2007 - Booked Out!

Thanks to the support of all you people out there, Velvetine Productions are booked solid for 2007. We have already met our quota for 2008 but interest has never been greater in our WeddingStory so again, I'm doing all I can to add some more dates to the calendar... as soon as I can find a couple of good camera persons who meet our high standards!

Cinematic Preview

In July of this year, 60 Americans descended on the beautiful Clifden in Galway. Mary & Colin and their families and friends were an absolute joy to work with. It rained and rained that day but it was beautiful day, nonetheless.

Mary and Colin asked me to put together one of my WeddingStory Trailers for them... and this is what we came up with.

Wedding Amnesia

I hear it time and time again: "The entire ceremony was a blur..."

Just this past week, two past brides of mine both commented on how they couldn't remember walking up the aisle and neither of them had any memory of my presence during their vows. I wish I could tell you that among my skillset is the power of invisibility but in truth, the enormity of the event often renders brides into a state of mild tunnel vision... and this is another great reason to choose video coverage of your day so that one can relive those moments.

Jokers On The Dancefloor

Short Film

As a wedding videographer, I've always considered myself a documentary filmmaker but this year and with the help of a fine producer, Rory Kirby, I made my first short film.

Rory and I were determined to make a film for the festival circuit and we committed ourselves to high production values that would showcase the talents of all involved. I wrote, directed and edited the film and Rory got us the best equipment he could lay his hands on and assembled a fantastic cast and crew who worked their magic on the set. The entire process was such a rewarding experience and I'm already looking forward to doing it all again as soon as some spare time presents itself to all of us.

The film is a moody comedy called A Strange Request and it has already been accepted into The Dingle Film Festival which is great news for us. The festival begins on Sept 9th and it promises to be a brilliant weekend. For more details please visit kerryiff.com

A Nervous Groom

He was the epitomy of cool at the rehearsals and up until one hour before the ceremony... but then the arse fell out of it and I could hear Francis' knees knocking inside the church as I waited outside for the arrival of his beautiful bride, Tina.

He was also a bit concerned about his speech but in my opinion, he did a great job from the moment he chucked down his cue cards and spoke from the heart.

There's Something About Mary!

I knew from the very moment that I met Mary Van De Walle in Mareid's Salon that this was going to be an amazing wedding... and amazing it was!!!

Mary and Colin are from Chicago and their family and friends all came to Clifden, Galway to celebrate their wedding. It is a weekend that will live long in my memory because these were a special bunch of people... I'm not exaggerating when I say that they treated my camera man Shane and I like family.

Michelle the coordinator from Waterlily Weddings made sure that everything ran as smoothly as possible, Michael Dillon worked his magic with the photography, Father John Gorman had the place in stitches one minute and in floods of tears the next, Mark at Rossleague Manor made sure that everyone partied into the early hours, and the band Weightless Astronauts absolutely rocked!!

Now it's just up to me to do justice to everyone with a WeddingStory... no pressure then ;)

Dillon Photography

I have had the absolute pleasure of working with Michael Dillon from Dillon Photography and I highly recommend him.

Not only is Michael a friendly person but he is a thorough professional and his work speaks for itself; in my opinion, some of the best wedding photography I've seen on this island! I mentioned to my camera man, Shane, that Michael had a good eye for composition and I was so looking forward to checking out his website to view his photos... it's impressive to say the least.

Check it out for yourself at dillonphotography.ie

Love Today

Here's an excerpt from a recent WeddingStory:

Sinead & Andrew

We've all been there: promises to keep, friends to keep happy, hectic workloads, pressure to pay bills and not a minute to one's self. At times like these I often wish I could just disappear for awhile and let everything just pass me by... but then a couple like Sinead & Andrew come along and make me remember why I'm so lucky to share in a couples wedding day. I'm not exaggerating when I say that my jaw was sore from laughing so much with Sinead, Andrew, and their families and friends.

This wedding ROCKED! So if there's nothing on the telly or if your boss is out of earshot, why not allow some time to stream these large video files and enjoy a full WeddingStory!

COMING SOON

Invited to Join New Organisation

In the USA and Canada most videographers either align themselves with WEVA or 4EG, oraganisations that offer training support to their members in the quest to improve the wedding video industry. In Britain there is the IOV. In Ireland... nothing.

WEVA and 4EG hold annual training and award ceremonies in Las Vegas and Jackonsville and I can tell you that most of the winning videographers are immensely talented and a credit to the industry.

Several of these videographers are in the process of starting their own initiative to promote excellence in the wedding video industry. They will attract the finest videographers in the business, poeple from all over the globe who are pushing boundaries and making exciting wedding videos for today's young couples. This new organisation will not only support this new wave of artists with promotional platforms and forums to encourage growth but they also want to reach out to the brides who are looking for that something special on their wedding day.

And Velvetine Productions has been invited participate and I've got to tell you I am so proud that my most respected peers have seen fit to ask us onboard.

The launch date is to be announced shortly and more details will follow here on the blog.

Congratulations Catherine & Colm

It was such a pleasure to be a part of Catherine & Colm's wedding day; a lovely couple with great families and friends but my strongest memories of this day will always be the toasts. Colm gave a great speech and the "dirt on my jacket" piece was priceless but the for me, the father of the bride stole the show. He had me in tears... with laughter!!!

Here's a glimpse at some other moments from their day.

Velvetine Continues To Grow

In the very near future we will be posting full video samples of WeddingStory on our main website so you can all see why Velvetine Productions is continually raising the bar of wedding videography in Ireland.

We have just upgraded some of our toys and software and later this year we will be training in some new team members for the 2008 season. If you were lucky enough to book us for your '08 date, good for you. Not only did you get us at this years prices but you will also benefit from our extra coverage at no additional charge.

Stay in touch here at the blog for further news on our new, exclusive service for 2008.

A Stunning Wedding

Carmel and Padraig were married in Killarney and held their reception in the fabulous Aghadoe Heights. It was an absolute pleasure to work with this couple and I really enjoyed the company of all their friends and family. Here's a small peak at some of their wedding.

Outdoors Ireland

Last Thursday, I wrapped up early and went down to Dingle for a bit of rock climbing. What a buzz! Five of us - under the supervision of Nathan Kingerlee from www.outdoorsireland.com - had a brilliant day on the cliffs around Dingle. Check out the video:

Nathan is holding a free climbing promotion on May 12th at The Gap of Dunloe. Check his website for more info; I can't recommend it highly enough!

Celebration The Party Band

I love working with these guys! Not only are they nice people but they have a genuine passion for entertaining their audiences. They do a great Siege of Ennis, waltz sets, ballads, rock & roll, and then easily transition into some hilarious comedy routines that have wedding guests and myself in stitches. Here's a very brief example of a ballad followed by a rare appearance from The Ballybunion Elvis...

I'm sure you'll all agree that The Ballybunion Elvis is a smooth operator and a real hit with the ladies but no Celebration wedding gig is complete without a couple of numbers from his good friend in this next video...

To do justice to these guys I'd nearly need to post an entire gig so you could see how dynamic this band are and they always entertain the crowd; there's never a dull moment once they turn on their lights and hit the mics. And most importantly, they will have your dance floor hopping!

Visit the website Celebration - The Band or call Sean Crowley on 0872604749 to book this band for your event.

Des Bishop & Becky

Stay Tuned

Trying to find the time to keep this Blog updated over the past few weeks has been near impossible because of all the upheaval (not only am I swamped in work and upgrading our entire equipment but I'm also moving house!) but I promise to get things back on track so keep your eyes right here for all the exciting developments ahead.

I'm also hoping to have more Featured Vendors (bands, hotels, etc who offer great services that I can show on video) and I'll also give you a peek at some of the fantastic weddings we've covered. The coming weeks and months are going to blow you away because you all ain't seen nothing yet!!! Velvetine Productions are going to raise the bar yet again and you can watch us do so from the comfort of your home. And that invitation is extended to all my Irish videographer peers who are scattered around the country and regularly visit this page and our website That's right chaps... I know you're here :)

Booking Advice

We are booked solid between now, May, June, July, Aug, Sept, and October so, if you were considering Velvetine for any dates during this period please be advised to look at other videography studios to cover your wedding event.

We are also in the process of upgrading our computer systems to meet the demands of our ever increasing workload and because of the changeover, we are trying to catch up on all email correspondence... if you're waiting to hear from hear us you can rest assured that we will reply.

All Work And No Play...

...makes Maurice a dull boy so I took off for the entire Easter weekend (though I'm going to cram in a bit of work tomorrow). Shane - who is a Mountain Leader when he isn't charming wedding guests from behind his camera - suggested that we should climb Mount Brandon. 8 of us slapped on some sunscreen and hiking boots and off we went.

Half way up I found myself looking for a nice place to lie down and die but when we eventually made the top it all seemed worthwhile - and I'll tell you, Coca Cola never tasted so good!!! Shane explained that we had burned 6,000 calories which is why the sugar rush from the cola was so fantastic.

It was a great weekend and several of us have agreed to tackle another mountain in a couple of weeks time and Shane is also going to take us rock climbing. I'd bring the camera but the truth is that I just don't have the time to edit any personal videos anymore. Pity, really... it would be nice to show everyone how friendly hill walkers and rock climbers are.

If you haven't climbed a mountain before I'd highly recommend that you try it. Contact a local hill walking club and travel with a guide or experienced climbers (can get tricky under certain weather conditions). I assure you that your body will ache but it's all worth it for the friendly people, amazing scenery, losing 6,000 calories, and the sense of achievement upon reaching the summit.

And bring a can of Coke!