We wish Sam and Virginia the very best, and hope their future is as bright as the sun was on Saturday!

Music: Tony Anderson- The Fathers Heart

Makeup : carminacristina.com/
Photography: kmphotographystudio.com/
Coordinator: plannedperfectionpa.com/
Cinematography: mattstambaughmedia.com/
Ceremony Venue: ccyork.org/
Reception Venue: yorktowne.com/index.php
Band: chrisgrassomusic.com/Amaretto/
Lighting: eventsdonebright.com/

To start, Ironstone Ranch is located in Elizabethtown, PA.  I will say, Mark and his staff take care of this place.  Pristine, I must add.  Tons of great contrast and photo opportunities. C and J Catering really outdid it with the food too.  The pork was amazing!

Here is a photo of the sunset that was taking part at the end of Hannah and Logan’s day!

We wish Hannah and Logan the very best.  They have a bright future ahead of them and we can’t wait to chat again!  Check out the video below from their wedding day

We recently held a shoot with With Love and Embers, Matt Stambaugh Media, Historic Shady Lane to help create some buzz about the event!  Super stoked on how the film turned out and can’t wait to do a few more! Below are a few photos taken at the shoot by Matt Stambaugh Media and the trailer that was created!

Below is a teaser for Ryan’s newest tune “It Surrounds”

Ryan Nicholls and Matt Stambaugh Media : It Surrounds from Matt Stambaugh on Vimeo.

In hiring your wedding cinematographer and photographer, here are a few tips that I would recommend so that you have the most pleasant experience along your wedding planning and day.

In planning my own wedding for June, 2013, here are some tips that I’ve found I would like to share!

1.  Start your search early!

Hiring your wedding filmer, photographer and DJ is one of the first steps that you should take.  Wedding professionals book their schedules up to a year in advance and sometimes more!  Some businesses also only photograph one wedding a day, or one wedding a weekend so being in contact early is important.

2.  How to search?

In today’s world, brides and grooms are able to search for filmers and photographers almost everywhere! Wedding photographers and filmers sometimes advertise on websites such as The Knot, Wedding Wire, Style Me Pretty, The Wedding Channel, so starting starting your search online may be the first step for some.  It’s nice that some websites provide reviews of the vendors for starting points!

You will also be able to ask family and friends about who they used for their weddings, or any of the reputations they’ve heard.  You can ask everywhere for recommendations! And if you have a wedding planner that’s an even better resource!

Wedding shows are also very popular in searching for your wedding filmer and photographer.  Look at the quality of the booth, the appearance of the vendor / owner and talk to them!  Try to find some common ground to make chatting easy.  It’s nice to be able to “click” with who you will be sharing your wedding day with!

3. Price!

Planning my own wedding, I 100% understand that price is a determining factor in choosing who you will use for your wedding.  However, I will say that in my experience, you get what you pay for in some instances.

If you are looking at three or four different wedding film or photography businesses, don’t check  everyone off the list based on just their price.  You may want to compare the offerings for different packages before you make any decisions.  Also meeting with each vendor is great!  You are able to put a face to the business and see you who might be working with on your wedding day.  Make sure you ask questions!  Wedding professionals love meeting and working with new bride’s and groom’s!

4.  Style, style style!

Are you looking for a documentary style, video journalistic style, a wedding film (cinematic style)? There are many different options and each one may fit a different couple better than another!  Vimeo and Youtube are great resources to use to find a film style you are interested in having for your wedding day!

Some vendors capture the video and create a full-length documentary style that will be a long running film, while others focus more on story telling!  Only you as a couple can think about what you would like to have!

5.  Check their professionalism

Does the filmer fit the style and professionalism are looking for?  The website is often the first representation of the business and company.  Don’t always judge a book by it’s cover, but the website is a great way to start.

Professionalism may set your experience apart from one another.  You may want to find out the history of the photographers filmer’s business and or company.  There are businesses that are new in relation to others in the area.  Ask how many wedding’s they have filmed or what experience they may have.  How does the filmer or business capture audio throughout the ceremony, vows and toasts?  Is there any back up equipment?  What will you do with my wedding footage when it’s all over?

6.  Check your costs and contract!

While the first question you may want to ask is to check to make sure the date is available, you will also want to check with the filmer or photographer on costs.You want to make sure that you understand the complete package you are purchasing and that there are no hidden surprises.  Ask questions, and read!

Know your filmer and photographer, their business and become their friend.  PLAN, PLAN, PLAN!  Pre-wedding day planning will often help your day run smoothly!

Last but not least, have fun

Your wedding day is one of the biggest days of your life and you want it to be a day that you will remember forever.  Photography and videography are great methods to help relive your day again and again!

Melissa from Stylish Occasions, a wedding planner out of Central PA was kind enough to post this on her blog!

I took a trip over to Ironstone Ranch in Elizabethtown, PA.  Pulling onto Hollinger Lane, my jaw dropped as to how beautiful the property was.  I met the Ranch Manager (Mark) and he showed me around the property.

From the start, Mark showed where the main reception is normally held.  I absolutely loved the barn!  It has great contrast all around and even has a balcony that is great for a band, DJ, lounge or anything else a balcony can be used for!

Looking out of a second barn, if the weather is rainy or the couple wants  a ceremony that is indoors, this is the view you would see behind the couple as they tie the knot!

JUST BEAUTIFUL!

My favorite part of the Ironstone Ranch is the fact they work closely with C&J Catering and all profit (after operating expenses) is donated to help Brittany’s Hope Foundation.  Brittany’s Hope was founded for the purpose of advocating for orphaned special needs children who are longing for the love of a family.

Best Wedding Showcase Set Up

Over the past few months, I’ve been working up to this day.  Matt Stambaugh Media’s first bridal show ever .  It was a big decision to attend a bridal show, however, it seemed like one that needed to be done.

Working on small projects week by week, the bridal booth took shape.  I’ve been so blessed with family and friends helping out and sharing their expertise.  I couldn’t ask for more!
Starting out the day, I packed my car full of the supplies.  I couldn’t forget about skiing as I knew it was a good day, so I made sure to include a ski pole in the car to help hold some materials in place.  Pardon the dirty car.  Working at a ski resort in 8 degree weather means tons of snow blowing!

Bluebird sky and sunshine made for one of the best days for traveling a bit.  Listening to some Blind Pilot and Good Old War on the drive sure set the tone for a great day.

The Lancaster Marriot and Convention Center’s Best Wedding Showcase is one of the largest in the region.  As this is my first show, I really wanted to knock it out of the park with a bridal booth.  My films are created to show the happiness, emotion and love throughout the day with a natural feel.  I wanted this to be portrayed in the booth.  It almost doesn’t even feel like a “booth”, which I am even more excited about!

With a cart full of our gear, and a 10×10 space, it was time for Sam Sterling (From Red 102.3) and myself to get to work!  Sam often works as a second shooter for Matt Stambaugh Media Wedding Films and is also a mid-day radio show host for a country radio station!  Not only does he know how to operate a camera, but he can even use power tools!

A huge thanks goes out to Steve and Janelle from Historic Shady Lane   Their venue is amazing and so elegant.  I had the opportunity to create a film for their booth for the same bridal show, and it just so happens that we were are right next to the Historic Shady Lane booth!  It’s nice having friends all over the place!

This music sheet outfit was created by Janelle’s intern Lauren.  It is simply amazing!

Janelle hooked us up with some pizza and Sam and I walked around the convention center checking out some of the other booths.  Sam had to stay classy (with a paper plate).

After it was all said and done, we finished the booth in record time.  Well, since it was our first time setting everything up, of course it was record time.  Most of the materials are recycled.  We joked about placing the TV in a trash can and pulling it back out to label it recycled as well.  We didn’t though…

The signs were created by my very, very artistic cousin Katlyn.  If you are interested in anything like this, don’t hesitate to contact me!

And with that, it’s time to get some shut eye and have a blast at the bridal show tomorrow!  We hope to see you out there

After your day is said and done, and the small details gone, a wedding film will help you relive your day again and again.  The day goes by so fast and a wedding film by Matt Stambaugh Media will help you share and relive a day that you will never forget.

Matt Stambaugh Wedding Films from Matt Stambaugh on Vimeo.