When we met Eilene and Anthony for the first time, there was this instant connection of friendship! Whether it was the fact that they were recommended by two photographers we worked with in the past (the amazing duo of Ciji and Jonathan from Almost Married at Kerri + Craig’s wedding), or the fact that our personalities just clicked, we were SOOO happy that we met these two and that they ended up choosing us as their wedding videographers!
Anthony is a DJ by trade (Dj Jr Eh), so we knew right off the bat that music was going to be very important to him and the couple. They definitely demonstrated that throughout the wedding in the details. They had records for people to sign as their guestbook, and a rockin’ DJ at the end of the night! The sweetest thing is Anthony’s wedding band – it’s actually engraved with the sound wave of Eilene’s vow to Anthony! How creative and incredibly meaningful!
VENUE: The couple held their wedding at a unique venue in downtown Toronto on Queen street, The Burroughes. Sitting on top of a hip furniture store, the Burroughes offers a modern take on an event space with exposed brick and installations with large windows on one side for natural light, which is great for wedding cinematography! One standout feature is its rooftop terrace (with bar!) available to guests throughout the night with amazing views of the city. One thing to keep in mind though is how they deal with larger guests counts. If you have more than a certain number of guests, your tables have to be split between two adjoining rooms. The way Eilene and Anthony dealt with that situation is a projector, where they had a live feed of the action in one room going directly onto the screen of the other room. The two rooms don’t feel too separate though as there is a large opening in the wall between the two spaces to make it feel like one. Best thing to do is have a look at it yourself and see if it works for your numbers!
CATERING: The couple opted to not do a sit down meal, but rather offered street food cocktail style (with food stands) throughout the night! Food was fab and came from a few different places: Sukho Thai Food, Pai Northern Thai Kitchen, &Hot Bunzz Street Cuisine. It was a nice change for guests, and gave people in the room a more relaxed feel and chance to mingle with EVERYONE and not just their table. It also helped having the rooftop terrace, as people could bring up their food and have cocktails there as well. We’re lucky the weather held up!
PHOTOGRAPHER: We worked with the lovely Jarrold Villapando – super friendly and easy to work with in every way! He was just super flexible and accommodating, which are excellent qualities to have from any of your vendors!
MUSIC: This was an example of time when a couple sent us suggestions for songs, and it just ended up working perfectly for their wedding video. The couple sent over a shortlist and we just went over each one to see what would fit with the vision we were seeing for their highlights. Once we picked our two songs to use, we couldn’t picture any other songs with the footage that we got, it really just represents the couple to a tee! The second song we used was the tune they played for their first dance, I found my Everything by Mary J. Blige – you can’t help but sway to the music, snap your fingers, and sing along with Mary at the top of your lungs! The first song we used was Stay Ready by Jhene Aiko. We fell in love with the song the first time we heard it – it’s just so suave and cool…exactly like the couple!
ENTRANCES: I must say that the entrances of the bridal party and couple were some of the best we’ve seen! This group just knows how to dance and GROOVE! They totally worked it down the runway – including the couple’s parents! It was super enjoyable to watch and they made it even more interesting by having a different song play for each couple – something brides and grooms might want to think about for their own entrances. We kind of gave that section in the video a ‘paparrazi’ feel, which worked well as they all looked like celebrities! It turned out just the way we wanted it to!
DJ/DANCING/MONEY DANCE: Music was pumping all night as expected thanks to Jimmy Manuel (Dj J-Presto) & the groom (Dj Jr Eh)! We just wanted to put down our cameras and dance! The consolation wasn’t bad though, we were being entertained by people having tonnes of fun! In the middle of it all, the traditional Filipino money dance took place. It’s where family and friends bless the couple with good fortune by pinning (or in this case, throwing) money onto the couple, and in turn the bride and groom say their thanks with a dance. What a GREAT tradition 🙂 Super fun to witness and film!
We had a blast at the wedding and had just as much fun going through the footage and editing the video! Wishing these lovebirds all the best in the future (we know babies are going to be involved – Anthony was talking about it all day and night LOL)!
Until the next post,
Joanie x
ADDITIONAL VENDOR INFO:
Wedding Coordinator: Michelle Amurao from MVA Studios
Wedding Dress: Morilee (1916)
Make up: Sherlyn Torres
Hair: Reina Pagcaliwagan
Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Vera Wang (Satin and Matte Crepe Peplum Dress)
Groom Suit: Empire Customs
Groomsmens’ suits: TOPMAN
Cake/Cupcakes: Sweet Surrender
Jewellery: Bitter Sweet Jewellery
Florist: Designs by Vi
Centerpieces: MVA Studios
Published on HenjoFilms: Wedding Videography Toronto / Toronto Wedding Videographer
