Merry Christmas 2021 – Our 15th Annual Video!!

Hey everyone! This year was just a wild ride wasn’t it? (that’s what I said last year but I think it still works for 2021…)

We don’t share many personal videos, but once a year we do! Enjoy our FIFTEENTH annual Christmas card video! And if you’re new here, check out our old ones too! (p.s. we are aware we’re super dorks ok)

Check out our previous years!! 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2012 bloopers, 2011, 2011 bloopers, 2010, 2009, 2008 & 2007

And if you’re still reading, a little backstory: We got married November 2007 so by the time we got back from our honeymoon and moving and all the wedding/marriage things, we just didn’t even think about Christmas cards that first year. So in the 11th hour, literally on Christmas Eve, we thought of making that very first video. It took no time at all and it was just silly. Then we said to ourselves, “we should do this every year!” And then we did! They have clearly gotten more involved over the years but they are no more well planned. We always have a whole year to figure out an idea and every single time we wait until the last minute…So enjoy our silly little tradition!

 

Amanda + Rey – Temecula Wedding Film

This was a 2020 wedding that was actually not a Covid wedding! In fact, when they hired us it was pretty funny because they told us that their original plan was to have a very small wedding and their guest list actually increased over time instead of decreased like so many of our other couples!

These two rented a really cool property in Temecula overlooking the valley. They were able to have all of the festivities in one place and it was really nice. Amanda had a lovely time with a couple of friends and her mom. She added some special trinkets to her bouquet including a friendship ring from her best friend. It was so funny because her best friend and maid of honor was wearing hers that day and they were so excited that they had each kept their rings! They’ve been besties since elementary school and it was so cute.

The ceremony was so beautiful. The two wrote personal vows. All the guests wrote their wishes for the couple on pieces of paper that were then planted into an olive tree by the couple. I really love when people incorporate plants in their wedding because how fun that they will be able to have something at their home for years to come from their wedding.

They had wonderful personal vows and it was a very meaningful ceremony. After the ceremony they did some photos and the guests had some food and drinks. The reception was ultimately a dinner party with their closest family and friends. They had a couple of speeches but mostly just hung out and spent time together. It was really a lovely event.

We wish you both the best and we hope everyone enjoys their wedding film!


Vendors:

Location – Temecula, CA

Film – SidebySide Cinema

Photography – Bree & Stephen Photography

Flowers – Fantasy Floral Design

Kat + Peter – Rancho Del Cielo

The pandemic threw weddings and events into a tailspin over the last year and a half. Most of our couples postponed to ’21/’22, but some came up with some different options and we loved the creativity that happened in order for people to have their special day! One of the things that I have enjoyed over the last year and a half is finding what really matters with couples. Whether it’s scaling down a wedding, postponing it, or changing venues, our couples continue to say the same things in their vows. It really came down to wanting to be together, and isn’t that really what life is all about? It can be easy to get bogged down with all the wedding plans and details but in the end, you are marrying the one you want to spend your life with, quarantine with (hopefully never again), and of course do all the fun things as well.

Kat and Peter decided to do a micro wedding instead of their original plan of a large wedding day and keep their original September date. They found a really unique venue overlooking Los Angeles. It was beautiful! We really enjoyed their first look, so cute. And the getting ready space is an airstream trailer, adorable! Her dress was just lovely and the flowers and details were lovely too. This was also the first time we saw sanitizing stations and reminders about health, which would become a staple at weddings after this!

They had a small group of mostly family attend overlooking the valley. Their friend officiated and did an awesome job, and the two of them had amazing vows for each other. We are so happy they got to have their original wedding even if it looked a little different than they had hoped and we’re happy they have started their life together as a married couple. Hope you enjoy their wedding film!

Vendors:

Venue – Rancho Del Cielo

Planner – Love is Sweet Events

Film – SidebySide Cinema

Photography – Sun and Sparrow

Flowers – Ezai Floral Design

Jess + Chris – Your Story Film

Ah, we had so much fun with Jess and Chris, first getting to know them while filming their love story film and then at their wedding just last month! They were supposed to have their wedding in 2020 along with so many others. It was so incredibly fun getting to see everyone back together at weddings this past month. It’s why I’ve gotten a little behind on posting these things, yay for the world coming back!

There were a few things that Jess and Chris said during their love story video that were so poignant and relatable for what everyone has gone through the last year and a half. I think everyone is just so thankful for the times we can spend together.

One thing that’s fun to include in these films is photos or videos from the past, in this case we used video from the proposal and the story behind that is really cute! They also brought their dog, who is also a big part of their story so that was really fun to learn about.

I think my favorite part about filming these is that I get to know our couples more and so the wedding day becomes just that much more fun!

We hope you enjoy their story and we hope you trust us with yours someday!

Musical Theater Pivot – The Lion King

Over one year ago, when everything shut down and all of our events postponed, we were in total shock and were really bummed to be taking a forced sabbatical. Most of the events that were postponed were weddings, but one musical theater company we work with also had to postpone. Eventually the performance got canceled but since the students were completely finished with their show, the director and I started talking about how we could pivot the situation for the kids.

The plan was to film parts of the show on location and create kind of a movie for the kids. I loved what the director said about the whole situation. On the one hand, everyone had to lose out on things last year, and learning to cope with loss is a good skill to learn. But on the other hand, if there is an option to pivot, that is also a good skill to learn. We went with pivot!

The musical was Shrek and we filmed everything outside with students 6 feet apart, lip syncing the songs and all the adults involved social distancing and wearing masks. We only had about a week to film everything but it turned out really cute! The students enjoyed a new experience and they didn’t have to throw away all the work they had done.  The only bummer about this whole event was the lack of the event. There was no show!

Now a whole year later, the director reached out to me again to chat about doing another show but actually planning for a movie this time. We knew that the students would likely not be able to perform once again since we were still on a pretty strict lockdown. So we decided to do a full show and just take more time with it. So we spent our entire April on location filming for the Lion King! It’s been quite the adventure. We’ve been all over the place to find the perfect locations from Anza Borrego desert and Glamus to Santee and just in our own backyard in Escondido. The students, parents, choreographer, and director are all such a joy to work with. I am just in awe that these are middle school kids. And they got a show! They rented out the brand new Ritz Theater in Escondido and had movie times throughout May to show it. They also had some performances with live elements, with the students dancing along with the movie. Definitely a once in a lifetime experience for all.

Here’s the teaser trailer and some behind the scenes.

 

Risa + Andrew – Japanese Friendship Gardens

We have filmed a lot of weddings over the years, but this was our very first leap day wedding! If you had a leap day wedding, would you celebrate on February 28th or March 1? What a fun day to choose! We had such a wonderful night (despite being blissfully ignorant of what was about to happen to the world just a couple of weeks later) at this wedding enjoying the breathtaking cherry blossoms at the Japanese Friendship Gardens.

After the two got ready with their wedding party, they had a first look and then enjoyed some glorious photo time with all the cherry blossoms. The gardens are just so beautiful this time of year and they were able to take advantage of all the nice areas. The arriving guests could also check out the koi ponds and enjoy lovely weather.

The ceremony was in a spot we hadn’t done before at the Japanese Friendship Gardens, so it was a fun change! They got married on the bridge over the beautiful water feature. The ceremony was so sweet with a song performed by family and The cherry blossoms were out of control beautiful, and if you’re local to SD you should get to the JFG in Balboa park and see them for yourself. They are currently in bloom as the couple just celebrated their one year anniversary!

The reception was really fun. They had everyone’s name on a hand folded paper crane and the table names were all postcards and memories from places they’ve visited. The food was absolutely amazing. There were three food stations with delicious options for everyone. The first dance was super fun because the couple had a choreographed routine which was so fun. They had a photo booth and lovely speeches and family dances. There was also a beautifully displayed dessert table, so delicious!

Sometimes we will run into past couples and they always ask if we remember them. We usually do because we have spent so much time working on your wedding memories. But I think this wedding I’ll never be able to forget because it was the last one we filmed before the whole world shut down. It has been a year now and it brings up lots of feelings for us. We miss weddings and can’t wait until things are back to normal.

For now, enjoy the memories!!

Japanese Friendship Gardens

From the couple:

My husband was on the fence about whether we needed a videographer for our wedding and thought that having a photographer would be enough. One year later, his family still asks for links to our wedding videos. Our photos are treasured by us, but nothing could capture the exact energy and tone of the night like our partners at SidebySide could. We found Danielle and Jared to be wonderful partners through the entire process. They explained everything we needed to do and were patiently in the background for all of the most important highlights of our big day. The end result is just so impressive to us and is something we keep going back to one year later. Their sense of timing and framing is impeccable. Our wedding was exactly one year ago. Many of our vendors told us we were the last event that they worked for a long time. As we look to a brighter future, here’s hoping you have the opportunity to work with Danielle and Jared at SidebySide to capture your own incredible memories.

Music – Lumineers – Licensed through Fyrfly

Venue – Japanese Friendship Gardens

Planner – Events Inspired

Film – SidebySide Cinema

Photography – Heidi-O Photography

Catering – Culinary Concepts

Flowers – Tess Fresh Flowers

DJ – Dancing DJ Productions

Desserts – Extraordinary Desserts

Hair & Makeup – Meleah and Co.

 

 

Wedding Party Gifts

We loved teaming up again with Groovy Girl Gifts! Looking for something fun for your wedding party? These bags are so cute and well made! They have a variety of different options, take a look!!

Handbags
Everyday Totes

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