November 28, 2011
We see the term "perfect" used to describe weddings a little too much. So what makes a wedding perfect? Really all it takes is a couple that's in love. What made this wedding such a pleasure to be a part of was that the couple was super in love. You can see it. You can hear it. You can FEEL it.
And with the help of wedding Planner Belinda Norris, and an amazing team of wedding professionals, this couple was able to create an expression of their personalities and of that love. Everything from their choice of processional music, to their own vows ("thank you for being awesome" and "I can't wait to be your wife") to their choice of ring bearer (their beloved doggy).
Add to the fun and personal nature of this wedding the fantastic location on the shore of Lake Champlain. This wedding passes all the tests. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll tingle, and you'll admire.
enjoy
Jorie & Hal August 20, 2011
Posted by Marion Abrams.
October 18, 2011
This was an extraordinary wedding. On August 28th life changed for the people of Pittsfield Vermont. Tropical storm Irene struck hard, it destroyed 9 homes in a town of 427 people, and it cut off the roads completely to the north and the south. Pittsfield was an island, with no power and no phone service. But something amazing and beautiful happened. The community grew. Whatever you needed, someone had for you. A makeshift medical clinic was set up in the library, food and water distribution in the Volunteer Firehouse, freezer emptying cook outs on the green, and a makeshift school and soccer games for the kids. Bicycles and ATVs replaced cars for transportation, and hugs replaced nods as the standard greeting in town.
Brian and Del'Rae had been planning their wedding for over a year. Two weeks after the floods things were getting better around town, but travel was still very difficult and both Brian and Del'Rae seemed to spending all their free time helping out their neighbors. This is where the wedding got special. They decided to hold the wedding in Pittsfield, instead of in a neighboring town as they had originally planned. So the church where morning town informational meetings had been held would hold the wedding ceremony. Sharon Mayer, an event planner at Killington, volunteered to help them get organized. Riverside Farm (who had postponed an out of town wedding due to the flood) donated space in their beautiful wedding barn. The drinks were served by the folks from the Clear River Tavern (Jason, who had been manning cook outs on the green and Doug, who had been busy with his duties as town constable). Food was provided by the Swiss Farm Inn. Flowers were provided by the Pittsfield Garden Center. And many other folks stepped up to help out. I did what I do, I donated a wedding video.
When you watch the video you'll see Brian and Del'Rae unloading and handing out supplies, you'll see a little of the flood, you'll see the National Guard passing through, you'll see our neighbor Ottell sending the couple off with an old fire horn from the PVFD, you'll see a lot of love and celebration, and finally you'll see the town of Pittsfield sign that was washed away and recovered.
Enjoy!
Posted by Marion Abrams.
September 26, 2011
Posted by Marion Abrams.
September 20, 2011
Pittsfield celebrated recovery from Irene with a wedding. Brian and Del'Rae spent the weeks after Irene working and volunteering around town. They didn't have much free time to make a new plan for their wedding. Because roads were still not safe to travel, the wedding moved from an out of town site to an in town site. After Saturday's town wide meeting (the last in a series of meetings that began when the town was cut off by road damage caused by Irene's floods) volunteers stayed to clean the church for the ceremony. Meanwhile local wedding venue Riverside Farm had postponed the big out of town wedding planned for that day, so they offered their space to Brian and Del'Rae. An event planner from Killington resort pitched in working with the Riverside team to make sure things rand smoothly. Folks from the Swiss Farm Inn, Clear River Tavern, and other community members provided food and drink, and the couple road from the wedding to the reception in one of the local volunteer fire department's trucks. It was a great way to celebrate after a lot of hard work, and I'm sure many other people pitched in in ways I don't know about. I donated a wedding video, and when it's edited, I'll post it here. In the meantime, here's a :15 second preview.
Posted by Marion Abrams.
September 20, 2011
It's nice to be able to give back. This year Randi Nonni of SIlver Toad Floral made it easy for many Vermont area wedding vendors to do that. She organized a competition for the 2011 "Deserving Couple" wedding. You can read about the winning couple on her web site.Here is the video we donated, and below a lits of all the great wedding professionals who pitched in to make it a fantastic day.
Accommodations: The Inn at Essex
Bar Service: Fluid Bar Service
Cake & Cupcakes: The Little Purple Cake Shoppe (Cake Pops) / Irene’s Cakes by Design (Cake)
Calligraphy: Megan Chapin Calligraphy
Catering: Susanna’s Catering
Child Care: Vermont Nanny Connection
Coordination: Storied Events
Entertainment: Top Hat Entertainment
Event Rentals: Weddings, Tents, and Events
Floral Design: Silver Toad Floral Design
Gown: David’s Bridal
Hair: Hair Creations, Etc.
Invitations/Menus/Place cards: That’s Inviting
Linens: The Linen Shop
Makeup: Cynthea’s Spa
Photography: Orchard Cove & Barrie Fischer
Reception Site: BCA Center
Transportation: Ethan Allen Coachworks
Tuxedo: Mcneil and Reedy
Veil & Headpiece: David’s Bridal
Videography: Tweed River Video
Wedding Officiant: St. Joseph’s Co-Cathedral
Posted by Marion Abrams.
August 23, 2011
THE SWEETEST RING BEARER  AND A GORGEOUS VIEW... 
Posted by Marion Abrams.
August 1, 2011
I love working with creative couples, this wedding at the Mountain Top Inn in Chittenden Vermont provided so many fantastic images the greatest challenge was selecting the best. I hope you enjoy the story of Shana & Jamie's wedding in 3 minutes as much as I do.
Posted by Marion Abrams.
July 11, 2011
Jennifer and Jeff have been together, well, let's just say a while. She walked down the aisle to the song "At Last." And yet there was a great feeling of anticipation before their wedding. Was it the sense of early spring? Knowing everything was just about to burst into bloom? Watch the nervous excitement and Jennifer and Jeff prepare, then see each other for the first time on their wedding day.
Here's what the bride had to say: "Just a quick note to let you know that we FINALLY got to sit down last night and watch the video!Thank you SO SO SO Much!It absolutely captured the feeling of the day! And we know we will love showing it off to our family and friends!And of course, we will be watching it over and over!Thank you so much for being a part of our day!!!! Love, Jennifer"Location: Mountain Top Inn
Planner: Storied Events
Flowers: The Painted Tulip
Photographer: Andy Duback
Posted by Marion Abrams.
May 27, 2011
Amazing. Yes, it rained. Then suddenly it stopped, just long enough for Chelsea the wedding coordinator at Mountain Top Inn to gather everyone up and allow Shana and Jaimie to have the outdoor ceremony they hoped for. Just a few minutes after the ceremony, more rain. And then, to top it all off, the rainbow.
Here's a :30 second sneak preview.
Posted by Marion Abrams.
May 5, 2011
STEP 1 - Love the video!
It can be easy to get so caught up in budgets, schedules and availability that you forget to see if you actually like the work of your vendors. So step one, look at samples and make sure you choose someone whose work clicks for you. Most videographers have samples on line, so this is much easier than it was just a few years ago. Think about how the video makes you feel when you watch it, and how you want to feel 1 year, 2 years or 10 years from now when you revisit your wedding day. Once a videographer’s work has passed the “love it” test it’s on to step two.
STEP 2 - Like the person!
Even more important than good work is the right personality. Remember that having a great wedding is the one thing that’s more important than having a great video. Your videographer will be at your side most of the day. Is he or she pleasant? Easygoing? Professional? Cheerful? First find out who will actually be shooting the wedding (in a boutique shop like mine I shoot all my weddings, in some larger companies there may be several videographers). Then see what couples have said about working with that person. Check independent reviews on sites like WeddingWire, and ask wedding professionals like florists, photographers and planners. They have a good sense of who has a professional manner and is enjoyable to work with. If you can, have a quick face to face meeting with the videographer, if not you can tell a lot from a phone call.
STEP 3 - Nuts and Bolts.
You’ve determined that you like your videographer’s work and personality, now you move on to the nuts and bolts. Some advice columns recommend you ask technical questions like how many cameras, what format, and what type of mic.s a videographer uses. In my opinion if you like the finished work, and you like the person, the equipment they use doesn’t matter. There is one exception. I would suggest asking what back up plans they have in place, things can go wrong with equipment, and a good professional will have a back up camera standing by, and more than one means of recording sound.
STEP 4 - Communicate
What else can you do to insure the best possible video? Two things, one: let your videographer know how you feel, so he or she can be an effective partner. Are still photos more important than video, that's ok, but it helps if we know. Do you hate bright camera lights, we can work around that. Two: do your best to keep the videographer informed. If an important toast is about to start your videographer needs to be in place before it begins in order to catch it all. Give your videographer a rough schedule of the day with stars on events that are most important to you, then assign your planner or a family friend as a liaison to give your videographer a heads up if something important is about to happen.
When you find great partners, you and your wedding professionals will work together toward the same goal, to create and capture a beautiful day.
Posted by Marion Abrams.
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About Me
I studied painting at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and Film at NYU, then started a career in documentary filmmaking in New York City. I soon realized the city life was not for me. After time in Aspen and in Rockport Maine I came to Vermont for a seasonal television job in the ski industry and never left. I have run my own video production business, Madmotion, llc., since 1996.
I started Tweed River Video specifically for wedding video work in 2003. In addition to weddings I continue to work in documentary, commercial and sports video production and design.
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