Shooting our first Horah was an amazing experience. The whole day was amazing, as a matter of fact. And looking down on the Horah as it was going on, it resembled a hurricane…the bride and groom in the middle, or eye, of the storm, with the guests circling them in different directions at different speeds.

That’s why this song called “Calm Inside the Storm” by a band called Shirock jumped out at us as the right choice for their montage. It just seemed custom made for their amazing, fun-filled, energetic day.

All the best to Michelle and Dan!

Jeff & Abbey were going for a low-key wedding day and were kind enough to let MatKat tag along. With a small group of family and friends, their quaint wedding celebration went off without a hitch. They had a beautiful day and we were honored to be there to capture it.

I can’t say it any better than Sarah, John’s bride:

“John and I were literally jumping up and down when we received the DVDs in today’s mail! We ran into our apartment, immediately popped it in, and just got done watching it. We cannot tell you how happy we are with how they turned out, and we can’t wait to share it with our friends and family!!

John and I were absolutely amazed at all of the awesome shots and footage you guys got. You guys were so wonderful to work with and we cannot thank you enough for your amazing creativity, and all of the work that went into capturing our special day and making the amazing video memento we will be able to enjoy for years to come.

Thank you so very much! We really could not be happier!!”

Yeah.

When we were in the early stages of our wedding video business, Katie came to our creative rescue and gave us TONS of name options for our business. We eventually picked the name we have today…which we love!

We have known Katie’s family for a VERY long time, and were so excited when she told us that she was engaged! After we met Matt, we knew that this would be her lifetime love because they were perfect for each other. The wedding party, families and friends were up for anything which made for a great wedding video. There were photo booths, guests wedding photos and a HUGE block of cheese (Katie’s family tradition).

Chris & Robin contacted us with a little quandary: they booked a videographer who had to back out of their wedding due to unforeseen circumstances.

Luckily, we had their weekend open and were able to come in and make sure someone recorded their wedding day. They kept their cool and made their day look like a breeze.

Krista Eitsert is a “graphic designer who also loves all things crafty, crocheting and scrapbooking”. In an effort to increase the unique quality of the work for each couple Matkat works with we have contacted her for some of her wares. Krista has been making custom made DVD cases for our brides this summer, and the response has been great!

A while ago, we asked her to create a custom made painting for our house. She asked for our color scheme and some personality traits we think we have and created a work of art that shows who we are. When we saw the final product, she nailed it. It’s hanging in our living room right now, and two other prints she made are hanging in our bedroom. We love them, as our house was in desperate need of personality.

I thought to myself: “Self, what if Krista could make custom made DVD cases for our brides and grooms, capturing a small part of their special day?” She was very eager to give this a whirl, and after tinkering with the design and method, she’s been a rock star. We give her the colors and describe the couple, and she makes us a one-of-a-kind set of cases in which we deliver the DVDs. Every set is different; no one will ever have a matching set of DVD cases from MatKat, thanks to Krista.

Krista has the unique ability to use her artist’s eye and insight to create something out of seemingly nothing. Take a look at her blog and you’ll see what I mean. She grabs a camera and a tripod (or a brush and canvas) and makes art out of a task as simple as taking a nap, landscaping the yard, or buying a dress.

If you’re in need of someone to create something unique for you, be it a painting, a scrapbook, or wedding invitations, I highly recommend contacting Krista by hitting up her blog or her etsy shop.

Aaron and Allison, a young couple from Richland County, Wisconsin, called us last year and listened to our spiel over some hot chocolate at Culver’s. The very next night we happened to run into them at the haunted boat tour in Wisconsin Dells (which I highly recommend) and it kind of felt like we clicked and that this should happen. They booked us a short time after that, thankfully.

Their day was beautiful, energetic, and fun. We had the unique opportunity to get into Taliesin which resulted in some glorious footage. We ran all over the place that day, but seeing it all here makes it more than worth it. Here’s hoping Aaron and Allison have many years of wedded bliss.

zipline-wedding-crash

A wedding day…possibly the most money you will ever spend in one day, other than a home purchase.

Budget is usually the driving force behind wedding planning. Every action you take has a price tag attached, and if you move without a plan you can see your budget get out of control quicker than a Bruce Lee punch. So then what do you do?

You adjust. You trim the fat. You take the package below the one you had your heart set on, opting for the one you can afford without dipping into your 401K. In short; you make it work.

However, planning ahead can help take some of this edge off. See how many favors you can call in. Who has something you can borrow and make it work for your day? Is there a discount for getting married on a Friday or Sunday instead of a Saturday?

Lots of friends of yours are probably sitting on elements you can use toward your day, as well, with little or no cost involved. All you need is a little creativity to put things together.

While we were planning our wedding, I saw that someone had a bucket of pebbles they were giving away for free in a Craigslist ad. I contacted them, picked them up, and BOOM, we had the filling for the vases at our reception. Total cost = zero dollars. We were able to afford to serve sandwiches later in the evening at the dance with some of our leftover money.

We shot a wedding where the bride had set up a wheel of fortune game instead of simply kissing every time someone clinked their glasses. It had different results every time it was spun, such as the spinner might have to sing a song to get them to kiss or had to kiss someone themselves. Lots of fun. When someone we got married later, they were looking for something fun for their reception. We suggested this game and contacted the bride to see if we could rent it from her. She was gracious enough to just let us borrow it, as it was gathering dust in her garage. The cousin had a great game at the reception which everyone enjoyed, without spending a dollar.

So if you’re budget is stretched, take a look at what you have, what you want, and what you need. You might be able to think outside the box and get everything you wanted but thought you couldn’t afford.

I love how she sprints to him and jumps into his arms. That’s love.