LJ Design/Video

Aloha & Mahalo

One of the greatest pleasures I have had in the 25 years I have lived in Sonoma County has been the opportunity to film so many lovely weddings. And I thank all of you for allowing me to be a part of your very special day.

This area is one of the greatest places to work and film in and I have enjoyed it very much.

But the time has come for a change. So with that I would like to say Aloha and Mahalo for all the great times I have had here.

On July 21st I will be moving myself and my business to Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii. I will continue filming weddings and events and will also explore some underwater filming.

It has always been a dream of mine to be able to live and work in Hawaii and that day has finally arrived. The beauty and diversity of the Big Island from the green floral gardens of the rain forest with its many waterfalls to the magnificent desolation of the Kilauea volcano to the incredible quite splendor of the ocean has always moved me every time I have traveled there.

How can you not be humbled when you look at and walk on some of the newest earth on the planet. How can you not be moved when you dive with 15 foot Manta Rays or swim along side a 25 foot Whale Shark. That is the beauty of Hawaii.

The Aloha spirit is still alive in Hawaii and I invite any of you who have never been there to come over and explore the magic that is still Hawaii.

If you are planning a wedding and are thinking about the Islands as your destination please feel free to drop me and line. I would love to film your special day.

Until then I would like to say Aloha and a very big Mahalo to all my good friends. I hope someday to see all of you in the Islands.

Mary Agatha Furth Center

Hello again

Had the pleasure of attending a wonderful food and wine tasting at the Mary Agatha Furth Center in Windsor the other night.

Located in the fabulous Sonoma County Wine Country the Furth Center is large enough to accommodate just about any party or event you have in mind with a large stage, dance floor, full kitchen facilities and a beautiful courtyard for summer evening entertaining.

If you would like more information contact Mark Morrisette, Director or Analilia Rubio and be sure to check out their website at www.furthcenter.com

Tudo Bem Band

Are you looking for a live band that will add energy and excitement to  your wedding party? Then check out the Tudo Bem band. http://tudobem.sonoma.googlepages.com/home

Playing in Sonoma County for over 10 years Tudo Bem will liven up your wedding party or just about any party you choose. From Rock to Reggae to Rhythm & Blues and everything in between Tudo Bem's 3 man band puts out more music than most bands twice their size.

Check out their music samples and decide for yourself. There is nothing like live music.

Wedding season is here!

Hello Everyone

Just back from a great Wedding Expo at The Wells Fargo Center in Santa Rosa. Met and talked with a lot of wonderful brides and grooms. David and Cirkl always put on a great show with a variety of vendors from all over the county. If you haven't been to one yet check out the next one in September and be sure to visit their website at www.winecountrybride.com.

It was also nice to see all of you starting your planning early. A year to some people seems like a long time but from talking to brides that I have filmed they all say they were very glad to have that year to plan and they needed most of it.

I am also seeing more and more couples interested in filming their weddings. Good news for our business because it shows you are realizing how important it is to chronicle your special day.

It is also your history. Not only does it capture all the sights and sounds of the day. It is something you will be able to watch for years to come and hand down to your children and grandchildren.

Check out this article on Yahoo. http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzzlog/86985/10-things-to-consider-when-buying-bridal.

It has some interesting trends on what brides are looking for these days.

Congratulations to all of you.

Family History DVD's

Hello all

Have you ever wanted to take all those photos, old films and tapes you have in boxes and put them on DVD. VHS tapes depending on how they are stored will start to deteriorate in about 10 to 12 years. After that the sound and video quality will start to go. And the 8mm film you or your parents took is really getting brittle. So much family history. You would really hate to loose it wouldn't you. Now is the time to gather up all of it and get it transferred to DVD.

Now I know it can be overwhelming project but here are a few tips that will help.

• First go through all your photos and pick out the ones you really want to save.
• Next lay them all out on a table or the floor in the order you want them to show on the DVD. This is called story boarding and it's the same process movie makers use to see just how their film will play out.
• When you have them all laid out in order go through them once again and weed out any duplicates and less than perfect pictures. You can also rearrange them if the order is out of sequence. As you do this you will start to see your family history unfold in front of you.
• Once you have them all sorted out you can number them with small stickies on the back. That will help when we scan them for you.

A beautiful DVD of your family history will last a lifetime and are perfect gifts for the whole family.

So don't delay. Get the family together and have a ball. And if you have any problems or concerns be sure and give me a call or email. I'll be glad to assist you on it.

Musician OFF The HOOK!!

Hello everyone

Finally back from a restful and productive time in Kauai, Hawaii.

Apart from laying on the warm sand and scuba diving in some beautiful places I did have time to explore many potential places to honeymoon and party.

One in particular was The Princeville Hotel. Located on the northern shore of Kauai it is a beautiful and very romantic hotel overlooking Hanalei Bay. Whether your lounging in The Living Room sipping Mai Tais, listening to island music, or having a romantic dinner on the terrace while watching the sunset it is a great place to visit.

Because Kauai gets a ton of rain the mountains surrounding us were filled with waterfalls. It seemed everywhere we turned there was another one. I'll tell you more about some of the great places to stay and eat in my next article. But just in case you are planning a honeymoon out to the islands Kauai is one of the best and most unpopulated islands in the Hawaii chain.

But for now I would like to mention someone I had the pleasure of filming last night.

It isn't often you run into a person that can make you rock right down to your very soul. But last night that was the case. Ron S. L. Matthews, (the SL stands for Serious Licks), was just that gentleman and I and the Hotspot crew had the pleasure of filming him for a live TV show at the PCA studio in Petaluma. Armed with Keyboards and flutes he made his music rock. From funky to the smooth Jazz Ron had the studio hopping.

But more importantly while talking to him I found out that not only does he play clubs all over the area he also does weddings. What a treat it would be to have a live entertainer at your wedding. One that can play just about any style of music you like. I have played in many bands over the years and always feel having live entertainment is a great addition to any event.

So check him out folks. It will be well worth it to have him play at your wedding or special event. Take a look at Ron's website or better yet give him a call if you want the very best in music.

See you next week for more exciting places to see in Hawaii.

The Maid of Honor

Hello again

After writing about the best man duties last week it got me to thinking about what the Maid of Honor duties include.

It is a great honor to be chosen for this duty. It means after much thought the bride has picked her best friend to help her with all the planning that has to be done. It also means a lot of responsibility for you. Are you up for it? Well only you can answer that question. With that responsibility will come some costs and some time. But think of all the fun you will have helping her pick out her dress and planning the parties. By all means though if you are not up to it tell her. Many friendships have suffered because a friend was too scared to say, “Sorry, I love you but I can’t.”

As always there are a ton of web sites that can help you. I found one in particular that pretty much sums it all up. Take a look at The Knot. It has a lot of good tips for the bride as well as all the attendants in the wedding party.

Next week I will be off scouting some interesting wedding and honeymoon destinations.

See you when get back

The Best Man

Hello all

My job is to be behind the camera filming all you beautiful brides and handsome grooms. Well yesterday I stepped in front of the camera to be best man to a very good friend of mine.

It's interesting how different the world looks on that side of the camera and it got me to thinking. Just what are the duties and obligations of the best man. Your supposed to be there for the groom. Make sure he shows up. Give him a bachelor party. We know all this. But what other duties are there. Check out this best man site for more on the duties and responsibilities.

But one of my biggest concerns was what was I going to say at the toast. I have known both the bride and groom for many years so there were a lot of stories I could have shared but that would have just bored everyone. And of course we all want to be witty. So I started looking on the Internet and found some web sites that gave me a lot of good ideas on how to do the toast properly.

Someone once said, Being asked to be the best man is like kissing the Queen. It's a great honor but no one wants to do it. Well I'm here to say that it was a great honor and with a little preparation you will not only deliver a good speech but will have a great time doing it.

So here are some tips for you potential best men to help you get through the toast.

1. The wedding toast should be around 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Practice your speech.
3. Don't drink to much before the speech.
4. Speak from the heart.
5. Take your time. Don't mumble or rush your speech.
6. Smile and make eye contact.
7. Start with a joke. But be careful of off color jokes in mixed company.
8. Introduce yourself. Not everyone may know you.
9. Don't be ashamed if you get emotional. Heck. Real men cry too.
10. Congratulate the couple.

And above all have fun.

Friedman Event Center

Hello all

In my travels around the county filming weddings and events I have a great opportunity to see a lot of different places. One such place could be considered a hidden treasure. Called the Friedman Event Center it is tucked away in North East Santa Rosa close to Howarth Park which for any of you that aren't familiar with the area is a beautiful hilly park right in the heart of the city. If you like hiking, biking, or just walking around the lake with your favorite gal Howarth Park is a lovely place to be.

If you are still looking for a place to celebrate your wedding, reception or even a corporate event Friedman Center is a place you should look into. It has plenty of room for a large or small wedding or event with tons of parking. There is also an outside patio that would be a great place to hold a wedding ceremony.

Chris Parr-Feldman is the Director of Public Relations and would be glad to talk to you about your plans and give you a tour of the center. Check out the web site and give her a call.

On another note

I had an opportunity to film some of the Tour of California Stage 1 bike race on Monday. I was out on Hwy 1 north of Bodega Bay filming the bikers as they turned up the hilly Coleman Valley rd. on their way to Occidental and a Santa Rosa finish. Quite a spectacle with 144 riders all grouped into the pack. For all the waiting and anticipation it only took 15 seconds for all of them to zoom by. I think the most interesting part of all this though was the continuous stream of support cars, race officials and police that followed them. The line of cars seemed to never end.

Just one more reason to come to Sonoma County for your wedding plans.

See you next week

So what is this Videography thing?

Hello all

Video taping started many years ago and has continued to improve over the years. We have come a long way in a short period of time from the early days of large bulky cameras with tape decks attached and fair to poor image quality to the more non-intrusive compact cameras with incredible image and sound quality. Plus the sophisticated editing systems that allow us to be as creative as we like.

So what does this all mean to you?

It means your wedding video will be something you will want to view over and over again. Show to your friends and family and pass down for a lifetime of cherished memories.

But before this can all happen you need to ask a few questions.

• How do I find the right videographer?
• How long is my wedding film going to be?
• Is my videographer going to be non-intrusive?
• How do I know if my videographer is a professional?

These are all legitimate questions and you shouldn't be afraid to ask them.

So how do you find the right videographer? There are many ways.

• Talk to your friends and family.
• Look on the Internet. There are a lot of sites that can give you good information including The Knot and Google searches.
• Talk to the other vendors you are involved with. They are a good source for referrals.
• Check out  bridal magazines.
• If you are using an event planner ask them for a referral. They are a very good source.

And above all plan ahead. Videographers book up fast during the wedding season and it takes time to plan out your wedding schedule properly.