Greentree Country Club Wedding - Preethi & Adish Highlight Reel

Yacht sangeet, beach wedding venue and beautiful bride and groom. It can't get better than that. Preethi and Adish got married at Greentree Country Club in New Rochelle, NY. They planned their Sangeet festivities on the Atlantis Yacht. What a great idea to start the wedding festivities. 

We were referred to Preethi and Adish by our dear friend Yogi Rana from Boston Sound and Light. Right after talking to them, we knew we have a right match. They loved our work and we loved them. They wanted something modern and storytelling. I always encourage my brides and grooms to do either interview or vows. Every bride and groom are not into interview style audio and unfortunately, Indian wedding does not have vows so we decided to record vows after the ceremony on the beach at Greentree Country Club. I put them on the spot to do vows because I believe that is the only way to get raw emotions. They were so surprised that they did it so well just in one try. 

Their Sangeet took place on the Atlantis Yacht for four hours. The yacht started from Brooklyn and went all the way up to the downtown NYC where guest were able to enjoy the evening skyline view of New York city and statue of liberty. My fav part of Sangeet was when Preethi and Adish decided to say "I love you" in the language they do not know. It was really sweet and fun and now we have captured it for lifetime. Biggest challenge was to takeoff and land drone from moving yacht. It was my first time doing it and it was way harder than I thought due to high wind and moving yacht. It was a challenge but we did it without any hiccups. Wedding was held at Greentree Country Club which was even more fun. 

Weather was perfect for 45 minutes of baraat and outdoor ceremony. Shobha Shastry from Alankar Event Planners & Decor did great job decorating the mandap and the reception room. I love outdoor ceremony because we can use drone for some shots such as bride walking down the aisle. Our brides and grooms love such shots. Greetree Country Club wedding of Preethi and Adish went by real quick but we captured each and every important moments of the day so they can relive it for their entire lives.     

We do not offer wedding photography but here are some images which we extracted from the wedding film. 

Atlantis Yacht for Wedding

Preethi Chauhan and Adish Kasi

Preethi and Adish

Indian Wedding Cinematographer NY

Greentree Country Club Wedding

Indian Bridesmaids

Tao and Tony's Oheka Castle Wedding

Here is Tao and Tony's Oheka Castle wedding highlight reel. When the Chinese bride wants little Bollywood in her wedding film, we are up for the challenge. It was an honor to film Tao and Tony's wedding. First time when I talked to Tao Tao (Abbie), first thing she said was “I love your work and I really want you to film my wedding. What do you need from me?”. I knew right away that we are about to film a wedding for the bride who will be so awesome to work with. I was 110% right. I had a blast filming there wedding which took place at Oheka Castle,Huntington, NY. 

After we finished all the formalities, we started talking more about the wedding film we want to create which would truly capture who they are. I quickly learned that Abbie is a huge Bollywood fan. She said “I got to have a shot in which we both run towards each other and then hug”. One can’t get more Bollywood than that. Such a simple thing for me to do but it meant lot to Abbie. The point I am trying to make here is that understanding what our clients want is our highest priority. Two brides can’t be same so it is SO important for us to know each of them and create something truly personalized. There Oheka Castle wedding was no less than any Bollywood movie. 

You may have noticed that I am keep saying “bride” and there is no mention of the groom and here is why. Tony is the coolest groom I ever met. He is so cool that first thing he said is “Nayeem tell me what you want me to do and I will do it. All I want is that Abbie is happy and she gets what she wants in her wedding film”. It goes without saying that Abbie wanted Oheka Castle wedding.    

Their wedding day was just perfect. If I remember correctly, it was 70 degrees and little wind which was just perfect for outdoor ceremony. My favorite part was the release of white doves. According to the officiant “The actions of the doves demonstrate this beautifully. Once released, the doves fly higher and higher together as they seek their way home.” I have to admit one thing. We though it will be easy to follow the doves with the drone to get a cool shot but we were no where near it. It was just impossible but we were able to capture some great shots of the Oheka Castle wedding ceremony with the drone.

After Abbie show the highlight reel, she said “It’s beautiful and we are speechless. It is way better than we expected. Everyone is going to love it. Thank you so much”. Tony said “Nayeem keep doing what you are doing because you are great at it”. Nothing is more satisfying that hearing such great words from the bride and groom. 

Here are few screenshots from the highlight reel.

Oheka Castle Drone Shot

Oheka Castle

Carriage for Wedding

Puppy Wedding Dress

Red Dress for Bride

White Doves for Wedding

Red Dress for Reception

Wedding Rings Photo

Here is the list of awesome vendors:

Florist: Metro Floral Decorators
Hair: Make-Up Pro
Officiant: Reverend Will Mercer
Lighting: Ambient Events  
Photographer: Brian Hatton
Wedding Dress: Rosa Clara
Bride’s Shoes: Manolo Blahnik
Rings: Tiffany
Groom’s Attire: Zegna Couture
Photo Booth: Fun Booth
Horse & Carriage: Regal Carriage Inc

Five Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Wedding Cinematographer

Hiring a right wedding cinematographer should be top of your list because it’s an investment. Your wedding film will be watched by you for all your life and generations to come. If you are a bride and looking to hire a wedding cinematographer for to film you big day, asking right questions is the key. Here are five questions you should ask before hiring:

1.      What is your style? Most of them will say “we offer cinematographer”. Don’t buy into that because everyone calls themselves a wedding cinematographer vs wedding videographer. What you need to find out is how he/she will film your entire day starting from getting ready to end of reception. You want someone who is friendly, funny and patient so you can be comfortable being him/her being there with you entire day. Moreover, you want someone who doesn’t want you to pose for everything you do. Some posed pics may look good but when it comes to wedding film, candid moments is the best way to go. You don’t want cheesy posed wedding video.  

2.      Do you use drone? Old days were different when aerial shots were only seen in the Hollywood movies. Shots of you, your wedding venue and ceremony using the drone is mesmerizing and cinematic.  If the wedding cinematographer does offer drone coverage, find out if they have taken and passed the FAA PART-107 EXAM. FAA requires drone pilot to pass this exam in order to fly the drone legally.

3.      Do you edit and color grade the whole film or just past of it? Footage which comes out of the camera can be good but never perfect. It needs to be edited and color graded to make it more cinematic. There are many reasons/catches for one wedding cinematographer to be cheaper than the other one. One of the main reason is how they edit the final product/film. Editing and color grading takes at least 3 to 5 times longer than the actual shooting time. To keep package price lower, many wedding cinematographers color grade only highlight reel and not the whole wedding film.     

4.      Do you use slider, gimbal, camera crane or other tools except a tripod? Those days are gone when wedding videographers documented the whole wedding using a tripod. Wedding cinematographers use new tools to get creative angles and camera movements which are essential to make a cinematic wedding film.  

5.      How soon will I get my final film? Any wedding cinematographers book more weddings than they can handle so they deliver the final film after months. You want to hire someone who can deliver the film to you in the time which is acceptable to you and your family.  

Richa and Chris's Indian Wedding Videography at Trump National Golf Club Westchester, New York

When I talked to Richa and Chris first time, I asked them why are you hiring us and she said "you are the top Indian wedding videography  and cinematography production company out there. Each of your films are very unique and that is why we love you". I fell in love with them right away :). 

I always communicated with Richa and Chris by phone and first time I had chance to meet them was on the day of pre-wedding/concept video shoot. Very humble, sweet and ready to do whatever it takes to get something unique. Pre-wedding shoot was all day affair with lots of fun, excitement, hiking and boating (one more reason for me to love what I do). Rowing the boat was way harder than I thought but Chris did it like a pro even it was his first time. Filming solo for the concept shoot was a bad idea this time because hiking the mountain while carrying camera bag, tripod, drone and stabilizer is no less than marine training. With the help from Richa and Chris, we did make it up on the top with quite a few stops. 

It is no surprise that fusion weddings, weddings that combine two or more religions and/or ethnic backgrounds, are interesting and fun to film. Couples from different backgrounds can choose to celebrate their union in many ways. For Richa and Chris, it just made sense to have two separate weddings ceremonies since she is Sikh and Chris is Hindu. Their wedding took place at Trump National Golf Club Westchester New York, Very beautiful and scenic venue with great staff. This Wedding was very different from what we have done in past. They had two, Hindu and Sikh, ceremonies followed by the reception in the evening. It was very challenging because we had to do Same Day Edit but everything is possible with team Bliss Wedding Films. My fav part was the reception dance floor because when Punjabi Bhangra meets Tassa Dance, guests don’t stop dancing until end of the night.

Check out the their Hindu and Sikh fusion wedding video by Bliss Wedding Films, Indian wedding videography.

Thanks for all the vendors for making this event so beautiful:

Mehak Floral: http://www.mehakflorals.com/
DJ Arjun: http://www.djusouthasia.com/
Venue: http://www.trumpnationalwestchester.com/

Dhara and Ronak's Indian Wedding Movie at Sheraton Mahwah, New Jersey

Here is the Indian wedding movie from Dhara and Ronak's wedding festivities. There Mehndi night and Grah shanti vidhi took place at Dhara's house with close family and friends. There wedding took place in beautfiful Sheraton Mahwah, NJ. I personally love shooting backyard events because it's so beautiful to see everyone coming together to celebrate weddings festivities together over multiple days.  

During discussion with Dhara and Ronak, I learned their $2 story which is very unique and interesting. It's about $2 bill which Ronak gave it to Dhara as a good luck and was spent (by mistake) by Dhara but it came back to them. It was very important for us to capture it in the Indian wedding movie so their coming generations know that it was their destiny. 

When bride is walking down the aisle, we get great shot of groom's expression but Ronak gave us bonus clip during their first look. It was so cute to see Ronak crying out loud and Dhara laughing out loud when they show each other first time in the morning. One of my fav moment in the whole highlight film. 

Generally speaking, groomsmen got groom's back all day long but Ronak's groomsmen were unique. During Garba night, they decided to toss Ronak and then catch him before he goes on the floor. Everything worked out except the catching part and there was Ronak on the floor. Checkout the clip at 04:23. I was worried for a second but it turned out to be one of the funnest moment of the day. 

We love what we do just because weddings are full of moments waiting to be captured. Dhara and Ronak's wedding was no different and the result is awesome Indian wedding movie. Check it out and write your comments. 

Pooja & Dhru's Destination Indian Wedding at Belle Mer, Rhode Island

It was our first time shooting in Newport; what a beautiful location. Who needs Mexico when Newport is only four hour drive from New Jersey. Pooja & Dhru’s wedding took place at Belle Mer which is located on the Goat Island, Newport – RI. It is glamorous and contemporary aura provides the perfect venue for an exquisite oceanside wedding. Blue water, Beautiful day of month of June was perfect for outdoor ceremony and drone shots.

Generally speaking, we get booked in year or two in advance but somehow Pooja & Dhru found us about two months before their wedding day. It was pure luck that the dates were open and we got pleasure of capturing their Sangeet, Vidhi, Wedding & Reception. We all knew that we had very little time to prepare for the wedding but dedication from Pooja & Dhru and long phone conversations made it all possible. Shooting Sangeet and backyard Vidhi was nothing but fun and wedding day went smoothly without any hiccups; just perfect. Thanks to great group of friends and family.

Pre-wedding shoot was hot and sunny. Being on the beach is always fun but not when one is running around with stabilizer unless you have bunch of water bottles. Thanks to Pooja & Dhru for being in the sun for, I believe, 5 hours.

Big THANK YOU to DJ Yogz and his crew from Boston Sound and Light Company. They started the party of which seemed like it never stopped. Never seen dance floor so packed from beginning to the end of the night. Great music, great lighting and great team to work with.

This is the longest highlights we ever created because I had so much GOOD content to work with and so many beautiful moments. My fav is at 7:14 when Pooja’s mother is letting her pallu go during the bidai. Now that I am a father of one daughter, I knew how she was feeling and I was just lucky one to get that shot. Sometimes it is all about being at right place at right time.

Urvy & Timmy's Oheka Castle Wedding | Christian & Indian Fusion Wedding

Oheka Castle wedding of Urvy and Timmy was just perfect. I guess when all the stars are aligned, things are just perfect. Indian and Christian fusion wedding day of Urvy and Timmy can be described in three words: Fun, fun and more fun. All the wedding festivities took place at Oheka Castle Historic Hotel in Long Island, New York; one of my fav venue in East Coast. They celebrated their Mehndi (Henna), Hindu and Christian ceremonies outdoor with their close friends and family with beautiful garden in the background. It was an idle to fly around Drone to get aerial shots.

While editing the film, my priority was to show the merger of two cultures and two families which because one; I believe we were able to achieve that by overlapping vows and hindu slokas with ceremony clips. I was little nervous when I sent final reel to Urvy and Timmy. Within 5 minutes, I got text from Urvy “We LOVE it!!! Both of us cried!!”. I was happy because they cried because that is the only way for me to know that we did good job.

That being said, here is the highlight trailer from Urvy and Timmy's Oheka Castle wedding. 

MEANT TO BE – A Beautiful Wedding Film by Indian Wedding Videographer

Hitasha is a lead cake designer and owner of The Cakery Bake Shop and this girl can design cakes like no other. Being a South Asian Videography studio, we get to work with many vendors but it’s an honor when we get to film their own wedding.

During my early discussions with Hitasha and Kunal, I learned three things very quickly: they have a great love story, they love Bollywood and she is going to design her own cake. I knew that if we somehow capture these three things, we will achieve the goal of capturing something which means lot to them.

When it comes to Bollywood, what can be better than lovebirds in the rain? They loved the idea and we decided to go with it. Long story short, it was challenging but fun to capture rain shots without having Bollywood budget.

Since Hitasha is a cake designer she planned to make her own cake. I never knew what it takes to design one until I show her planning and designing it. She held intimate Mehndi event at her house with close families and friends. She planned to do final work on the cake right before putting mehndi on her hands. It was a perfect opportunity to film her while she is in the action.

Here are few of my fav moments:

0:44: Hitasha singing and explaining how the song is related to their relationship
02:44 – Hitasha working on her wedding cake
03:37 – They eating shadi ka ladoo (all those hindi speaking bride and groom knows the meaning)
04:02 – Rain shots

Thanks for all vendors for doing extraordinary job:

Bhargavi Arrunategui – Makeup Artist
Monita Bijoriya – Mehndi Artist
Sunny Minocha – DJ

We, South Asian Videography Studio, love to create and present wedding films which are unique and story telling. Comment below and let us know what you think.