies at Anthony's Salon. They all had a great time. Three stylists worked most the morning to make them all gorgeous. Tyff and I cut out early to get to the reception site, the Chateaux at Fox Meadows, to get some establishing shots and haul in some equipment. The guys were already there with Jeff and Barry documenting. The ladies wore hand made dresses by the mother of the bride. It was very interesting to hear about how the fittings went as many of the ladies lived out of town and the fittings took place long distance and through the mail! But it was worth it- they were gorgeous and the most unique bridesmaids dresses I've seen, and classy. Red, Black and Gold bold sweeping stripes. The bride wanted colors to coordinate with fall colors she had chosen. The bride wore white strapless, with intricate beadwork and a gorgeous train.

After everyone was ready, the bride and groom wanted to see each other before the ceremony and Marcus waited at the base of the grand staircase and was greeted by all the bridesmaids coming down the steps. He was given a gift from the bride by the last bridesmaid and he opened this prior to seeing Candace. It was a framed engagement photograph for their home and a CD player. He was istructed to hit "play", the music started and Candace made her way down the staircase, tears filling both thier eyes. It wa a very touching moment. Photographs followed at the Chateuax and then everyone loaded up again to head to the church in Longmont, Colorado about 30 minutes away.

The couple was married at First Evangelical Lutheran Church. It was a small, historical church and full of character with large wooden beams and pillars inside and beautiful stained glass work.

A friend of Marcus' from KU officiated and added a special humorous flair for the couple. He pronounced them for the first time as husband and wife and the couple left in an antique car to head back to the Chateaux for the reception.

Jeff and I rode together and followed the bride and groom to a new developing area on the way for some urban shots while Barry and Tyffany rode ahead to get shots of the guests at the Chateaux. When the couple arrived, every guest was on the front steps to greet them iwth noise makers and streamers.

The couple exited the car and made their way to the front steps as well for a picturesque dove release. They first head one dove each and released it into the air. Next, a carrier full of 12 were released to celebrate thier new lives together and another carrier of 12 followed in remembrance of those friends and family who could not be with them in celebrating. It was truly beautiful and one of the mot fun things we have done at a wedding!

The couple then finished a few photos outside and were announced into the reception for the BBQ dinner buffet and toasts. They cut the multi layered cake with fresh berries and shaved chocolate and headed to the dance floor for their first dance and parents dances. Then it was time for everyone to cut lose! The couple thoroughly enjoyed speaking to all their guests and thanking them for coming. It was a fabulous day for everyone.

We captured as much dance footage as we needed for the edits and said good night to Candace and Marcus. It was going to be a short night for everyone, as we were all to meet back up at the hotel lobby at 7 am the next day for the eXtreme session!

We stayed at the Omni Interlocken Resort and had an absolutely fabulous time there, customer service was absolutely impeccable. But it was short night, we recharged all batteries and I don't even remember my head hitting the pillow! When we met in the morning, Candace's hair was near perfect as it was the day before! We all grabbed a snack and headed north and west to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park for an awesome photo shoot at over 11,000 feet!

Candace had orginally wanted to get into one of the waterfalls at the end of the shoot but after Barry grabbed some shots with our underwater housing that plan quickly changed! :) I'm kind of glad, because it would have meant I had to get in the water, too to pull off the shots I envisioned! :) Maybe next time! It was just way too cold. But it was a nice thought! We still came away with some awesome shots and Tyff and Jeff got some amazing photographs as well.

Thank you to Candace and Marcus for your trust in us to capture your day, we thoroughly enjoyed every minute we spent with you guys. We love your families and your friends and fabulous. Your hospitality is second to none and we were honored to be in the mountians with you, thank you.

Fat Cat & the KSPVA Tour

We thought we would take a few moments to let you all know what has been happening again here at Fat Cat recently. Last night we hosted the Kansas Professional Videographers Association August meeting at the studio. About 20 of us met up at the Main Street Grill and Bar here in Valley Center for dinner, conversation and talking shop. Then we headed down the street to the studio to set up with our special guest, Larry Hatteburg, from the ABC affiliate KAKE-TV channel 10.

Mr. Hatteburg has spoken to our group once before earlier this year and everyone learned literally truckloads. Our favorite topic we wanted to pick his brain a bit more about was lighting techniques. So we invited Larry back and he graciously agreed to come back and share a sampling of his wealth of knowledge with us. Larry has been an award winning journalist for 41 years, so we will probably never know as much as he's forgotten over the years!

Larry brought alot of the equipment he uses on shoots for news and his series "Hatteburg's People" and explained how he uses each piece and how he works around difficult lighting situations. Then Barry hooked up a live feed from his camera to a TV monitor for us to view while he set up a typical interview setting for us see the differences in lighting set ups and camera settings and how they work together. It was amazing how such small changes in lighting can make a huge difference in your productions! We'll be sure to put to use many of his tips in future Love Stories, Baby Stories, and documentaries!

Thanks to the KSPVA for coming out for a studio tour, we enjoyed having everyone! And of course a huge thank you to Larry for being so willing to share with us and teach us, we appreciate all of the time you spent with us!

Bengtson/Billinger Wedding!

Well, it's been almost a week now and we've yet to post about our great time in western Kansas! Barry and I spent last weekend documenting the marriage of Lindsay and Shawn in Victoria, Kansas at the Cathedral of the Plains, another out-of-market wedding for us. We should say we had a most excellent time! We started off the weekend by heading out Friday afternoon to attend rehearsal as we had not worked in the Cathedral before and wanted to be as prepared as possible. We met Tyff and Jeff of T&J Studios when we arrived, who were the official photographers for the event. I was awestruck by the church. It is one of the most beautiful places we have filmed in, built in 1911 and alas, it had air conditioning from a recent renovation! Lindsay and Shawn graciously invited us to the dinner that night but we passed and headed to the hotel to get checked in and get settled. We had to start early the next morning, meeting Lindsay at the salon with her bridesmaids at 8 am.

Tyff and I rode together and had a great tie at the 10-0-7 Salon in Hays, Kansas, just a hop, skip, and a jump from Victoria. I have to admit this is one of the nicest salons I have ever been in and its smack dab in the middle of little ole Hays, Kansas. Very chic and modern with eclectic furnishings and the most awesome, creative and innovative, relaxing spa and massage rooms. Lindsay looked like a million bucks after getting her hair completed first, just in case the stylists ran short on time for her to start photos. But all of the ladies arrived on time and the stylists worked non-stop making them all gorgeous. Tyff and I headed to the church early to get some shots of the architecture and whatnot. Jeff and Barry were hanging out with the guys at a different location washing the '64 Chevy Impala which was the getaway car for after Mass!

When Lindsay arrived at St. Fidelis, she was very excited to get dressed and head into the church to see her groom right away. They chose this option to have more time for the party after the wedding instead of photographs. Both were quite excited to see the other! The wedding started promptly at 3 pm and went fairly fast for a full mass being celebrated. What a gorgeous backdrop it was! After the ceremony, the couple had some fun, being ushered out to the waiting '64 Chevy and then on to the Hays Trolley with the wedding party to go around town to a few spots in Hays and take photos. We went to the bar where the couple met and everyone went inside for a quick shot of their favorite drinks! -No the videographer did not partake! :) Then off to Fort Hays State University for some fun prior to heading to the reception at the Fox Pavillion.
The reception started right away when the newlyweds arrived with the first dances, parents dances and toasts, then onward to the dinner buffet. After the couple watched a montage they made and cut the cake, the party was officially started. It looked to us that everyone was having a great time! Lindsay was also serenaded by her Sorority Sisters during the festivities!

We want to say thanks to Lindsay and Shawn for being so gracious to us durig our stay, it was a pleasure getting to know you both and we hope you had a great time in Jamaica! Too bad we couldn't come along to document! :) (We've practiced in Mexico now!) Haha...

Congratulations to you both and we wish many many years of happiness together!

Peterie/Paquette Wedding!

We had a great time this weekend with our friends Becca and Jacob! We first met Becca and Jacob a few months ago when we filmed their Love Story. Let us first say, they are a couple that love to have fun, don't take life too seriously and thoroughly enjoy each other to the fullest! We will try to include the Love Story here in the coming weeks with the prequel when we can.

Becca started her day at Salon Uruku on the east side and had a fabulous updo. No veil, no tiara, just a beautiful fresh pink peony flower in the back highlighted by gorgeous curls! She had her make up done here as well which, of course, turned out awesome. Then off to the Wichita Scottish Rite for the rest of the days festivities!

All the ladies dressed in classic brown gowns and Becca wore a strapless ivory dress embellished with lace and a broch to the front with a ribbon across the waist. The couple chose to see each other prior to the ceremony and had a very relaxed photo session with our friend and colleague Brett schauf of T&J Studios. The couple played piano, joked together and Becca sang the songs played overhead into her bouquet of flowers! They truly are a fun-loving couple.

The ceremony was held upstairs in the auditorium with the cathedral backdrop canvas. It was a great ceremony with friends playing piano and guitar and a solist singing a great rendition of "Always and Forever". It seemed the vows blew by and before long they shared their first kiss as husband and wife and they danced out of the auditorium to the applause of many friends and family!

They were whisked away through a tunnel of bubbles and onto the trolley for a brief photo session downtown and back again to the receptioin to enjoy the Love Story we produced for them as well as a great dinner and heartfelt toasts from friends and family. The dance was underway soon after and the couple danced the night away till after 11 o'clock.

Becca and Jacob are on the way to the Carolina's for a romantic honeymoon and we can't wait to hear all about it when you return! Thanks to you and your family (and Becca's Dad, Dr. Peterie for sharing his killer dance moves during the Love Story shoot!). We were honored to share your day with you and hope we can all be friends in the years to come! Congratulations...

Click below to see the Paquette's wedding day prequel!

Jacob- you'd be proud it's all made on a Mac :) and in Final Cut Pro JUST FOR YOU!!

Jannusch/Holmes Wedding

We just returned home from a great wedding of a great couple- Amber and Jeff. Amber's Maid of Honor and sister, Linsay, booked us last year at a Bridal Show as a gift to her sister! We were also able to work with Tyffany and Jeff of T&J Studios, so that was fun.

The day started about noon at Charisma Salon in west Wichita with Amber getting an updo with her mother and bridesmaids. Her hair was all curls with a custom made tiara intertwined. She also had her make up applied and it looked great! She headed home to continue getting ready where she was most comfortable. Amber wore an awesome dress by Bonnie she found in Minnesota! The bodess wrapped around her with gathered material and sequin accents boardering each panel as they criss-crossed across her and draped down the back of the train! Her neklace, earrings and bracelet were custom made in Minnesota to match the dress and were absolutely STUNNING. Matching straps around her ankles on her shoes finished this custom made look!

The guys spent time donning their tuxes and hanging out at the Best Man's house with Barry and Jeff tagging along documenting their good time!

The two soon met downtown in front of Hotel Oldtown for the first time and had a photo session there with their Bridal Party. They wasted no time in heading east to the Firestation where Jeff works to get photos on the Engine and in a field behind the station. Then it was time to move on to Nativity Pines for the ceremony and reception.

The ceremony was held outside and the weather was just great. Not too hot and a light breeze to the couple's backs as they stood in front of nearly 200 family members and guests and exchanged vows. It was a very nice ceremony with the Pastor detailing how their lives together were similar to a rescue that Jeff would execute at work.

After family photos, the couple were introduced to their reception where they promptly cut the cake (decorated to match the beadwork and pattern of Amber's dress!) and shared their first toast. Dinner provided by Corporate Caterers was great and after the formal toasting, the tables were moved to make way for the party people! And party they did!
It was great to see so many firefighter friends we had met over the years from our "other" job and get to know new one, Amber and Jeff! Amber and Jeff, thank you for having us along for your most important day, we truly enjoyed ourselves and it was a pleasure getting to know both of you. Have a great time on your honeymoon to St. Lucia, we are all so very jealous! Don't you need a good videographer to document that for you? :) Take lots of pictures and video.

Click below to see Amber and Jeff's wedding day prequel!

New Prequel Online & Other Announcements!

Hi everyone, just a note to say the newest prequel is finally online! Shanda & Peter had a wonderful day several weeks ago and we think the prequel just screams how classic and beautiful the day was. Their first dance song was used with splashes of old film and black and white, hope you enjoy it, scroll down to the Walker-Carney Post to view it!

Also, the edit for the Greensburg Graduation is almost complete! The credits are being compiled now and the DVD's will be shipped early next week for pick up at USD 422 for the students, faculty and staff, and for all others who placed orders. We will post a portion of the video online here soon so check back. Special thanks to David Lightner for footage of Marine One circling Greensburg overhead! The bruises to my knees have finally disappeared and I think my thighs are back to normal! Check out the post below to catch up on adventures in Greensburg with President Bush.

This coming week is proving to be extremely busy with several consultations for upcoming weddings, putting the finishing touches on the studio, and helping our friends here with a promotional video for their new workshops, Keepnitfresh.com. The featured photographer this workshop is Mike Colon from Newport Beach, California. We will be tagging along to get footage for a promotional piece to be featured on the FCP blog and the T&J Studios Blog. Also, check back soon for the online studio tour prior to the much anticipated OPEN HOUSE- DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON! So amidst wedding deliveries, new weddings and other projects, we will be looking forward to a weekend getaway at the Lake in June!

Till next time bloggerheads....

Walker-Carney Wedding

This past Saturday we were able to share in Shanda and Peter's wedding day! We got to know them a few months ago when they booked and then decided to upgrade to a package that included a Love Story (again, our most popular package!)

What we found of Peter and Shanda is that they are super genuine people with big hearts and a long time friendship that will serve them very well in their life together as husband and wife.
We shot the Love Story only last month and learned how much they loved golf and each other! So it was a great time at the wedding day as well.

Shanda's package included salon coverage time so I met her at Charisma salon with the other ladies to document that. Shanda decided to do her own make up at home with friends and family around and I was able to get some shots of that as well. In the meantime Barry hung out with the guys while they got ready at the church -St. Francis of Assisi in West Wichita.

It seems a standard question to ask if the bride and groom are nervous before the big day and neither the bride or groom had any wedding day jitters, both said there was nothing to be nervous about and were very excited to see each other and get the day officially started!

Shanda wore a classic white wedding gown with beaded bodice and a detachable train, that was very handy! Peter wore the classic black tux with a white bow tie but added his own flair with a white cane!

The aisle was lined with homemade signs of the couples monogram in black, white and red. Photographer Brett Schauf, of T&J Studios, along with his wife Cheryl shot the wedding and all the photos were taken before the ceremony to save time and enjoy more of their party.

The wedding was officiated by Fr. Daryl Befort and concelebrated by three other priests who were friends of the families. A traditional mass kept a sacred feel and before we knew it, the congregation was clapping and congratulating the newlyweds.

They left the church in a red convertible, so appropriate for the beautiful weather we had! Brett and Cheryl met us at the golf course at Rolling Hills Country Club for photos prior to the reception held there- very appropriate for two of the most golf-loving people I've ever met!

A long time friend acted as DJ and after the wedding party was announced, the guests were served dinner before the traditional events of the evening.

Shanda and Peter, it really was an honor to meet you guys and to get to know both of you, we hope you had an excellent time on your trip! Your families are truly wonderful people, now we know where you get it! Take care, it was a pleasure to work with you!

Click below to see Shanda and Peter's wedding day prequel!

Cox-Koehn

We didn't have much time to rest after our trip to Mexico and we were right back to filming locally last night for Jessica and Andrew! (More on that soon) We had filmed Jessica's cousins wedding last year (Close-Wilbert) and Jessica had already booked photography thru T&J Studios. They saw us all working Melissa and Jace's wedding together and hadn't thought much about video, then came in to talk to us and booked a couple weeks later. To sum it up, we are so happy we had the chance to work with them and to see the Wilbert's again!

So the day started early at Progressions Salon on the west side of town. Jessica had originally purchased a package from us that did not include salon coverage. She had mentioned to her mother that she would have liked to have done that and her mother secretly contacted us to set up the surprise. We were at the salon for Jessica with Tyff and Jeff bright and early at 8 am! She had a HUGE smile on her face and it never left her all day. Most of the ladies showed up to the salon as well to get their hair fixed and everyone looked absolutely amazing. The bride was thrilled with her hair but had a little giggle when a few minutes after everything was done, realized the veil was in backwards. No worries, it was fixed in a flash. Then they were off to the church, St. Francis of Assisi to get dressed. Jessica had her cousin Melissa apply her make up and she did several of the ladies applications. It looked phenominal!

Meanwhile Barry was hanging out with Jeff documenting the guys preparing and assisting on their photo session. I hear they were quite the group, literally climbing the walls of the church! Can't wait to go thru that footage!

The bride and groom chose to see each other prior to the ceremony to complete all the photos so they would have more time for visiting with guests at the reception. We think Andrew was quite in awe of his bride when he turned to see her. She looked stunning in her gown. I don't dare describe this one for fear of not doing it justice. It was amazing. You'll have to check out the prequel to get a peek.

Photos went quick and smoothly. And we all had fun with the shoes at this wedding. After Jessica saw some photos that Jeff took in California of a bride with a white dress and bright red heels, she decided she wanted the same. She wore maroon heels with her gown and the bridesmaids had on red heels with black dresses, and not to be outdone, the flower girls in white, wore ruby red sparkling slippers! The men also stood out in traditional stark black tuxes. It was a phenominal looking wedding party!

The ceremony was a full catholic mass. The brides father Gino shared the readings and a string quartet performed along with the organist. After the ceremony, the newlyweds were whisked away in the River City Trolley for a quick photo opp at Sedgwick County Park and were back in record time to be announced by the brides father at the reception. The church hall was full and the bride and groom enjoyed visiting with all their family and friends at dinner. There were guests from as far away as Minnesota and even Italy!

The bride and groom will be spending their honeymoon in Puerto Vallarta, Mexcio! We tried to get them to take us along, but apparently there just wasn't enough time to plan! Bummer! Andrew and Jessica, thank you again so much for having us, we had a wonderful time with you and your families. We know you will be extremely happy in your life together and we wish you many years of happiness and joy! Take lots of photos in Mexico, we sure would like to see them when you return. PS- want to wear that dress again? We can always hook you up with an extreme session! :)

Check out the video below of their wedding day prequel!

FCP Blogger Spotlight: T&J Studios

We see Tyff and Jeff alot at our studio and on assignments at weddings, extreme sessions and other jobs, but when we see them, this is usually what they look like! Hard at work. Jeff recently returned from Las Vegas where he and Brett spent the week at the WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International) Conference. They had a blast. WPPI is similar to what WEVA (Wedding and Event Videographers Association) is for videographers. Their heads are now full of new ideas to streamline and improve their business (and I'm sure when we hear all the stories we will get some great ideas ourselves!) So if you want to know more, check out Tyff and Jeff's blog on their website located to the right. In the meantime, we have chosen T&J Studios to be the first vendor and photographer to be in the new FCP Blogger Spotlight! We had a few questions for Tyff and Jeff and their business....

How long have you been in business? 7 years

Describe your style. Unique and fresh

How did you decide to get into photography? One class and I was hooked

What types of photography services do you offer? Weddings, babies, seniors, pets, corporate, families

Who is involved with T&J? Tyffany, Jeff and partner Brett

Best part of being a wedding photographer? Getting those detail shots that everyone forgets about after the fact. Also allowing the bride relive her day that might bring back happy tears. Bridal prep is one of my favorite parts of a wedding day and documenting all the prep that goes behind all the planning of the big day. There is so much happiness in every wedding and being able to document people laughing and celebrating is wonderful.

What products do you offer that are unique to clients? framing, custom albums, custom cards/announcements and more that our customers come up with that we can create

Advice for future brides regarding professional photography? Lots but a personal one we say is You want to enjoy your day and that is why we are unlimited time and document it as if it was our own.

Where do you get your inspiration? God

What is the best compliment you have received with your photography? When a bride calls asking for a date being available and we are booked leading to the bride wanting to change her date so she can use our services.

Check back in the coming weeks for more FCP Blogger Spotlights with our favorite vendors!

Keller / Hackler Kansas City Wedding!

What a weekend! We just got things packed up after the bridal fair and a wedding last weekend to roll right into another wedding this weekend in Kansas City!

We met TJ and Stacy after they booked us for their wedding several months ago when we filmed a Love Story for them in KC they purchased in their wedding package. They were alot of fun and we were excited to actually get to the wedding after spending the day with them! We will encode their Love Story for you to see here soon!

We were excited to work with Tyffany and Jeff again from T&J Studios also. Stacy had T&J and us to document her bridal preparation at the hotel as part of her package and it was a lot of fun hanging out with everyone in her Suite. She had several hair stylists in the room to tend to all the girls and a make up artist as well. Her hair was crafted and sculpted by the family stylist that came in from Hutchinson. She was surrounded by a multitude of friends and family. After her hair and make up were done, she and the ladies took their dresses to the church to finish getting ready. Tyff and I met up with them there at County Club Christian Church. It's a gorgeous old church made of stone and a huge bell tower, it made for some great photographs.

As Tyff and I went with Stacy, Barry and Jeff were hanging out with the guys getting photos outside in the snow- snowball fights included! The girls weren't as brave, it was bitterly cold out, the coldest day of the winter thus far in Kansas City, a smoldering 8 degrees! Family and friends came from all over both in and out of state, Hollywood included, and co workers of Stacy and TJ, too as they are both in the medical fields.

Stacy was excited to see her groom for the first time in a private moment together, wearing a gorgeous strapless gown and train with floor length veil. TJ very handsome in a killer pinstriped tux. After some photos at the church, the bridal party, T&J and myself hopped in a limo bus to go to the Plaza for some very quick and cold photos while Barry set up at the church. We were back in record time for a very elegant ceremony.

The couple was introduced as husband and wife and wasted no time heading back out to the cold for the guests to shower them with red rose petals before getting back on the limo bus and heading to the Hampton Inn Ballroom for the reception.

Ron Ruth of Ron Ruth Wedding Entertainment was the MC of the night and hosted a great party. He kept everyone of all ages entertained through dinner and then started the party with the wedding party toasts, very emotional parents dances, a unique start to the money dance and then the newlyweds took to the floor for a very unique first dance as well. Starting out traditional, they quickly moved into a choreographed potpourri of different dances wowing the crowd and using the entire dance floor and letting their very fun and spirited personalities shine through! Throughout the evening, they joined their guests on the dance floor with dance offs and other crazy displays!

Stacy and TJ- Thank you once again for having us with you on your big day, it was a grand occasion and we had lots of fun. Please keep in touch, hope you had a great time in Jamaica! It's better than 8 degrees isn't it!?

Click below to see their wedding day prequel!

WILD WEEKEND #2!

Ah... it's so nice to be sitting down and blogging! This past weekend was Wild Weekend #2 with three weddings to tend to! As best I can I will try to recap them below and then get to posting the prequels that are due from the weddings 2 weeks ago! Stay tuned to the blog for more great announcements coming soon!

Ledford/Woodruff

We started our Friday with Tyffany and Jeff of T&J Studios meeting Courtney at Central Christian Church in East Wichita to prepare for her big day. I don't think anything bothered Courtney at all that day, she had all the planning behind her and was ready to be married! She was surrounded by many friends, 8 bridesmaids to be exact! She chose a gorgeous champagne dress that flowed gently over her shoulders, covered in lace and sequin embellishments with a lace-up back and beautiful train. The bridesmaids wore all black, and the dresses were all different styles to match their personalities. Her flowers were some of the most unique I've seen in a while, arranged by her grandmother, full of deep oranges, burgandy's and even pheasant feathers adding a gorgeous accent!

While Courtney touched up make up, her groom to be (Justin) was with his groomsmen getting ready in a separate part of the church so they could not run into one another. Courtney wanted to see her groom for the first time when coming down the aisle! Prior to the wedding, when we were having a photo session in a prayer room with Courtney, we heard the groomsmen horsing around on the opposite side of a door- playing football! I had seen Tyff and Jeff's photos before where the bride and groom do not wish to see each other before but stood on opposite sides of a door and only held hands. I had my opportunity...

I had never captured this on video before (and wanted to!) and made the suggestion to Jeff, if the bride and groom were up to it, to try it. They were game! It was truly a touching moment and each shed a few tears, excited to see one another in a few short minutes. They shared a prayer before they parted and we all finished last minute preparations for the ceremony.

The wedding was certainly full of praise, worship and music, as Courtney is a music teacher! The theme was "Come and see what God has done" and it really was a touching ceremony. After their vows, they shared a private prayer with family and then took communion together before being announced and husband and wife.

A trolley then shuttled the wedding party, Jeff and I to the reception at The Ville at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Andover. All the traditions then followed, cutting of cake, first dances and then the party! Dinner was great, italian catered by one of Courtney's favortie restaurants- Sweet Basil! As they left the evening as husband and wife, the guests were all given jingle bells of silver, gold and red and as the couple rushed by, they were wished well by an almost deafening ringing of bells!

Thank you Courtney and Justin, we have really enjoyed you guys since we met you at last years bridal fair! We are so happy you came to us and trusted your wedding day to us! We are excited to edit the entire video in documentary style- it was really a great day and planned perfectly! Good luck and best wishes in your life together!

Duling/Mohr

After Fridays wedding, dumping audio files at the studio till 3 am, we were still feeling pretty spry and headed off to St. Peter's in Schulte for Katie and Eric's wedding! We were able to work with Brett Schauf of T&J Studios this time, so that was fun. The groomsmen arrived dressed and ready to go for pictures and I followed Katie and her many bridesmaids as they prepared. Can we say "gorgeous dress"? Katie chose a beautiful white gown with multiple lace cut outs running throughout her cathedral length train. It was incredibly elegant. The designer name escapes me! She was also surprised with a beautiful white cape to wear in the snow. The ladies wore strapless gowns of a deep red and the flowers were also a perfect match from Moore's Flowers. The bride carried her rosary with her that was intertwined into her bouquet. She also chose not to see her groom prior to the ceremony and took as many photos as they could prior to the wedding.

When the doors of the church opened to reveal Katie and her father preparing to walk down the aisle, she wore a huge smile excited to see Eric! Several priests concelebrated the wedding, several of whom are family friends of the Dulings, which made for an even more personal ceremony. A full mass followed and the couple was finally introduced as husband and wife and after finishing pictures, they made their way across the parking lot through the snow in a horse drawn carriage. Just beautiful.

The reception hall at the church was beautifully decorated with red and white toulle and red spotlights. The cake, complete with icecicles was the centerpiece along with an ice sculpture of a snowflake and the couples monogram inside. The groom's cake was one of the most interesting and creative I've seen yet. A gray beer bucket but full of real beer bottles! Guests were treated to a chocolate fountain before dinner catered by Syl's. The party was DJ'ed by Scott Ward from AMM and it was a great time!
The couple put a spin on the traditional first dance and after a romantic beginning, broke out dancing to "Do ya think I'm sexy?" by Rod Stewart. The party then started after the parents dances and the bouquet and garter tosses. Again, the St. Peter's crowd knows how to party! We saw several familiar faces and that was nice to see previous brides (and future brides and grooms, too!).

Katie and Eric, we had a great time at your wedding and were honored to share your special day, all the best to you, you deserve it!
Click below to see Katie and Eric's Prequel!

Ukens/Balthazor

Now that our feet were killing us and we'd been running on very little sleep it was time to get up early for wedding #3- Matt and Aspen. We were very much looking forward to this wedding though with now Tyff, Jeff AND Brett from T&J Studios! We first met Matt and Aspen on a Love Story shoot for another couple and we had no idea they were friends. Matt, being a police officer, had arranged to propose to Aspen near his parents home in an unusual way (see the Love Story link below) and we met the couple for the love story at Matt's parents home after the proposal party in July. Oh how we wish we could have filmed the proposal! But, Matt and Aspen visited with our friends soon after and they referred them to us for their wedding and then they, too booked a Love Story that you can see here below.

Aspen's day started at the Courtyard Marriott in Old Town getting her hair and make up done by the hair dresser who has styled her mother's hair for nearly 20 years. All the bridesmaids met her in their matching pink robes given to them by Aspen. Aspen had her nails painted and was quite proud of the paint job on her toenails, a nail on one foot sporting a "KU" emblem and on the other an "OU" for their loyalty to her and Matt's favorite college teams!

While Tyff, Jeff and I documented the brides preparations, Barry and Brett were at The Alley in east Wichita with the groomsmen meeting for lunch and driving go-carts in their tuxes! So Matt got his fast driving fix in. Afterwards we met up at the Grand Chapel where Aspen got dressed and touched up make up and prepared with the ladies. Her dress was a gorgeous strapless, lace up back and souffle skirt in a cream to champagne color, complimenting her beautiful skin tone perfectly. Her veil and tiara were stunning.

They chose not to see each other prior to the ceremony as well. Wichita Police Officers acted as Ushers. When the wedding began, the bride was escorted by her father to see Matt, and by Scottish tradition, a bagpiper preceded her. Some family also sported the traditional kilt and Scottish attire. The wedding, of course, was great and prior to leaving behind the bagpiper again, Matt had a little surprise for Aspen. Just as the couple was announced as husband and wife, one of Matt's friends on the Police Department ran on stage and promptly handcuffed them together to the laughter of the crowd!

After photos, the couple was announced into the reception, after the guests viewed their Love Story, by the bagpiper. After dinner, toasts, and cutting of cake, the couple had their first dance and the traditional parents dances. When the night came to a close, the remaining guests formed a tunnel out of the chapel with sparklers as the couple ran through to a waiting antique car. It was really a fun day.

Thank you Matt and Aspen for letting us share this awesome day with you, even though we were a bit tired we had an absolute blast! We can't wait to see pictures from the honeymoon, so please call and share! Keep in touch- as you said, we must go hang out with you and all our mutual friends! Click below to see their wedding day prequel!

Finally!

Well, finally we are moved in (sort-of) to the new studio in Valley Center! We've been working from this location for a few weeks now and have been meeting customers in the new Media Room (AKA The Private Theater) that was completed last week. We currently still have some supplies sitting around in boxes, etc that are waiting to find their permanent home, but all in all, we are up and running! We even got our first UPS delivery here this morning of much needed supplies-it was like Christmas a whole two weeks early! So to get you all up to date, we've posted some pictures for you to give you a little bit more of a sneak peek prior to the Grand Opening after the New Year rolls around. (Still no date yet!)

We've also been incredibly busy with the Holidays approaching fast again and the shopping that goes with it that we haven't even started! Catching up on the edit que is another never-ending project. The following weddings are due for delivery prior to Christmas: Gruetter, Millen, Gerlach, and Doyle. In addition, the McIntosh/Mendenhall prequel will be posted sometime later this week as well. We also have 2 Love Stories due up in the next few weeks as well as multiple photomontages and an exiting documentary for our friends at the Hutchinson Community College Paramedic Program. So, needless to say, we've been putting in some late nights at the studio and will share with you some of these projects as they are completed right here on our blog (just give us time). Let's not forget about the five weddings we have yet to film between now and the end of the year! We also have an extremely exciting project in the works with our friends Tyff and Jeff here at the studio that we will be announcing around New Year's. We will definitely fill you in sooner if we are able, but you won't want to miss this announcement!

There will be many exciting new things in the blog after the first of the year and some other changes regarding online communications as well. Shew, I'm tired thinking about all this stuff already! There just aren't enough hours in the day anymore! Be sure to subscribe to the blog (to your right) to keep up with our latest happenings! It's free and you only receive an email when the blog is updated, no annoying sales pitches or us selling your email address to those that will annoy you! :)

Be sure to leave us your comments (the "comment" text below each post) so we can hear what you have to say about the latest announcements and work posted in the blog! Also, don't forget to submit a name in our "Name our Building" contest! Comment in the blog or drop us an email to submit your idea! We've had a few trickle in. Scroll down to see what we are looking for below, entitled "HELP!"- Stay tuned! Until next time bloggerheads!
Steph

Pictures, starting from the top are: The Lobby, decorated by Tyff, complete with Christmas Tree, giant fake presents and letter to Santa- not to forget our stylish hanging balls! Ally and Barry help me tackle the edit que, and networking issues! (ARG!) Me and Bear finally get dinner after one of our late nights at the studio at Buffalo Wild Wings (the only place open at that hour!) Then there's 'the flying dog'...it's not a bird, plane, or superhero to the rescue, it's Lucky Dog breaking out of his confines to catch a nap in the Fat Cat Quarters! Jeff, Barry and his nephew tackle new flexible track lighting in the theater- it's way cool by the way! There's my goofy mug helping Barry put together the new screen for the theater room- the company sent white gloves so we wouldn't get oil from our skin on it! (They better have- it wasn't the cheapest of our recent purchases!) Next, Barry snaps one of 53 fasteners for the screen! After the screen was hung, Barry went fishing for wires in the wall for the speakers, but Jeff caught Barry instead! Tyff and Jeff join us on our late dinner out discussing the big project we have coming up soon! There's me working hard at my new desk :) Not. I caught a quick pic of Ally being a cheese shortly after. See, she's working! How could I forget the latest crisis to slow us down? The water leak in the basement. We installed a new faucet and well, let's say the connections weren't quite perfect. We came home to a lake of water ontop of the sheetrock that had to be fixed! Have I mentioned my husband LOVES plumbing? HA!

Almost There!

We hope everyone had a most wonderful Thanksgiving and you were able to take time with your families and be thankful for all that you have. We are very thankful for our family and friends, our furry children and a growing business. And so we thought we'd take just a minute to post a few more pictures of the progress of the building. I'm trying to not give too much away on what the final rooms look like, as we'll post a video tour when the building is complete, but we'd also like to see all of you at our open house to come and see in person! The pictures just don't do the building justice anyways :)

Remember, we're hosting a contest to name the building, so put your creative thinking caps on and start submitting! Be sure to keep up with the blog and what we're up to by subscribing to our blog (on your right) it's free!

Pictures below are: Steph admiring her new rug making sure carpet will match- it does! A nice blurry shot of Barry setting up our TV in our office/consult area. Jeff and his Dad building walls for sets in the shooting area while Tyff and Bear supervise. Tyffany hard at work ripping out old yucky carpet in the media room, in her own words "I LOVE DEMO!" Check out that face. You worked hard, Tyff! There is Barry's hands putting our new 106" screen together for the media room- it's way cool! And finally Tyff takes a break with Lucky. Oh, and that cute picture up top, that's Tyffany cleaning the framing cabinet, she was the only one small enough to fit in! :) Sorry Tyff!

Help!

As many of you know, Fat Cat Productions is moving into a studio, space shared with our friends at T&J Studios in Valley Center. We were working on the studio late one night this week when we were trying to come up with a name for the building/studio itself. We had lots of great ideas come to the table, but none seemed to catch our attention and hold it as the "one".
So another idea came to the table via Tyffany and Barry- let's ask our clients and blog readers for suggestions and hold a sort of a contest to name the new building! If you have lived in Wichita for a long time, something similar to what Coney Island did when they turned into "Spangles". There will be a prize involved, although unfortunately not as big as the one Spangles dished out-a cruise to an exotic location! But it will still be lots of fun to see all the submissions!

We ask that submissions be sent to Tyffany, Jeff or the Fat Cat's via email. Friends and family are welcome to join in the fun! Everyone of all ages can submit ideas. Please title your email "Name Contest", submit your idea, as well as your name and age (prize will be age-driven). And so you have an idea what we are after, keep the following items in mind:

The type of building it is. (a quonset)
The interior. (warm colors but clean, neat and modern)
The type of businesses. (photo, video, art forms, creativity, etc. we aren't strictly weddings, we also do corporate work and other projects)
Short and easy to remember name.
Preferably fun and easy to spell :)

We will compile all the names and review them seeing if anything strikes our fancy within the next few weeks and hopefully post a winner in a future blog entry. Here are some pictures to give you some ideas- HAVE FUN!

Yawn!

There has been so much going on at FCP that we have not posted to the blog in a while or as much as we would like to. Editing takes precedence over blogging :) We have been making several trips back and forth to the new studio, several times a day sometimes, and we are editing when we are not there working on stuff. We finished a corporate project this week and will be posting the Reznicek prequel in the next 2 days. We have some more big news coming near the 12th of November and an exciting online project we are excited to announce soon as well. In the meantime, we will be editing...

Please enjoy these recent construction pictures of the new building, it's coming along nicely. Tyffany and Jeff are now operating from the new location amidst the construction, so if you come for a visit, bring your hard hats! Just kidding! We aren't quite done remodeling yet and will have an open house as soon as everyone gets settled! We'll be sure to post the date as soon as we know it! Look for it sometime around the New Year for right now, we'd love to have you!

Below, Tyff and Brett watch as the guys from TK Fast install the phone system. And everybody at work, while I document :)


Sparks fly as the door is cut to make way for a new floor. And Jeff in his hip hop hat painting the consultation room.

Barry working on our new wall in the office. You won't believe what color it is now! And oops. Somebody fell through my celing while installing phones or internet. (It's fixed now. )
And I thought I was bad picking out my paint chips! Jeff's office looked like Home Depot for a while! Tyff shows off Maggie's pumpkin outfit on Howl-oween. Steph and Bear strike a goofy pose. Ah, power tools- I removed all the outlet covers myself! Jeff skimming the walls in his office. I'm really digging the hat!





One tired kitty! Sebastian demonstrates how we have felt this week! He's just too much!