Elysium Productions Blog http://www.elysiumblog.com/ Elysium Productions Blog en-us Welcome to Elysium Productions' Blog! http://www.elysiumblog.com/?postID=3&welcome-to-elysium-productions-blog http://www.elysiumblog.com/?postID=3&welcome-to-elysium-productions-blog Thu, 02 Aug 2007 07:37:00 GMT

Welcome to our newly updated Blog! Elysium Productions is the premiere choice for wedding cinematography in Orange County and beyond. Visit our website for more information.

Tip for ya: If you want to watch a specific video, click on that post to open it in its own window. This way only the selected video will load and will play for you faster! : )

Please submit as many comments as you like! We love hearing from you! Enjoy!

Please submit all media requests to info@elysiumproductions.com.

If you are a videographer looking to improve your craft, be sure to get on the Re:Frame mailing list!

If this is your first visit, or you just wanna see it again... To the right is our newest demo reel!



]]> Pelican Hill / Arthouse Platinum Feature / Suzanne & Max http://www.elysiumblog.com/?postID=304&pelican-hill-arthouse-platinum-feature-suzanne-and-max http://www.elysiumblog.com/?postID=304&pelican-hill-arthouse-platinum-feature-suzanne-and-max Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:25:00 GMT
So without further delay, here is a gorgeous wedding from Pelican Hill. I absolutely adore this couple and you may remember their Same Day Edit from an earlier post! Max was kind enough to do a guest blog post for me:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Suzanne and I met in 2006 at a Stanford vs. UCLA football game (my school against hers) which we were both invited to by a mutual friend. It was love at first sight, and though we were surrounded by many of our friends, we had an amazing first encounter.

I knew Suzanne was the one for me when we would spend countless hours together on the weekends, and I still wanted to keep being with her because we had so much we wanted to talk about and do together. She truly inspired me to grow and become a better person, and she lit up my days with her warmth and bright energy.

I planned a crazy, ultra-romantic proposal for her in Paris, complete with a horse-drawn carriage ride to a private capri boat on the Seine and getting down on one knee under the Lover's Bridge with people throwing rose petals at us from above. I think she liked that.

Thus, the theme of our wedding became modern Paris. Suzanne's and my favorite color was lavender/purple, so we chose that as our main wedding color. Because she was starting medical school, I took over most of the job of planning the wedding. I sort of went crazy designing my own custom Save-the-Date US Passport "To Love" (and Air France ticket) in addition to a custom box invitation in lavender silk with an Eiffel Tower holding the invitation scroll inside. I also really enjoyed making sure all of the many details supported the theme and inspired the feeling of Parisian romance for our guests. I couldn't have pulled everything off though without the help of Kathleen Cover, our awesome wedding coordinator.

The things we enjoyed most about our wedding day were finally being able to see everything come together, having our friends and family close to us, dancing the night away with our band, finally relaxing at our honeymoon, and of course the absolutely astounding same-day edit Elysium created (which has literally made people cry).

We want to sincerely thank our families for making this beautiful dream come true for us and all of our great vendors for providing their help. We will never forget that day, and we now have this beautiful video to commemorate it forever.

- Max

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------





Vendors:
Rabbi: Michelle Missaghieh
Cantor: Mark Saltzman
Event Filmmaker: Elysium Productions
Florist/Linens/Rentals: Square Root
Lighting: MI Media
Invitations: Designed by me, produced by Invitations by Ferial and Creative Works Designs
Venue/Catering: the Resort at Pelican Hill
Cake: Special Cakes by Ruben
Favors: Paulette Macarons
Entertainment: Sun Band
Photo: Yitzhak Dalal
Limo: Access Limo
Gown: Mark Zunino
Hair: Sean Smith
Make-up: Stephany Hor
Tuxedos: Men's Wherehouse
Bridesmaid Dresses: The Dessy Group/Bella Bridesmaid
Magician: David Minkin
Live Artist: Tom Fagan
Ice Carvings: Carving Ice
Wedding Coordinator: Kathleen Cover

]]> Balboa Bay Club / Arthouse Feature / Melissa & Chris http://www.elysiumblog.com/?postID=303&balboa-bay-club-arthouse-feature-melissa-and-chris http://www.elysiumblog.com/?postID=303&balboa-bay-club-arthouse-feature-melissa-and-chris Sat, 06 Mar 2010 15:12:00 GMT
Anyway for today's entry, check out the beautiful wedding of Melissa & Chris from the Balboa Bay Club! Enjoy!

Elysium Productions: Stylish & Contemporary Wedding Video in Orange County and Beyond!



]]> Vows - Bridepower's GI Gown Giveaway! http://www.elysiumblog.com/?postID=302&vows-bridepowers-gi-gown-giveaway http://www.elysiumblog.com/?postID=302&vows-bridepowers-gi-gown-giveaway Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:21:00 GMT VOWS (a bridal gown outlet center) wanted to give back to their community. They sat around the dinner table with their family and decided to give away THREE HUNDRED DESIGNER GOWNS (yes you read right) to US Military Brides who are serving our country. They partnered up with the USO in New England to arrange a day where brides who were either in the military or marrying someone in the military could come in, try on as many gowns as they wished, and walk out of the store with their dream gown COMPLETELY FREE. How amazing is that?? We were there to document it all and I can tell you from personal experience that it meant the world to these women - and their families. It was a very moving experience!




]]> Arroyo Trabuco / Wedding Highlights / Stacey & Stefan http://www.elysiumblog.com/?postID=301&arroyo-trabuco-wedding-highlights-stacey-and-stefan http://www.elysiumblog.com/?postID=301&arroyo-trabuco-wedding-highlights-stacey-and-stefan Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:14:00 GMT
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I moved out to California from Philadelphia in August 2005 to start a career in Event Planning. Shortly after, I kept on running into Stefan around town. Our dating began slowly and I was convinced we were just friends – but hey, I didn't know anyone out here so I needed friends. We did lots of fun things – mini golfing, bike riding, snow tubing, Duffy renting, and the list goes on. It was easy to just be together. Our friendship was the foundation of our amazing relationship today. I can honestly say he is the best friend I have ever had.

Every Sunday, Stefan and I talk about our upcoming week and what's on tap. Stefan volunteered to make dinner for us one particular Thursday night. When I came home, Stefan greeted me at the door telling me he had gotten me a surprise. I saw a white box on the kitchen table and went over to open it. It was a cupcake (my passion/obsession) and a note saying "I love you". Before I could process what was happening, Stefan grabbed my hand and got down on one knee. He told me how much he loved me and loved our adventures together and then asked me to marry him. My response was "yeah". I was so shocked and nervous (giggling and all) and speechless and excited at the same time. We kissed and having been caught up in the moment, I finally put the ring on. He walked over to the table and uncovered the camera that he had hid to tape the whole proposal! It was the best gift he could have given me. Then he took me out to dinner and when we arrived our friends were there to join us! After the excitement died down, I got to hear the whole backstory of the proposal – secret phone calls, emails and IMs to my parents. Hearing how hard Stefan worked to make it perfect made it that much more special.

Stefan and I got engaged in February and wanted a summer wedding but we didn't want to wait till the following summer, so we planned our wedding in 6 months. As a planner, I was very systematic in our to-do list – researching all options (ex. seeing 19 venues when we really knew Arroyo Trabuco was perfect), calendaring tasks, detailing timelines, focusing on thematic details. But the most important part of the planning was that we did everything (except dress shopping) together. Our wedding was a day for us about us by us. And everything that went into it showed that – our self-written vows, music we chose, cupcakes over cake. I guess you'd say the theme was US. That is our tip to future brides and grooms - if you remember what it's all about (the two of you) then everything will be perfect. We worked together each night on a task – printing menu cards, putting together out of town guest gift bags, creating table tents, choosing songs. My favorite details were that the tables were denoted by places Stefan and I had visited together, the escort cards were postcards from these various places, and the favor from Carroll Promotions was a pen (engraved with Signed, Sealed, Delivered – our first song) to write a note of advice/encouragement on the postcard to us to be mailed throughout the year. We tied in a color scheme of chocolate brown, latte, cream and bright green – this was in our invitations by Formal Impressions, linens from Fusion Linens, floral décor by Lavender Hill, in the groomsman's ties, and even in the cupcake tower by It's All About the Cake. Seeing all the details come to fruition and knowing that we worked together on it all made our day that much more meaningful.

As cliché as it sounds, our big day really did fly by. I remember being very present at the ceremony but after that it is just a blur. We wished that it could have lasted longer so that we could have danced to N'Demand through the night. The biggest thing I remember is smiling. Tiffany and Berit made me look and feel beautiful and all I did was smile – we were both so happy and our pictures from Joel Maus with Studio EMP and our amazing video from Elysium Productions show this. Our favorite moments were taking pictures and video of just the two of us after the ceremony. It was very important for us to have photos and video that captured the essence of the emotions of the day. The day does truly go by quickly and there is no way savor it without photo and video. It's the only thing left after your biggest day fades away. And each time we watch our video, we get to feel the wonderful emotions of the big day all over again (and huge smiles come back to our faces).

- Stacey

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Elysium Productions: Contemporary & Stylish Wedding Video in Orange County & Beyond!




Invitations: Formal Impressions
Hair: Tiffany Monday
Makeup: Makeup by Berit
Groom's Suit: Ralph Lauren
Bridal Gown: Galina Signature
Venue: Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club
Cake: It's All About the Cake
Florist: Lavender Hill Wedding & Event Floral
Linens: Fusion Linens Fusion Linens http://fusionlinens.com/
Ceremony Music & Band: N'Demand
Photography: Studio EMP
Event Filmmaker: Elysium Productions
Favors: Carroll Promotions

]]> Bride and Bloom / Silvie & Stan http://www.elysiumblog.com/?postID=300&bride-and-bloom-silvie-and-stan http://www.elysiumblog.com/?postID=300&bride-and-bloom-silvie-and-stan Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:08:00 GMT
I wanted to share the most beautiful spread from Silvie & Stan's wedding in Bride & Bloom magazine. Brides... go out to the store and buy this magazine at once. It's sooooo beautiful!

I'm currently in the process of editing our new demo reel (way overdue) and I can guarantee there will be a lot of clips from this wedding as everything about it was gorgeous and the couple is super sweet. I especially love their advice in this article. Major props go out to the super talented Ira lippke (fab photog), Nisie's Enchanted Florist, and Carolyn Chen (amazing designer/planner) for making this day so cool!






]]> Montage Laguna Beach/ Original Series Highlights/ Kacey & Stan http://www.elysiumblog.com/?postID=298&montage-laguna-beach-original-series-highlights-kacey-and-stan http://www.elysiumblog.com/?postID=298&montage-laguna-beach-original-series-highlights-kacey-and-stan Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:37:00 GMT Montage Resort & Spa. Take a peek into their day through the Original Series Highlights portion of their film!

------------------------------------------------------------------


Elysium Productions: Contemporary & Stylish Wedding Video in Orange County and Beyond!



]]> probably our most viewed video ever http://www.elysiumblog.com/?postID=296&probably-our-most-viewed-video-ever http://www.elysiumblog.com/?postID=296&probably-our-most-viewed-video-ever Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:50:00 GMT family portrait business. I clicked on her blog and there was a post about this video from her wedding. We had put it on youtube shortly after her wedding and it has had over 1,300,000 views!!!! And... it's still the most awesome first dance I've ever seen. The sheer length and talent it took to accomplish this is pretty incredible!



]]> Calamigos Ranch / Arthouse Feature / Romy & Ryan http://www.elysiumblog.com/?postID=295&calamigos-ranch-arthouse-feature-romy-and-ryan http://www.elysiumblog.com/?postID=295&calamigos-ranch-arthouse-feature-romy-and-ryan Tue, 16 Feb 2010 11:31:00 GMT
------------------------------------------------------------------


"Everything happens for a reason" has always been a personal motto for me when it comes to life, and meeting Ryan—at least in my opinion—was very much a matter of destiny and fate. There were several occasions when Ryan and I had nearly "met" during my four years of going to college with his high-school friends, but since he was attending a different college that was well over 700 miles away from me, we are now very realistic in conceding that it probably wouldn't have worked out for either of us. So, you can imagine that after four years of being told by mutual friends that we'd be perfect for each other, it seemed a little surreal that I would ever actually see this man face-to-face, much less spend the rest of my life with him.

When I finally met the fabled "Ryan" at a bar—ironically the very first day I moved home from college and we were finally living in the same city, AND completely by chance—my awe was a little more than love at first sight and probably a little influenced by the legend that had preceded him. Not only was he extremely handsome, intelligent, and clever, but he was kind and extremely chivalrous--the Prince Charming I had always dreamed about as a girl worshipping Sleeping Beauty had actually come to life! Two years later, our fairy tale romance continued when he swept me off to Italy for two weeks and proposed at sunset in our hotel room that overlooked the Italian Riviera, followed by renting our own private villa in Tuscany with (surprise!) our families. It was more romantic than anything I could have ever imagined or even dreamed of!

It will come as no surprise, given our story, that the general theme I envisioned for our wedding was a romantic, overgrown forrest. I believe my exact instructions to our florists at The Hidden Garden were "like something out of a fairy tale"—and boy did they deliver it! Calamigos Ranch in Malibu provided our venue (beneath a beautiful oak tree) and catered the reception. Our 12 member band, Entourage (from DeBois Entertainment) kept the party going all night, and of course, the finishing touch was our beautiful—and quite delicious—4 tiered cake from The Bread Basket. All of the events were captured by our favorite photographer, Drew B and immortalized by Elysium.

Leading up to the big day, the one piece of wisdom that every wedding veteran had given us was, "Try to enjoy and remember as much as you can—it all goes by so fast!" But hearing it and actually experiencing it are two totally different things, and as hard as I tried, much of the day was a blur. There is so much excitement and anticipation on the day of—and any one of my bridesmaids will tell you that I was an extremely calm and carefree bride-to-be—the moment I started walking down the aisle with my father a tidal wave of emotion swept over me and I became part bride, part zombie. I mean, I DID remember all of the big details—like seeing every single person who was meaningful to me in my entire life sitting in the audience and smiling, and the look on Ryan's face as he said his vows—but all of those tiny details I had spent an entire year agonizing over to get just perfect, they all just became part of the background. And that is why I am so grateful that we decided to hire a videographer to capture all of those special little details that all of the guests got to enjoy, but you barely have time to even glance at. Ryan had fought the idea at first saying, "but we're having a photographer. Why do we need a video, too?" That is, of course, until he discovered that they could film in HD, and the idea of having any moment of his life commemorated specifically for his precious flat screen became very appealing. Elysium, you may be getting a call about our first born child in the future...

My advice to other brides-to-be is: don't skimp on the details. I know planning a wedding can be really expensive and there are certainly ways to cut back, but don't forsake the only piece of the entire celebration that will last for years to come. By the time you get back from your honeymoon your flowers will have wilted, your cake will be eaten, you may not even be able to fit into your dress anymore (I know. It's frightening, isn't it?), but you will always have your wedding video to watch—perfect and timeless, and just as you hoped to remember it!

And now, it's my turn: enjoy every single moment of your engagement, planning, and the wedding itself—it really does go by SO fast!

~Romy



]]> Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel / Arthouse Feature / Lin & Jonathan http://www.elysiumblog.com/?postID=293&ritz-carlton-laguna-niguel-arthouse-feature-lin-and-jonathan http://www.elysiumblog.com/?postID=293&ritz-carlton-laguna-niguel-arthouse-feature-lin-and-jonathan Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:15:00 GMT Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel where Carolyn Chen made sure the day went perfectly and Amelia Lyon captured it all through her lens. Their band was awesome and the dance floor was packed all night long!

Elysium Productions: Stylish & Contemporary Wedding Video in Orange County and Beyond!


]]>