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These weddings include Kristin and Zander’s Signature Film in Lake Tahoe, Priya and Veeral’s Signature Film in Rochester, and Jordan and Jay’s Wedding Story in Chicago. You’re going to love all of ‘em. We’re also going to have our annual year end post that summarizes some of the great moments of the year. And, if we’re all lucky, maybe a couple other treats! Enjoy!

To read our Birthday Wishes, check us out on facebook. Love y’all.

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Get Ready! Because this year is going to be packed with beautiful locations, touching moments, and lots and lots of style. That’s how we roll.

Let me preface by saying, I’m having a really hard time coming up with words for this piece because it’s hard for me to express the passion with which I believe in videography.  So I’ll do my best…

Here is a film that we created to show the importance of good wedding filmmaking.  In my experience with brides, I’ve noticed a general commonality in how videography is ranked on the budget list.  It’s generally a pretty low priority, and I can kinda understand why it got that way.  When preparing for a wedding day, brides and planners tend to focus on what that day looks like.  What is the experience of the wedding?  What will the guests think?  Of course, everybody wants their wedding to be as glam and as stylish as they can make it.  So folks tend to spend on that and often overlook how their wedding will be remembered.

So the Don Draper in us asked, what’s the best way we can show people the tremendous value in wedding filmmaking?  And we came up with this idea: let’s put ourselves in the shoes of the next generation.  What do these films mean to them.  It’s gathering around the TV with your fam, pointing out to your children and saying, “See how handsome your Dad looked!” Or, “There’s Uncle Mark! That’s what he looked like with hair!”

My favorite line from this film is “Often times, allowing us to meet the person we used to be.”  How true is that?  And how else can that “person we used to be” be captured than by video.

One thing I want to stress is that this isn’t just an ad for Sandbox Love.  We’re trying to make the case for why you should have a great filmmaking team present on your wedding day.  It doesn’t have to be us, but get a professional.  Someone who can capture the moments that would go unnoticed.  Because when a filmmaker is there on your wedding day, those moments will be remembered by you and by all who have the pleasure of seeing your wedding story on film.

We started off with a bang.  We filmed Neda and Sati’s week long wedding event in Beverly Hills and San Diego.  It was a chance for the team to get close while on the road, and work together to show everybody what we can do.  We showed Neda and Sati’s Love Story at their first reception, and at the end of the week we showed them the highlights of the week.  We then did a little PR for the video and got it shown all over the place, including Snippet & Ink!

We continued the momentum by filming with Danielle and Dan, who wanted us to make them every kind of film we offered: A Save the Date, Love Story, Highlights, and Featurette.  They also introduced us to Ashley Maxwell, whose photography and love of life is incredibly inspiring.  We shot together soon after for Allison and Craig’s wedding, which was featured on Every Last Detail!

Lisa and Nigel wanted us to deliver our most valued film, now called our Signature Film.  We spent some time figuring out the best way to tell their story, and came up with a masterpiece.  Also, Lisa’s friend and photographer Georgia Gregory was a delight to work with.

We then went back down to Southern California to film with Jared and Christy (Coming SOON!) which was amazing for a few reasons.  First, Jared is an incredible photographer and when I asked about what he was looking for, he said, “just go crazy.”  So we did.  Also, I got to shoot alongside superstar photographer Jeffrey Neal, whose work I’ve followed for a while, working with him only indirectly before.

Charlie and Morgan’s Save the Date was the first wedding related video I had shot on my own, and filming their wedding in August was a symbol of everything coming full circle.  By this time we had seen some minor press around our work, and things were really starting to fly.  Charlie and Morgan’s film was featured on The Bride’s Cafe, who also invited us to be a part of their Créme De La Créme section.  Wild! We were like 4 months old…

We then filmed a wedding with Alex and Jane inside of San Francisco’s City Hall!  Epic!!  The cinematic opportunities inside of that historic building are endless.  One of the coolest shots of the year was shot by Vitalie as Alex and Jane were married in a tea ceremony.  Their whole wedding is absolutely gorgeous and the video will be out in January!

And we ended the year with another bang.  Kathryn from Snippet & Ink decided we’d be a perfect fit for her wedding!  While getting to know Kathryn and Ryan, Rob and I started to build a great friendship with them.  Her wedding was in a vintage style that really fit Sandbox Love’s style.  Pretty stoked to show you the magic of the Kathryn’s day.

All of these weddings, when you add ‘em up, mean a couple things.  First, we got to shoot in a variety of venues: City Hall, a candlelit church, a winery, and in a backyard.  Second, we developed friendships with couples who genuinely love our work, but also appreciate who we are.  This year really showed me that it is possible to be more than “videographers.”  Sure, we’re holding the camera, but that doesn’t mean we can’t bob our heads to the beat.

When I think about the invention of this company, I’m filled with pride.  At Danielle and Dan’s wedding, I turned to Nick and Vitalie and said to them, “This is what I wanted when I started Sandbox Love.  You guys…my friends, talking camera lingo, swapping lenses, and filming the most important day in these couple’s lives, and doing it well.  Thank you for being a part of it.”

So when I look at a bottle of wine in 15 years, and it has 2010 on the label, I’ll think to myself, “2010.  That was a good year.”

Happy Holidays from the Team!

Hey Everyone!  Nick, Vitalie and I just wanted to wish everybody a happy holiday season!  Over the last few months we have built up a number of fans and we are extremely grateful to have people that care so much about the stories we’re telling.  Now in winter, we’ll be working through a couple more weddings to show you guys soon.  Then it’s on to the next wedding season!  I can’t wait!