So, the 2017 wedding season is done and dusted, my final films of the year will all have been delivered by next week, and before I run away to Africa for 8 weeks (more on that later) I thought I would take some time to step back and reflect on what has been without a doubt one of the most incredible years of my life.
For those of you who don’t know, Little Bear Films began its journey in late 2016, since then I have shot over 50 weddings, travelled the length and breadth of the country and have spent time with some of the best people you could hope to meet.
This is some of what I have learnt…
1. Mornings are always super chilled until the last 20 mins of prep, then everything goes a little bananas.
2. Sisters make the best (and sometimes the worst) bridesmaids.
3. The guests make a wedding; the venue only makes it better.
4. Podcasts are the best passenger for long drives.
5. Seven minutes is the perfect length for a speech.
6. Four people repeating the same thank you’s gets boring. Coordinate people!
7. Dads seeing their daughters’ in their dress for the first time will always get me.
8. The Ferrycarrig in Wexford does a serious burger.
9. First Looks – when the bride and groom meet privately before the ceremony – rock. People should do more of them.
10. Most priests are pretty sound.
11. The M7/M8 combo is a wonderful thing.
12. Don’t get a Mass and a Service mixed up.
13. Eircodes are my favourite.
14. It is impossible to shoot a wedding without a guest saying ‘Its a very long day for you isn’t it?”
15. Working with a photographer that has a similar style to you makes things a hell of a lot easier.
16. Wedding dresses get dirty, don’t sweat it.
17. Buttonholes with magnets instead of pins last a total of 14 seconds before falling off.
18. Driving to Mayo from Dublin is a grim affair. Its pretty nice once you get there though.
19. Kids are always the best dancers at a wedding.
20. All grooms have the same look of terror when you mic them up for the ceremony, all grooms also forget they are mic’d 3 minutes later.
21. Rain is by no means the end of the world on a wedding day.
22. Speeches before dinner is best.
23. Editing is tough, it takes 25-30 hours to edit your films. But massively worth it at the end.
24. Shooting in Hurricane Ophelia was zero craic but there is no weather I can’t handle now.
25. A dog is essential company for a 14 hour editing stint.
26. More moms should give speeches, they do the best ones.
27. More brides too actually now that I think of it.
28. There are some crazy talented wedding singers in this country.
29. Flying to a different country with 40kgs of gear to shoot a wedding for the first time is terrifyingly stressful, it’s also ridiculously rewarding.
30. It is impossible to pick a favourite wedding venue…I do have a top 3 though.
31. I talk more about weddings than any of my engaged friends, male or female.
32. I’m insanely lucky to be doing this job.
33. People throwing confetti is awesome and should happen more.
34. Feeling nervous is good; it keeps you on your toes.
35. Feeding your videographer and photographer will make them love you.
36. Good light is a wedding videographers best friend.
37. Orange hotel room lights, on the other hand, are not.
38. This job is a massive responsibility from which you never switch off.
39. Never judge a couple by their email correspondence.
40. You never stop learning as a wedding videographer
41. There is no such thing as a sick day. And if your girlfriend gets sick you need to banish her to her family home for a week so you can quarantine yourself and stay healthy. True story.
42. Asking your friends to plan their own weddings around your schedule is a seriously awkward part of this job.
43. Getting the first wedding you ever shot featured on One Fab Day is a serious buzz
44. Instagram edits are a great way to get the creative juices flowing.
45. Travellodges are underrated.
46. Never presume, always ask. Check and then recheck
47. There is an amazing community of wedding photographers and videographers in Ireland, who, for the most part, really want to help each other out, which Is awesome.
48. Your style changes a lot when you start. That slows down the more you shoot. When you stop evolving you should probably quit.
49. Doesn’t matter how many times it happens; a couple booking you is the best feeling in the world.
50. And can only be topped by a couple telling you they love their film and they are ugly-crying with happiness.
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