White Love Story

A couple months ago we had the pleasure of meeting Katie and Scott. They were interested in shooting a Love Story after seeing a friends at one of our recent weddings. We first filmed Scotts interview at his church and then set a date and off to Tulsa we went to film Katie's interview and also some b roll to fill in the story. What a great time! Scott and Katie were married over the Holiday weekend and we'd like to share their story with you. Scott and Katie, thanks for letting us share your story! Congratulations to you and many best wishes for years to come!

Life's a BEECH! (AKA: The Riffel-Beech Wedding)

Not exactly the kind with beautiful white sand, gorgeous sunshine or fruity drinks with miniature umbrellas- but the kind with two of some of the best folks in the world tying the knot last weekend! Last Saturday Fat Cat was pretty busy. We first met Jessica and Chris after Jessica saw our Baby Announcement on Facebook we did for a friend. They came to meet us and booked a wedding movie package that included a Love Story. It was great fun getting to know Chris and Jessica during the Love Story. We shot it at Jessica's fathers hangar in front of his awesome blue and gold biplane. Then we were able to get some great b roll shots the following week (after a snow/rain delay!) at Prairie Pines Tree Farm. We pieced the story together just in time for the wedding day!

Jessica chose to get ready at home where she was most comfortable, with her family and friends with her. Jessica was really calm and just ready to finally be down the aisle! No worries even when printing last minute programs. It was a very relaxed atmosphere. Jessica did hair and make up at the house then headed to the church (East Point Church of Christ), dress in tow to finish up there and meet Chris prior to the ceremony for all the pictures. The bridesmaids were dressed in black and carried an assortment of brightly colored bouquets that showed off a great contrast with the dresses for spring time. Jessica chose a Maggie Sattero strapless with souffle skirt (one of my favorites!) with accompanying tiara and veil.

In the meantime, the guys were being guys hanging out at the Alley and enjoying some friendly competition on the go-cart track! Our friend Deanna pitched in as second shooter at this wedding and got right in the middle of the action riding a go-cart herself to pull off some fun shots! (Thank you Deanna!) After letting off some steam the guys headed back to the church to get into their tuxes. Chris's son Kyler was ring bearer and just about upstaged the groom in his perfectly fitted tux!

Chris was admittedly nervous before seeing Jessica for the first time, but a big sigh of relief and relaxing smile covered his face when she finally came in to tap him on the shoulder!

Pictures followed, as many as possible dodging a quick rainshower and then the ceremony took flight at 6 pm. One of the neatest things about this ceremony I thought was the music. Chris is in a barber shop quartet and he rocks! He sang to his bride during the ceremony and had incredible back up! They didn't waste any time though, the ceremony lasted about 30 minutes and they were off with bubbles and cheers to the purple K-State bus and on to Exploration Place for the reception after being announced as husband and wife!

There we got to get some fun shots at the Keeper of the Plains prior to the grand entrance of the couple. The couple was able to sit down for a few minutes for dinner while guests watched the Love Story. There were plenty of laughs, but more hilariously gasps as the crowd reacted to the story when Chris dropped the bomb that they had already eloped in Vegas! You could see relieved looks on their faces shortly after when Chris then followed it up with a "just kidding!". They had completely punk'd their guests!

The couple then cut the cake and received toasts from the Maid of Honor, and Chris's Best Man, his brother, who stole the show with one line punches and stand up comedy!

The first dance quickly followed and special dances with parents prior to the party. The big hit of the party was the Flip Flop Bucket provided by Tinley with brightly colored flip flops so the ladies could ditch the high heels and cut loose! The newlyweds completely enjoyed their time with friends and family and at last Facebook check were thoroughly enjoying themselves in Hawaii!

To Chris and Jessica, thank you so much for having Fat Cat as a part of your day and being so flexible with crew changes for part of the day! We are very happy for you and your families, it was great to get to know them as well! We hope the long awaited trip to Hawaii was worth it and please do tell us all about it when you return! Hope you were able to partake in many fruity drinks with mini umbrellas! Keep in touch, we must do OC again when you are able to make it back to town. Chris, good luck with the remainder of school, you'll do awesome, must come see you for an adjustment when you are all done! :) Congratulations!
Come back to the blog in the coming weeks for the Beech Prequel!

This weddings vendors:

Venues- East Point Church of Christ and Exploration Place

Photographer- Milly Rose Photography

Floral- Stems

Catering- Corporate Caterers

Planning- Tinley Innes, Jubilations Events

Cake- Artistic Cakes

DJ- Scott Ward, Accent Mobile Music

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!

Reibenspies-Gering and the Fat Cat's Mexican Adventure!

Well, what can we say? It was an awesome trip to Mexico this past week. We had been looking forward to this trip for quite some time. Our bride and groom, Stacey and Greg booked a destination package with Fat Cat to document their oceanfront wedding in Puerto Morales, Mexico near Cancun. We also were able to double up the trip making it a vacation of sorts for us. I'll try to give you all the rundown without being too winded.

Our flight was booked out of Kansas City direct to Cancun on the 5th so we went up the night before to be ready for a 7 am flight on the 5th. It seemed we'd never get out of town and we arrived to KC around 9:30 pm, then needed dinner and a Wally World run. Needless to say we had about 3 hours sleep that night. We headed to the airport that next morning only to find Cancun airport delayed our flight an hour. This was not welcome news as we had a Scuba diving certification to get to at 1 pm Cancun time. So after waiting as patiently as we could, we were off and landed in Cancun only to find ourselves waiting in line at baggage. Customs was a breeze. Then the 20 minute cab ride to El Cid Resort. We barely walked in the door and met up with the bride and groom who'd been there for 2 days already, sunburnt but relaxed. Our room was not ready so we dumped the baggage in their room and we all headed off together to the dive shop immediately; making it in record time!

The ocean was gorgeous, but it was very rough and terribly windy. There were 5 of us, as the bride was unable to dive that day, and needless to say we were all a little nervous about the huge waves bouncing us around in the boat! I've been on Cheney Lake on a good windy day, but this was something else! We geared up and sat on the edge of the boat entering the water backwards! Once I realized I was going to survive, I tried to get to the bottom (only 8 or 9 feet down) and never could as I was having problems with my vest. The current carried my unhappy self to a place in the ocean the boat was just barely able to get to in case we needed rescued :) and Barry and Greg came up trying to help me. The boat headed my way was a welcome site. The dive master said had we gone much further his boat would not have been able to get to us- GREAT! Nice way to start the trip. I was frustrated and mad and wanted back in the boat ASAP. So, we decided we'd try another day if the weather cooperated more.

Heading back dissapointed but happy to not have been washed out to sea, we finally got checked into our room and got to spend some great time with the bride and groom at the pool, at dinner, and elsewhere.

The second day we decided to head to Playa del Carmen just down the road for some shopping, great food, and some great laughs with the rest of the group. It was a good thing the groom spoke some spanish to help us all out! After a phenominal dinner back at the resort, we headed to bed and the next day geared up for our next adventure to the Island of Isla Mujeres! This was again a phenominal time. We ferried over then split our group of 8 up (9 counting the brides daughter) onto two different golf carts and drove all over the island looking for adventure. The island is only 7 miles long and everyone rides mopeds and golf carts, with some very small cars on the road as well. Most all the ladies decided we all wanted to go swim with the dolphins at Dolphin Discovery. I had done this once before on our cruise to Mexico at an aquarium, but this was completely different in the ocean! We all were able to interact with Louis the dolphin and get a belly ride and a foot push. Awesome critters. After drying out we had a little bit of time to return our golf carts and head to a great dinner on the beach near sunset and headed back to the resort via the ferry. I wished we'd had time to visit the turtle farm, but maybe another trip :)

The bride and groom decided they would like to come back to the island after the wedding for a photo shoot.

Tuesday was the big day for Stacey and Greg, and what we had come all this way for. Everyone was excited. We all met for breakfast and then headed to the spa while Stacey did a run through on her hair for the evening. Her friends surprised her with a bottle of champagne for the ladies and bridal gifts. Stacey was also surprised receiving a massage of her choice after finishing her hair that all the ladies pitched in to get. I was able to enjoy an 80-minute therapeutic ts'aak massage. All I can say is, that is something I could quite easily make a habit out of! Why was I not pampering myself before!? Anyways, afterwards there was no time to spare gathering equipment while Barry hung out with Greg and I followed Stacey to her room while she prepared for the wedding. She wore a white, sheer, strapless gown she purchased in Kansas City from Amore Bridal. White flip flops completed her beach look! The groom donned a casual tan suit with dark brown flip flops, but went barefoot for the ceremony. Stacey's flowers were provided by the resort and were vibrant oranges, creams, and other spring/summer colors. Stacey's daughter, Maddie was the flower girl in a simple white sundress and flip flops carrying a matching bouquet of flowers.

The resort sent an escort at a quarter to 6 to Stacey's room. Stacey, Maddie and I all rode on a golf cart to the beach. I was dropped off early at the beach and Stacey was escorted to the end of the pier to make her walk down this very different "isle"! She was preceded by Maddie.

It was a small private wedding, with no wedding party, and only 9 guests including Barry and I. A friend of the groom's came all the way from Iraq, where he lives and works. The crashing waves of the ocean were our backdrop with a bit of wind carrying pelicans and seagulls above us. A very short ceremony followed with friends signing the marriage license and the couple sharing in a unity sand ceremony with daughter Maddie. After the wedding, we had a chance to get some fun ocean shots on the beach and on a beached catamaran with friend and photographer, Dr. Matt Moll.

Dinner followed at the Alcazar at the resort and lots of champagne and toasts! I even got to sneak up to the newlyweds room before they did to get a shot of rose petals scattered throughout!

The next day several of Greg and Stacey's friends had to leave for the states, but we were able to stay and have a grand time with the newlyweds. We started out the day meeting Greg and Stacey at the pool to have some fun and "take the plunge" from the diving rock at the pool. We also conducted our on camera interviews with each of them since they will be receiving our new style of editing and storytelling- we like to call it a "cross-over"! It's similar to a Love Story and wedding video rolled into one, we can't wait to show you! Then we again headed into town to get that much awaited scuba certification! The seas were much calmer and we geared up and rolled out into the waves over the edge of the boat. Effortlessly gliding down to 30 feet below the surface to kneel on the sand below, the certification and skills went much smoother than I expected. After a practice emergency accent, we were done! And wishing we had more time to spare to follow the fish around and enjoy the time a little more. But we had to dry off and head back to El Cid to pick up the bride and groom for their photo session on the island of Isla Mujeres!

We crammed in a taxi, wedding dress in tow and after the ferry ride across the ocean, Stacey was a trooper changing into her dress in the tiniest, near to next dirtiest bathroom we've seen and promptly jumped on the back of a moped rented by her new husband! We followed in a golf cart getting shots of them riding through the streets of Isla Mujeres while bystanders clapped and cheered. It was also quite commical with one of the many stray dogs in town jumping onto the moped with NO prompting wanting to go for a ride! So off they went! Too hilarious. Time went by so fast we headed to the beach for sunset pictures and a dip in the ocean!

After an incredible meal at a local restaurant, we again climbed aboard the ferry and headed for a well deserved rest before the flight home early the next morning. We again, got about 3 hours sleep by the time we shared drinks with Greg and Stacey, rinsed and repacked scuba gear and cameras. Flights again were delayed but we were finally able to make it to the states and smooth sailing through customs. We were still so tired on the drive home from KC we stopped in Emporia for a good nights rest before sailing the rest of the way in.

To Greg and Stacey, thank you so much for letting us be a part of your spectacular day and your trip. We are very excited to put the edit together. We look forward to your reception here at home and most importantly, a long friendship in the future. LET'S GO DIVING!

Enjoy the photos we have posted here of the trip and check out the prequel at the end of the post!

Here's Barry saying hi at the pool, working on the tan that quickly turned into a sunburn in about 15 minutes! This is a view of the resort beach from the pier the wedding was held at. Stacey reads a letter handwritten from her daughter Maddie at the salon, Maddie also presented her with a beautiful necklace and pendant. Maddie playing with our underwater housing in the waves, look out everyone, she could be our future competition! Pelicans sun themselves on the rock ledges at the Garrafon Dolphin Discovery. Pelicans were absolutely everywhere! Another critter sunning himself at the restaurant near the beach we snorkeled at on Isla Mujeres. Hmmm. What is that? Another animal getting some sun, that's Bear picking up in the "Jaguar" after our first scuba diving adventure. We ended up snorkeling near the beach here and saw baracuda! Ya, you guessed it, my silly mug snorkeling at Isla Mujeres trying to get some shots with my new underwater housing (good to 17 feet!) but I had a little issue with moisture and leakage, so we'll have to check that out. Haven't looked at the footage yet, I hope to soon! There's the camera (it stayed dry, but I didn't want to push my luck!) These pictures were taken with our still camera and underwater housing by Barry. He saw lots of cool critters- check them out!
This is some sort of ray, not sure what kind, but isn't it cute!? A closer look at the unknown sea creature!
The prized photo from the trip! Here is a sand ray Barry caught a glimpse of, I never saw him and I'm jealous! Isn't it awesome? This the Dolphinarium at Garrafon on Isla Mujeres. I thought it was neat to swim with the dolphins in the ocean instead of an aquarium like our last adventure in Mexico, both experinces were awesome though! That's our group lining up getting ready to enter the water.

So check out the prequel below and let us know what you think!

Pretty good for a Kansas kid huh?

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!

Lucky in Love 7/07/07

Well, that big day of the year has come and gone. Triple Sevens.
Today our 7/07/07 was spent with Jason and Stasi.
They started their day at the Church of the Magdalen getting dressed and completing their portrait session with Marcia Morrison and her photographers.
Stasi wore a beautiful Maggie Soterro strapless gown with soufle skirt and train. The bridesmaids had matching deep red strapless dresses. Stasi wore, as part of her something old, borrowed and blue, a garter her mother wore on her wedding day. Stasi was very intune to her and Jason's families and their marriages, displaying photos of their parents and grandparents on their wedding days on a table next to a board that had a montage of photos of Jason and Stasi as children, growing up and dating.
Jason and Stasi saw each other prior to the ceremony so that they could take all their photos ahead of time and have time to visit with friends and family after the ceremony.
The ceremony was beautiful and personal. Stasi's father sang two songs during the ceremony to his daughter and new son-in-law. One was the Hawaiian Wedding Song, as Stasi is Hawaiian. The guests sent the newlyweds on their way to a private photo session with Marcia Morrison at Bradley Fair by way of cascading bubbles outside the church.
While we were gone at the photo session, the guests were entertained at the reception hall at the church with the Love Story we shot several weeks ago. We made additional copies for them so they could pass them out to family and friends.
When Jason and Stasi returned from the photo shoot, they were able to cut their wedding cake and Jason's groom cake, which was cheesecake and grab a bite of dinner. Fazoli's catered.
After their first dance as husband and wife, the parents dances and such, Stasi's aunts performed a Hawaiian Hula Dance. But Stasi had a surprise of her own. She had been taking Hula Dance Classes prior to the wedding and sat Jason in a chair in the middle of the dance floor and danced for him. All the guests roared with applause!
It really was a great day for Jason and Stasi. They are now off to enjoy their honeymoon in Jamaica!
Stasi and Jason, thank you so much for letting us be a part of your day, we totally enjoyed getting to know you during the course of shooting the Love Story and had a wonderful time at the wedding. We wish you years of happiness together, you guys are really great and we appreciate you choosing Fat Cat to document your day!
Jason and Stasi's Wedding Prequel can be seen here in about 2 weeks. We will also post the Love Story as well! Thanks to Marica Morrison for sharing her pictures!

Click below to view their Love Story

Click below to view their Prequel

A Game of Cat and Mouse!!!

Today was fun. We were edit fools in the morning then had a Love Story Shoot this afternoon with Tamaira and Jonathan who will be getting married this September. What a fun couple! We started out at Bradley Fair for some B-roll, made our way to Tamaira's workplace for some shots and ended up at Riverside Park for the interview portion of the story. We set up in the area with the large stones and the sun dial, so we had a really unique backdrop. We had an even more unique subject to film. Although Tamaira was great, her pets stole the show!

Tamaira brought her cat Phoebe and some of her pet mice. Yes, I said mice, like as in M-i-c-k-e-y, why? Because she loves them! They are actually fancy mice and not at all like a "wild" mouse. Yes, they were all outside and well behaved! After the shoot, being the critter lover that I am, I couldn't resist getting to "play" with the cat and mice! (They actually get along!)

So I posted some fun shots before we called it a night. The animals are pretty integral to their story, but you'll have to wait till this Fall to see the completed story! The black and white mouse you see is "Split Decision" and the gold mouse is "Niblit", I'm sure I spelled it wrong, sorry Tamaira!

We still get to hang out with Tamaira and Jonathan again before the wedding to get more needed footage, we'll let you know if anything interesting happens then! And yes, I actually kissed the mouse....

Stay tuned!

Summer of Love

This year we have several of our Love Stories scheduled for brides and grooms. Love Stories are a video biography if you will, documenting how you met, fell in love, who proposed and how and your thoughts on your future life together as husband and wife. These are generally projected on the big screen for your guests at the wedding reception. These have become very popular add-ons in our packages this year.

Many of our brides tell us that they like the stories because it gives them a chance to introduce their spouse to the other side of the family. Many times the bride and groom have not met many of the relatives in their new families. For example, last fall we flew to Little Rock, Arkansas to film the story of Thomas and Jenny for their wedding this past January. They are both very involved in their church in Arkansas and the proposal took place in Arkansas, so it only made sense to go to Arkansas to complete the filming. You can check out thier story in the Gallery under "Upgrades".

In March of this year Kayla and Austin showed their story for guests at their reception. Many friends and family had no idea they met over the Internet, through Yahoo personals to be exact!

Another twist on the Love Stories is for currently married couples to document their life as well. We will be working with Shannon and Joe this summer. Joe and Shannon met us a few years ago after we filmed the wedding and Love Story of Joe's brother. This December, they will show their Story to guests at their 5th wedding anniversary party! We can't wait to post this one later this year, they are a phenominal couple full of life and the most carefree attitude of anyone I know!

So this past Wednesday we spent the day filming with Anastasia and Jason who will be married 7/7/07. We completed the interview portion of the story but the most fun part of the day was getting the casual shots we overlay in the video. We went downtown to the river where Jason proposed and reinacted it, and spent some time around the Hyatt where the two started feeling adventurous and played in the water-wall fountain! A stop at the newly renovated Keeper of Plains was also great! Playing softball was important to their story so we headed east to get some great shots of them pitching to each other, etc.

If you are interested in a Love Story, give us a shout, we'd love to talk to you!

Lights! (and they were cool!) Camera! ACTION!

Yesterday was a busy day for the Fat Cat Crew, not just on a personal level, but a business level as well.
Jenny and Thomas are a great couple who hired us to film their wedding this coming January and wanted their Love Story documented as well. They are another destination wedding for FCP, getting married here in Wichita, but currently residing in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The day began about 7 am when we arrived at a local airport to board a Cessna 172 and have our good friend fly us to Little Rock to shoot for the day. One thing we had never thought about was traveling light with mounds of camera equipment. Luckily for us, Thomas is way-connected in the video business in Little Rock and was able to pre-light our interview set before we arrived! This saved us a great deal of weight for the flight (and set up time on the ground). It was by far the best lighting we could have ever asked for- thanks Steve!

We took off for a gorgeous, perfect flight shortly after 8 am and landed in Little Rock right about noon. None too soon for me! It sure spoils you flying commercial with bathrooms on board! :)

Jenny's back yard was the backdrop for some lively interviews as well as our rendition of the newleywed game! And we were treated to a great lunch from Firehouse Subs! Then there was no time to spare and it was off to their proposal site on a wooded hilltop overlooking the river in a convertible BMW for some more b-roll. We can't spoil the surprise, so you'll have to wait to see how Thomas proposed until the final story is complete!

As nightfall came we headed back to the airport for the long flight back home. It sure is a different experience flying at night when your GPS goes out! Thank goodness we could see the ground and Barry has had experience flying with our pilot from previous employment and some aeronautical sense about him as he navigated and acted as co-pilot! Way to go Webby!

A safe landing followed at almost midnight and then the long drive home again. It was a long day for sure, but we had a lot of fun lauging and "hanging out" with Thomas and Jenny. They will be wonderful to work with in January, so watch for their prequel then!

Thomas and Jenny- thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for the prayers for Grizwald before we left.

Steph