These posts were made between Feb. 2008 and November 2009.

Posts made after November 2009, are under our new name of McNeal Wedding Films.



We’ve been friends of The Bride Room for several years now. A few years ago Lynette did an amazing video for The Bride Room showcasing one of our brides trying on various gowns. It’s still a great video and you can check it out here. The adorable bride’s name is Jennifer and she looked absolutely gorgeous on her wedding day wearing her dress from The Bride Room. Lynette had a lot of fun making this video so I knew that we would have a lot of fun shooting the fashion show. I was really looking forward to it!

As the week progressed and the rain kept falling and falling and falling, I began to get a little concerned that the show would have to be rescheduled. Oh No! But I know now that this was such a silly thought because isn’t this what wedding planners are for? To solve such things as rainy outdoor wedding days? And of course the ladies from Big Events came through, and a tent was raised and the show went on as planned. Yay!

However, I don’t think even wedding planners can solve interstate traffic tie-ups, and so instead of arriving at The Bride Room at 6:00 like I told Lynette, I arrived at 6:15, which is really a miracle that it wasn’t even later considering about a million cars were merging into one lane at I-24 and 440, and I was stuck right in the middle of it. STRESS!

But all turned out well. Team Dawn was also there to help with the video and between the three of us, we had every step of the model and every turn of the dress covered. And Team Amy, who also works part-time at The Bride Room, was nice enough to bring me a glass of wine which helped me de-stress from the traffic snafu!

During the show, I set up inside the shop where the models first made their entrance to an audience seated there, and then Team Dawn caught the models as they exited the shop and were assisted onto the main runway by handsome young men wearing tuxes. Both she and Lynette got the models as they walked to the end of the runway, turned and walked back, turned and came back into the shop (where I was waiting for them again), and then disappeared to change into another gorgeous gown.

Before the show started, Team Dawn and I were able to capture the guests as they mingled and visited with each other, nibbled on hors d’oeuvres, and enjoyed the presentation of a wedding cake and several lovely reception tables complete with place settings and gorgeous flower centerpieces. Also, a little box was placed on each chair as a  favor for each guest. I was curious as to what was in the box, but quickly found out when I saw guests eating delicious looking cupcakes! The ladies at The Bride Room really put on a great open house and fashion show and spared no details!

But the fun part for me was the actual fashion show. The models, of course, were gorgeous. Where do they find these beautiful people? And, of course, the gowns were breathtaking. Several different designs and types of gowns were shown so that at least one gown would appeal to someone! But I loved them all! As the show continued, each gown became more lovely and elaborate. I think everyone just about fell in love with one of the last gowns, which had a fitted bodice with a somewhat full skirt made of feathery/poofy thingies! I’m sure they weren’t actual feathers! But they looked so pretty, whatever they were! I think that was my favorite gown, along with another gown worn toward the end of the show that had a long flowing train that billowed out as the model walked along. It was gorgeous! And of course there were feathers headpieces in the models hair, and shiny bejeweled jewelry and accents…. Enough to take your breath away. Made ME almost want to get married again so I could wear one of these gowns!

Another fun thing about the show was seeing other professionals and vendors who we’ve worked with before, who were either there to also work the show or simply there to enjoy it. I saw James Brown of Occasions by J. Darrel Brown, across a crowded room, and his assistant Rebekah was there as well.  Then there was Jody and Zach of Gray’s Photography, and Ashley of Ashleys Bride Guide. This reminds me that I HAVE to talk with Ashley about the upcoming fashion season and winter boots. Ashley always looks so adorable and she knows fashion! I need to find out about boots that are just a little higher than ankle boots but not as tall as knee boots. Can we wear these with skirts Ashley? And if so, long skirts or short skirts? Yep! I NEED to talk with Ashley!!!! And SOON!!!!!

Anyway, I digress. Where was I? Oh, and chatting with Ashley and enjoying their cake, were Surendra Kumar of Oakwood Cleaners and Latrice of Bridal Opulence, both of whom I had not met before but knew of them from around town. And turns out that I drive past one of the Oakwood Cleaners locations every day on my way to the day job, and never realized it until after meeting Surendra!

Of course Lynette and Team Dawn were already gone when I visited with most of these folks. Yep. As soon as the fashion show ended and guests were making a mad dash to look at the wedding gowns in the shop and ones still being worn by the models, Lynette told me to “pack it up”. So I did. But that didn’t mean I had to go home too! Nope, after helping Lynette load her car, I went back to get a piece of wedding cake to take home with me, and THAT’S when I was able to talk with people I knew. See, it’s a good thing I went back for cake! :--)  

Oh, and I can’t forget that as I was walking out of the tent to go home, I ran into about the last person I was expecting to see at the show, and that was good friend Trey of Gambill Photography! There he was with that big “Trey Grin” on his face, sans Angie, who was home with a visiting grandmother. Trey was there to support his good friends from Street Tuxedo who provided the tuxes for the evening. Who knew! Not that Street Tuxedo provided the tuxes, but who knew Trey was good friends with the folks at Street Tuxedo! But I’m really not surprised. Everyone loves Angie and Trey….!

I really had such a good time at the show. I know Lynette and Team Dawn did too. We really appreciate Charlotte inviting us to cover this fun event for them. The ladies at The Bride Room and Big Events really did a beautiful job! Everything looked perfect, as usual! And Team Amy, you did a great job too and looked wonderful in your pretty black dress, and you made us so proud! :--)

I highly suggest if there is a future bride out there who hasn’t found THE GOWN yet, to check out The Bride Room. Charlotte, Stephanie and Amy will be more than happy to show you the gorgeous gowns that were featured in the show, plus more that weren’t! All lovely, of course, and hopefully one will be THE GOWN for your special day!

And (shameless plug here) McNeal Video would LOVE to see you in your gown from The Bride Room and would be happy to capture your special day for you on video!  :--)

You can view our video highlights of the event here.

Now it’s time for this girl to take her evening nap!

BIG EVENTS WEDDING    Wedding Planning, Design & Florals

MUSIC CITY TENTS & EVENTS   Event Rentals

KRISTEN WINSTON CATERING   Wedding & Event Catering

TECHWORKS   Sound & Lighting

SOCIAL GRACES  Custom Paper Suite

VISUAL ELEMENTS   Draping

STREET TUXEDO   Menswear

DESSERT DESIGNS   Wedding Cake

J.BANGS SALON   Hair & Make Up

MCNEAL VIDEO   Wedding Videography

MONKEES OF NASHVILLE    Select Shoes                             

 We had a wonderful wedding last weekend! A total class act all the way. Latonya and Frederick were married at the Hermitage Hotel with a reception following in the Grand Ballroom. All the details for the entire day were perfectly gorgeous!

But let me start at the beginning.

Lynette and I have been craving a wedding at the Hermitage Hotel forever. We’ve hit every hotel around it and then some, but we wanted the Hermitage! So you can imagine how happy we were when Latonya and Frederick booked us for their wedding ages ago. And we were doubly happy that not only would we have a wedding at the Hermitage Hotel, but that our couple was SO NICE. I’m sorry, but I just have to say that we have the NICEST couples and the PRETTIEST brides in Nashville!

Anyway, Lynette and I went to the rehearsal the night before the wedding and we sure are glad that we did! We really needed to see the room that the ceremony was being held in. It was a LONG LONG NARROW room and was a bit challenging in figuring out the best places to place our cameras (and ourselves!). But we figured it out just fine, and besides, the room was so pretty! It was a pale blue room with the ceiling painted like the sky. And it wasn’t painted like the skies that you see painted in a kids room or baby nursery. Nooooo! This was painted like a grand cathedral. I told Lynette that the hotel was as beautiful and spectacular as any church or cathedral that we’ve ever done a wedding. And it’s true!

We also were able to talk with Latonya and Frederick at the rehearsal, and they looked so happy! I love it when our couples are happy at the rehearsal rather than nervous at the rehearsal. It’s okay to be nervous, but happy is just, well, happier!

We also were able to talk with wedding planner Tiffani Helms of Creative Designs and Events. We were impressed with Tiffani right away. She was totally in control and unflustered. Perfect! We can’t emphasize enough that a good wedding planner is a NECESSITY if you want your wedding day to turn out the way that you always dreamed it to be. Also, there were so many pretty moments at this wedding. No detail was overlooked, and Tiffani did a great job at pulling everything together so that Latonya wouldn’t have to be stressing on her special day.

 We were also able to meet the photographer at the rehearsal, and generally we don’t meet the photographers at the rehearsals simply because they usually aren’t there! But this photographer was at the rehearsal because he was from Houston, Texas. We were delighted to meet Earlie Hudnall, Jr of Hudnall’s Positive Images. I knew that I would like him right away when he said, “Just call me Earl”.  :--)   I must say that Earl added an extra element of “interesting” to the day and we totally enjoyed working with him!

Anyway, after the rehearsal and meeting all the key players, we were ready for the Big Day.

I have to add here that this was another early afternoon wedding, which meant that I needed to be at the hotel by around 9:30 am. That meant that I needed to be out of bed by around 7:00 am. Do I really need to remind anyone that Cheryl does not do mornings well? I think not! By now everyone should know a few things about Cheryl. Cheryl does not do morning well. Cheryl does not do heat well. Cheryl is a pink girl. And Cheryl loves her cakes. And Cheryl likes to refer to herself in the third person! I think Cheryl needs to stop doing that….!

But last Saturday by some miracle I was actually able to get out of bed in time to get properly dressed and ready with time to spare to swing by McDonalds for an egg McMuffin! Wow! It’s rare, but sometimes it happens.

In fact, as I was pulling up to the hotel, I pulled in right behind Lynette and Team Dawn (who were riding together), as they were pulling up to the hotel. I even got to honk my horn at Lynette so she would move a little faster!

After we unloaded our gear and sent our cars off with the valets, we went our separate ways. Lynette and Team Dawn went inside the Hermitage to find Latonya, and I went next door to the Downtown Sheraton where Frederick and the guys were getting dressed. Now Frederick is a very nice man, but I didn’t know if he would be a little camera shy and I was wondering if I would be able to get good “prep” footage for the video. Believe me, I’ve been there a few times where I have a camera shy bride or groom and I get great footage ……of their BACKS!  :--)

Well, I should never have worried. Frederick and his guys were totally at ease in front of the camera and agreeable to any suggestions I made, such as “Do you have the rings? Can you turn this way when you tie your tie”? …..I just LOVE my grooms!

Latonya and Frederick chose to not see each other before the ceremony, so I hung out with the guys for awhile, then went over to the Hermitage to take some detail shots….. and there were LOTS of details shots! Oh. That’s another thing we should all know about Cheryl by now. Cheryl loves her details.

I mentioned earlier that no detail was overlooked. And I meant it. Latonya obviously has great taste because she had the prettiest details and accents at her wedding. Everything matched perfectly, but wasn’t matchy matchy, which as we all know is very important! The flowers were gorgeous! And the color of the roses were a perfect coral which was the main color used by Latonya.

When I first saw the flowers and the unique color of the roses, I had to touch one because at first I thought it was silk! I had never seen a rose that color before! So I immediately fell in love with the flowers.

And then of course there was the hotel itself. The ceilings alone were works of art. I spent a lot of time with my camera pointed up. :--)

There were also pictures of Latonya and Frederick placed casually around the lobby along with more flowers and a long table with tiny picture frames that held the guests names and their table assignments at the reception. So detailed! Oh, and instead of assigning guests to “table one or two”, the tables were named after jazz musicians because Frederick loves jazz! I think for our break I sat at the “Herbie Hancock” table. How cool is that!

 I was also able to help Team Dawn with the pre-ceremony photo shoot, so I finally got to see Latonya in her gown. She looked so elegant and beautiful! I loved her gown!

Time went by really fast and too soon it was time for us to take our places for the ceremony. Remember, this is a LONG NARROW room. So Team Dawn and I sat about midway up the room and Lynette was in the back. I had the lucky job of getting Latonya as she walked down that LONG aisle! She looked SO PRETTY. I’m sure Frederick thought so too!

The wedding itself was lovely. Throughout most of the ceremony, Latonya and Frederick gazed at each other like they were the only two people in the room.

After they were pronounced husband and wife, Latonya and Frederick, along with family and the wedding party, posed for pictures, while guests were treated to pre-reception hors‘doeuvres in the hotel lobby. Again more details! A beautiful ice sculpture! More flowers! Wedding favors for the guests!

Dawn and Lynette covered the after ceremony photo shoot while I made my way to the reception room to get details before the guests entered. Again, everything was perfection. So elegant. There were so many beautiful details to get that I hardly knew where to begin. I started with the pretty tables and their place settings with menus and pretty flower centerpieces. Of course the chairs all had coral bows on the back, which I loved. And Latonya and Frederick had their own little table with a special flower centerpiece and special bows on the back of their chairs. Details! I love it!

And of course there were the cakes.  :--)  On one side of the room was the traditional wedding cake. It was vanilla. My favorite! It was VERY pretty. Then on the other side of the room was the groom’s cake, which was a chocolate cake topped with chocolate covered strawberries. It looked extremely yummy as well. Of course I spent a lot of time with the cakes! And a side note here. I had a piece of vanilla cake, but I had a bite of the chocolate, and for this day and this day only, the chocolate cake won the YUM prize! I would have eaten the entire piece if I wasn’t trying to cut back…..   :--(

Soon the room was opened for the guests and they made their way to their tables as the band played in the background. Oh, and this band! I mentioned before that Frederick was a jazz lover, and so this band of course, was a jazz band. But I hate to call it that, because that makes you think of only one type of music when there was really so much more…. I know, I’m confusing everyone! But the band was awesome! Joe Johnson and his band played and the only way I can describe it is to say to check them out for yourself here.  I’m not a huge jazz fan, but I loved the music at the reception! And so did the guests! Joe Johnson is obviously the front man and he played the saxophone. But there was a percussionist who was totally into his music and he kept me entertained by just watching him play and the enjoyment on his face while doing it. The whole band was great!

After the guests were seated, Latonya and Frederick were introduced and they went into their first dance together as husband and wife. They danced a beautiful waltz. And they REALLY danced the waltz. It was a lovely dance to watch. They looked so handsome together!

After the dance, the buffet was opened and guests were treated to a great meal. I mean, YUM! Guests had the choice of chicken, beef, or fish with all the side dishes. Can I say YUM again?  YUM! Latonya and Frederick spent a lot of time greeting their guests during this time as well, but I think they got to spend a few moments together enjoying their reception meal.

After a toast from the groom’s best man and brother, (the same person!), it was time for the cakes to be cut. Then another dance with Latonya and Frederick along with their wedding party and family. Then the dance floor was opened for the guests. It got lively!

Dawn and I covered the reception and I know that we both enjoyed ourselves very much. This was such a nice reception to cover. Everything was just perfection. The room was beautiful. The pace of the reception was perfect. It didn’t feel rushed. Everyone was enjoying themselves. And Latonya and Frederick looked so much in love. It was a happy day.

But as all good things must come to an end, so did the reception. But before the reception was entirely over, Latonya changed from her wedding gown into ……another wedding gown?!  :--)  Actually Latonya changed into another dress to make her exit in, but it was as beautiful as the gown she wore for her ceremony! Latonya looked gorgeous the entire day!

After a few more turns on the dance floor, and a few more hugs and kisses from the guests, Latonya and Frederick made their way through friends and family and bubbles, into a white limousine waiting outside the hotel. After waving to guests, and waving….. and waving….. they were whisked away to….. I don’t know where! But they sure did look happy wherever they were going!

As they drove away I couldn’t help but think that this had been one of the most beautiful weddings I’ve covered amongst a sea of beautiful weddings. I couldn’t have scripted a better day. I know that Latonya and Frederick will look back on their wedding day with happiness, and I am so glad that they will also have a video to remind themselves as the years go by, of their perfect and beautiful day.

Thank you so much, Latonya and Frederick, for allowing us to spend this wonderful day with you. Our best wishes for you both always for many many many years of love and happiness!

And now it’s time to close this blog for the night. Or for the morning? This girl would love to crawl into bed, but instead she has to get ready for her day. And there goes that third person again! Oh well. Cheryl says, it’s time for her to go to bed…… in about 20 hours!          

This past weekend we had a beautiful wedding with old friends…..Carmen and Matt were married on a beautiful fall day at Scarritt-Bennett, followed by a reception at Belmont Neely Black and White Dining Hall.       

And when I say that it was a beautiful fall day, I mean, it was a BEAUTIFUL FALL DAY.

Carmen and her family are old friends of McNeal Video. We had the pleasure of covering Carmen’s twin sister Carrie’s wedding to Husband Cliff waaaaaaay back in 2005. It was so good to see this dear family once again at another happy occasion! We love it when we get invited back by our families to be part of yet another happy wedding.

This happy wedding day started very early. And as we should all know by now, Cheryl does NOT do mornings well. And since Lynette is going to read this blog, and since Lynette is my sister, but still is my boss, and since she becomes very “concerned” if I say that I overslept on a wedding day, and since we have another early wedding day next weekend, I’m going to say that I got up on time for Carmen and Matt’s wedding. Okay? Only I will let you know by a subtle (wink) that I may be fudging the truth just a little. Are we all on the same page?

Okay. So even though Carmen and Matt were getting married early in the afternoon, I was scheduled to be at Scarritt-Bennett around 10:15 Saturday morning. So of course I got plenty of sleep the night before (wink wink) and woke up bright and early on Saturday (wink wink) with plenty of time to spare (wink wink). I DID make it to Scarritt-Bennett on time, though! :--)  In fact, as I parked my car, I saw Lynette with Team Emily just arriving as well. Whew!

We didn’t have a lot of time to waste because pictures were scheduled to start very soon, and we needed to be with Carmen as she was getting in her dress, and with Matt as he was getting dressed as well. I don’t know where Lynette and Team Emily went, but as soon as I unpacked my camera, I went inside to find Matt.

We’ve done so many weddings at Scarritt-Bennett that I pretty much know my way around now, so I went to where the guys usually get dressed and sure enough, that’s where I found Matt! Unfortunately I wasn’t able to go with Lynette to the rehearsal the night before, so I didn’t know what Matt looked like. Lynette just told me that he was very tall. And she was right! Six foot four! That’s tall!

While hanging with the guys, I got to see Cliff again, and he was looking all good and married. And also got to see Carmen and Carrie’s brother, Shawn. I didn’t know who Shawn was at first, but I knew that I had seen him before. Then when I found out that he was Carmen’s brother, it didn’t take long for me to figure out where I knew him from. I knew him from Carrie and Cliff’s wedding! Okay. I may not be a firecracker, but I eventually figure things out!

I was also able to meet new people too. Matt, of course, and Matt’s Dad, who was also very nice. And Matt’s groomsmen. Everyone was totally nice. I assume that Lynette and Team Emily were having an equally nice experience with Carmen and her family and bridesmaids. And I assumed correctly.

Carmen and Matt chose to see each other before the ceremony so they could get their photo’s taken care of before the ceremony. That meant I was able to see Carmen before the wedding too! Sometimes I don’t get to see the bride until she’s almost ready to walk down the aisle! So I enjoy it when I get to see the bride early in the day.

For their first “sighting”, Matt stood at the front of the sanctuary with his back toward Carmen as she walked down the aisle toward him. Carmen called out his name and he turned and walked straight for her, giving Carmen a big hug and kiss when he reached her. Matt’s reaction was soooooo special! It moved me, so I know it moved Carmen! And the great thing is that Carmen will always have Matt’s reaction on video so she can watch it forever and ever, and their children can watch it someday too!  :--)

After spending a few moments together, it was time for the photo shoot. And it was a great photo shoot. Carmen can’t take a bad picture if she wanted to! First, she looked gorgeous, but she also enjoyed the camera! We didn’t have a camera shy bride here! :--)  Everything I saw through my viewfinder looked beautiful. And I loved it when Carmen and Carrie posed together because they are both so pretty. And then I loved it when Carmen and Matt posed together because it was so obvious how much in love they were. And I loved it when the whole wedding party posed together because everyone looked so handsome. I just loved ……. Everything!

Team Emily and I covered most of the photo shoot and had a fun time doing it. Lynette also helped out with the photo shoot, but also used the time to get the audio ready. It’s easy to forget how important the audio is in a video. But it’s VERY important! It’s so important that I’m glad that Lynette takes care of it and not me! 

Anyway, getting to revisit a family such as this several years later is great in that it’s fun to see the changes. For instance. At Carrie’s wedding there was a little baby niece in the family. And at Carmen’s wedding this little baby niece was now the four year old flower girl!

I have to say though, that Mom Joyce looked just the same in 2009 as she did in 2005. She hadn’t aged a bit! And that’s the truth. No wink winks.

This is just a lovely family on both sides. The only person missing was Carmen’s Dad, who passed away a few months before sister Carrie’s wedding in 2005. He is still missed but NEVER forgotten. In fact, he was with Carmen every step of the way on her wedding day. On Carmen’s bouquet was a tiny heart-shaped charm which held a picture of her Dad. Very special. 

Also, on Matt’s side, another family member was absent but never far from anyone’s thoughts. Matt’s brother, Corporal Nathan Morris, USMC, is stationed in Iraq and was unable to be at his brother’s wedding. But he held a honorary groomsman position and was introduced at the reception to everyone’s applause and a standing ovation. He may not have been able to be present, but he was THERE.

After a lively photo shoot, it was time for the ceremony, and time for me and Lynette and Team Emily to take our places. I enjoy standing in the balcony in Wightman's Chapel, so that’s where I was for the ceremony. Lynette was up front in her usual place, and Team Emily took the back position. I must add here, that Team Emily did a great job! McNeal Video is so fortunate to have such a talented Team!

The ceremony itself was very pretty. The chapel was full of family and friends as Carmen and Matt took their vows.

After the ceremony, Carmen and Matt made their way to their reception in style. They were whisked away in a 1939 Packard!

As everyone was making their way to the reception which was held just a little ways up the road at Belmont Neely Black and White Dining Hall, I was making my way there too, with Lynette……. driving. Yes, even though I try and avoid riding to receptions with Lynette as much as possible given the nature of her driving techniques, (she drives very very slowly and will not break traffic laws!), riding with Lynette was the best option of getting to the reception. And I must say that I’m proud of Lynette. On the way to the reception after missing our turn, Lynette did a U-TURN! It nearly killed her, but she did it!

Oh, in case anyone was wondering. Lynette and I covered the wedding reception since it was an early wedding and Lynette figured that since Team Emily had worked so hard on her BIRTHDAY, she could go home and do some celebrating for herself. Happy Birthday Team Emily!

Once we arrived at the reception, Lynette and I made our way into the dining area and started taking shots of the beautifully decorated room. Everything looked so nice! I forgot to mention earlier that Carman used purple as her primary color in her wedding, (and I loved it! If you can’t use pink, then purple is the next best thing!), so the room was filled with pretty purple flowers. And the cake was especially pretty, decorated with purple flowers as well.

Of course, I spent a lot of time with the cake! And instead of a groom’s cake, Carmen and Matt chose to have chocolate cupcakes! Very cute! I especially liked the little swirly icing on the cupcakes.

After the guests arrived, the wedding party was announced, and then Carmen and Matt were announced and went straight into their first dance.

I thought their first dance was charming. They looked so happy and Carmen looked so pretty…. Matt gave her a couple of twirls on the dance floor as well as a big dip at the end! It was a very nice first dance.

After the dance, the buffet was opened and guests made their way to the food! And so did I, (after the guests, of course!). Lynette never eats at receptions, but I did notice that she did drink several glasses of water and lemonade… 

Time at the reception flew right along with the cake cutting, Carmen and Matt visiting with guests, the dance floor opening, and Carmen and Matt tossing the bouquet and garter.

Before exiting, Carmen changed from her beautiful gown to another dress. I must admit that I prefer to have the bride make her exit in her wedding gown, but since it was still light outside and barely early evening, I can see why Carmen would want to change into something a little more comfortable. And I wasn’t disappointed to see that Carmen had changed into a really pretty short white dress that could still easily be called a wedding dress! Only a very sexy one! Good call, Carmen!

Carmen and Matt made their exit to friends and family blowing bubbles, and of course, at the end of the line of family and friends was that very sharp 1939 Packard! Carmen and Matt hugged their family good-bye before they left, (which I always think is so sweet when couples stop to do that), and then they drove off looking soooo happy!

A PERFECT day!

I do want to mention that the day went so perfectly and smoothly thanks in big part to Angela Proffitt of “Elegant Weddings by Angela”. We have enjoyed working with Angela before and it seems that smoooooth is the way that Angela runs all of her weddings. This makes for a very nice day for everyone, but especially nice and as stress free as possible for the bride and groom! Our advice to every bride, GET A GOOD WEDDING PLANNER! You will be so glad you did!

I also want to thank Carmen and Matt and their families for inviting us back to celebrate another wonderful wedding with you. It is so special to us when we are called back to video another wedding for a family who we have worked with before. The second-time around is almost like a homecoming for us since we know you and you are already one of  “our families”.   :--)     So a big THANK YOU especially to Carmen (and Carrie’s) mom, Joyce, for thinking of us again. It was so great to see you and your wonderful daughters and family again. You have a beautiful family and we just love you all!

Best wishes go out to Carmen and Matt as you make your way to Mexico for your honeymoon, and then of course, in your new lives together!

So now this Night Bird (me!) is going to do something strange. I have already napped, and even though I wish it were time to go back to bed, it’s time to get ready for my day…. UGH! Oh well. It will be time to go to bed later tonite….. Maybe????   :--)      

My favorite time of year is here and it’s time for the seasons to start changing. I can’t wait for fall to officially get here. And I can’t believe how fast this year has flown by so far. Since time is flying so fast I thought it might be a good time to report the happy changes that have taken place at McNeal Video while I was waiting for September.

First, we’ve had two babies at McNeal Video! If it seemed like Amanda had been nesting for several years, well, I think she would be the first to agree with you! She thought her baby would never arrive! But happily, Amanda is now the proud mother of adorable Baby Nora who made her appearance in August. Amanda and Nora are doing great. Nora’s big sister, Evy, is so sweet with her new baby sister. (Evy, sisters are the BEST!)  Also, Team Laura, who has been working with us on and off over the years and most recently helped us with our spring weddings, adopted a baby! Baby Sol is doing well, and Team Laura has her hands full with two babies in diapers and little daughter Harper just a few years out of them!

Given that Amanda and Team Laura have their hands full with new babies, and McNeal has some great weddings on our calendar and we might need an extra hand, Lynette decided to take another look at the gene pool and pluck out another talented family member to train to help with our weddings. (We have a very deep gene pool, btw. Twelve children on our mother’s side, six on our fathers…yep, that’s deep!). Anyway, out plucked Team Emily who is our second cousin but more importantly, is very talented and has a great eye with the camera! We’re a family of friggin Alfred Hitchcocks! Welcome Team Emily! Oh, and Lynette wants to pass on this message to Team Emily, Team Dawn, and Team Amy….. NO BABIES!!!!!!   :--)   

Oh My!  Just took a small break and walked in front of the tv…..Taxicab Confessions! Wow!

But no time for tv now! I have a blog to write about the wedding we covered this past weekend!  Sharon and Jason were married OUTDOORS in a beautiful wedding held at Sharon’s parent’s farm located in Milton, which I think is close to Murfreesboro somehow…… All I know is that is was the perfect place for an outdoor wedding.

Now if you know anything about Cheryl, you know that I love pink, loves my cakes, and I do NOT do heat well! So I will be honest and admit that I had feared the worst all year for our wedding planned for the last weekend in August, with an OUTDOOR wedding AND OUTDOOR Reception! Yikes! I knew I was going to melt! And that fear was not ungrounded. Many years ago we did a wedding in August at the Governors Club and it was the hottest weekend of the summer…. 100+ degrees with 100% humidity! I died! No really, I did! So visions of that hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot wedding floated through my head as August 29 quickly approached. But……. You can imagine my surprise when Saturday came and it wasn’t so hot! Okay, it was a bit warm during the day while the sun was out, but NOT 100 degrees hot. Thank goodness!

Long story short. I survived! And the weather was really not so bad for an outdoor wedding in August in Tennessee. And after I saw the location during the rehearsal the night before the wedding, I could understand why our bride wanted to get married outdoors. The scenery was beautiful. We were surrounded by newly mowed fields and rolling hills and wild turkey and deer making their way into the valley totally unaware of everyone gazing at them from a distance. It was actually perfect. 

When Lynette and I and Team Dawn and Team Emily arrived on Saturday to begin our day, the tent was already up for the reception and rows of white chairs for the ceremony were set up facing a beautiful valley.

We all pretty much had our assignments. Lynette would be spending most of the day training Team Emily, while Team Dawn and I were responsible for getting everything else! Which we did! Dawn spent time with our bride Sharon as she was getting dressed and I spent time with groom Jason. And Lynette and Team Emily were here, there, everywhere. Since Sharon and Jason chose to see each other before the wedding, we were able to cover a full photo shoot before the wedding. 

Sometimes covering a full photo shoot isn’t very fun if we don’t know the photographer, but we were so happy to be working with our friend Angie from Gambill Photography. WE LOVE ANGIE! She is so talented and creative…. Her photos are always gorgeous! And she’s a breeze to work with! We don’t even mind that she brings along her assistant, (and husband), Trey. :--)  Just kidding Trey! We love you too!

I told Trey that I would give him a big Shout Out in my blog this weekend, so here it is Trey! Trey is a great guy and he doesn’t know this and I hope he doesn’t take it the wrong way, but Trey kind of reminds me of Penn of “Penn and Teller”. And I mean that as a compliment because I love Penn and Teller. But keeping that in mind, when I’m talking with Trey and he tells me something, I sorta look at him like he’s trying to play a joke on me when he’s really just being very happy and nice. So when talking with Trey I usually give him the “Skeptical Cheryl Look” until I realize he’s being sincere. Trey just probably thinks I’m incredibly weird. Which I am! But not really. But anyway, Trey’s a great guy and Angie is a great photographer and together, as I think I referred to them from a wedding we did together earlier this year, “They is Good People”!

I have rambled enough! Time to tell about Sharon and Jason’s wedding!

After shooting the prep of Sharon getting into her dress and Jason getting into his tux, it was time for them to see each other.

Angie took Jason outside to stand at the “alter” where they would soon be getting married and had him turn his back as Sharon walked down the aisle toward him. Then he turned and saw her! What fun! Sharon looked sooooooo pretty! After a few words and kisses, the photo shoot began!

Angie had Sharon and Jason pose at the front of the house, at the back of the house, inside the house, outside the house, in the field, beside the field, on a couch in the field…. You name it, Angie did it! 

I have always loved how Angie poses her couples, which is very creative and not posed looking at all. I know Angie got some great shots, and so did we! I KNOW Sharon and Jason are going to be thrilled with their photo’s AND their video! :--)

After an afternoon of photos, guests started trickling in, then pouring in, and before we knew it, it was time for Sharon and Jason to get married!

Lynette and I and Team Dawn and Team Emily took our places for the ceremony, as did the wild turkey and deer behind us. The sun was almost setting as the Minister, The Best Man, and Jason walked down the aisle and took their places, and the wedding party entered, and then Sharon made her walk down the aisle with her dad. Sharon looked BEAUTIFUL!

And I want to mention here how everything looked beautiful! Since the wedding was outdoors and nature did most of the decorating, adding extra flowers could have possibly been a bad thing to do. But NO! The flowers that Sharon used in her wedding were PERFECT. Drum roll please….   DAISIES. Of course! An outdoor wedding on a farm and daisies go together hand in hand. There were gerber daisies and just regular “he-loves-me-he-loves-me-not” daisies. And roses in just the right amount sprinkled in for good measure. They were perfect and didn’t take away from the beautiful view surrounding the wedding, but complimented it perfectly. I loved it! And Sharon’s dress was the perfect dress for an outdoor wedding on the farm too. Not too much, ya know? Just right! AND she wore cowboy boots! Again, LOVED IT!

After the ceremony, and Sharon and Jason were pronounced Husband and Wife, the guests blew bubbles as they made their way back down the aisle. FUN!

And now it was time for the reception! Usually only two of us stay for the reception.  Usually Dawn and I have been the ones staying, but since Lynette was training Team Emily, Team Dawn went home after the ceremony and Team Emily, Lynette and I stayed for the reception. See you at the reception in a couple of weeks, Team Dawn!

Since there were three of us at the reception, there was a little bit more time to get the shots we wanted to get, such as all the beautiful flowers on the tables, and the wedding cakes….. Oh! The wedding cakes! Let me tell you about the wedding cakes! Of course there was the wedding cake and it was vanilla and it was pretty and it was yum.

But there was also a groom’s cake which was chocolate and yum too, but had a topper on it that was so cute! And very appropriate since we learned that Sharon is skilled with a rifle and is quite the hunter.  So the topper was perfect!

After Sharon and Jason and their wedding party were announced at the reception, Sharon and Jason had their first dance, then took a break to set down and rest and share time with their family and friends and take a bite or two of food.

Since Sharon and Jason and their guests were eating, (and we NEVER video people as they are eating. Not flattering, ya know?), me and Team Emily ate too! Lynette stayed with her camera in case something unexpected happened, and she seldom eats at weddings anyway. But I will admit that Team Emily and I chowed down! The buffet was also perfect for an outdoor wedding on the farm. There was barbeque chicken wings, barbeque sandwiches, baked beans, pasta salad, fresh fruit; I could go on, but YUM!

Now what I am about to say is not meant to hurt anyone’s feelings. But. This food was THE BEST FOOD I HAVE EVER EATEN AT A RECEPTION. And I should know because I have eaten at a lot of receptions! There. I said it. I’m not saying that the food at other receptions wasn’t yum, I’m just saying that THIS food was cooked perfectly! Just the right seasoning! Just the right tenderness of the meats! PERFECT!!!!!

After Team Emily and I had made pigs of ourselves, it was back to work as Sharon and her Dad danced, and then the dance floor opened. By now the temperature was very nice and the guests were comfortable, full,  :--)  and enjoying talking with Sharon and Jason and their families. Everyone was having a really nice time.

Before we knew it, it was time for Sharon to toss the bouquet and for Jason to throw the garter at the person he wanted to throw it to, (you cheated, Jason!).

Since Sharon and Jason already had their bubbles at the end of their wedding ceremony, a big exit wasn’t planned. And it had been a long day and Sharon and Jason were ready to start their honeymoon and get a little privacy! So it was time for us to go home from a very nice day on the farm.

It was a perfect day for us, and a perfect day for Sharon and Jason to reflect on. They had a beautiful wedding surrounded by their family and friends. They had the perfect weather and the perfect countryside setting.

We want to thank Sharon and Jason for allowing us to capture this perfectly special day for them on video. We want to thank Sharon and Jason’s family for being SO NICE to us all day. We appreciate so much everyone’s kindness and generosity and good humor.

But most of all, we want to wish only the very best always to Sharon and Jason as they start their lives as Husband and Wife.

And now I see through my blurry eyes that I have about an hour before I need to start getting ready for my day. Does this girl ever sleep?????  So I will close by saying that it’s time for this girl to go to bed…… but I’m not! :--)     

July 18 was an absolutely gorgeous day. The weather was perfect. Who would have thought it could be 79 degrees in July in Tennessee. Such a perfect day calls for a perfect wedding, and we had one. Lynn and Jake were married on July 18 at Calvary United Methodist Church, followed by a reception at Hillwood Country Club.

In case you don’t know, Calvary United Methodist is located next to the “Big White Church”, otherwise known as Woodmont Christian Church. Since I had always been intimidated by the “Big White Church”, I had never stopped to look at the awesome church sitting right next to it until now. What a gorgeous church! Calvary United Methodist is equally as intimidating as the “Big White Church” due to its size and grandeur. Since this was the first time we had ever had a wedding at Calvary, I had to spend an extra few minutes outside the church finding the perfect shot of this grand building. I especially thought the steeple was awesome! And what a beautiful day to be shooting the outside of a new church!

But it was equally beautiful inside. The florist was still bringing in the flowers and arranging them in the church when I arrived. The flowers were absolutely gorgeous! I loved the colors. Very soft pastel yet with patches of bold pinks and corals. Soft ivory roses and lilies. I just loved them! And they were everywhere! I had a few minutes before Jake and his groomsmen arrived, so I was able to take lots of shots in the sanctuary, which was nice. Sometimes there just isn’t much time to get a lot of shots of the flowers, and we all know that I love to take lots of shots of flowers!

While I was spending time in the sanctuary with the flowers, Lynette and Dawn were with Lynn and her bridesmaids pre-ceremony as they were getting dressed. Did I mention that Lynn and Jake had a huge wedding party? Well, they did. I think there were twelve bridesmaids and groomsmen, plus ushers and flower girls and ring bearers. Whew! My count may be off by a couple, but I know there were a LOT. Anyway, Lynette and Dawn were busy with the ladies as they were getting dressed. I wasn’t with them, since I spend my pre-ceremony with the Groom and his guys, but Lynette said that Lynn and the bridesmaids were having a really good time. I just know that everyone looked really nice.

I was still waiting for Jake to arrive when I first saw Lynn’s sister, who was Maid of Honor, and she looked so pretty!

I loved the color of the dresses and the pretty bows tied in front. Lynn’s sister’s dress had a pretty broach pinned in the bow, and turns out this broach belonged to Lynn’s grandmother.

Lynn was also wearing one of her grandmother’s broaches on her dress as well. Such beautiful touches!

I also loved that all the bridesmaids were wearing pearl necklaces, and Lynn was as well, along with a pearl bracelet that Jake gave her as a wedding gift. Everyone looked so pretty.

Jake and the groomsmen slowly trickled in one by one and finally Jake arrived looking handsome in his tux. Since Lynn and Jake chose to not see each other before the ceremony, they had separate photo shoots which meant extra time for the guys to hang out in a back room while Lynn was having her photos taken with the bridesmaids. I have to say that Jake and his groomsmen were a lively bunch! I was laughing the entire time because they were so funny!

While they were waiting, Jake and the guys played video games and ate and just generally had a good time joking around and keeping Jake loose and ready to get married. Jake was a little bit nervous, but the guys helped keep him relaxed and laughing. What a great bunch of guys!

I have to say that Lynn and Jake's wedding was one of the most fun weddings I’ve done this year. Lynn and Jake surrounded themselves with friends and family who were so nice and so easy to work with. Speaking as a vendor, the entire day was practically effortless because of how pleasant everyone was. Believe me, this really makes the day when everyone from the bride and groom, to their parents, to their wedding party and friends, are SO NICE. It makes for a very happy atmosphere.

It also makes for an almost effortless day when we work with a team of vendors who are also pleasant, professional, and NICE. Marsha Husbands was the wedding planner and she is so easy to work with. We’ve done many weddings over the years with Marsha, and all her weddings are well organized and well planned. I can’t stress this enough, but a good wedding planner is VERY IMPORTANT! :--)

We were also so happy to be working again with photographer and friend, Derrick Pierce (and Lovely Laura) of D Pierce Studio. We’ve worked with Derrick and Laura so many times over the years that they seem almost like family, only better! We always have such a good time working with them.

Speaking of Derrick and Laura, their photo shoot with Lynn, Jake, and their wedding party was a fun one. Again, everyone was really having a nice time. Lots of laughing going on pre-ceremony. I like it when that happens.

It was during the pre-ceremony photo shoot that I first saw Lynn in her dress. She looked so beautiful! I absolutely loved her gown! It was ivory lace and it was gorgeous. Everything about this entire day was perfect, from the dress to the weather to the flowers to the happy couple to the happy friends and family…..just everything!

Before we all knew it, it was soon time for the ceremony. We were limited in where we could video during the ceremony, so Dawn and I were in the balcony, and Lynette was on the first floor with Lynn prior to her entrance, and then shot from the back of the church during the ceremony. Lynette, always creative, hid a camera at the front of the church so we could get Lynn as she walked down the aisle looking gorgeous.

And since Jake hadn’t seen Lynn before the ceremony, it was really important for us to get his expression when he first saw Lynn. I don’t think he stopped smiling after he saw her coming down the aisle on her father’s arm. It was perfect!

The ceremony was very pretty. Jake’s Dad officiated, which is always a nice touch. Dad got just a little emotional at the beginning of the ceremony, and this was really touching too. I love emotions! Lynn and Jake, as well as their parents, took communion during the ceremony which also made the wedding very special and touching.

After Lynn and Jake were pronounced Husband and Wife, everyone was ready to go to the reception and have fun!

After the ceremony, Lynette stayed behind for the photo shoot, while Dawn and I made our way over to Hillwood Country Club for the reception. I enjoy driving to the reception with Dawn because Dawn moves right along, unlike Lynette, who has this “thing” about obeying the speed limit…..!

Again, like the church, Hillwood Country Club was decorated beautifully. The flowers were once again gorgeous! All the decorations complimented each other perfectly. Guests were treated to hors d’eouvres prior to dinner. As guests were mingling, Dawn and I had the opportunity to get the reception room before guests entered. The tables were so pretty! I especially loved Lynn and Jake’s table where their chairs were decorated with flowers.

And of course, The Cake. It was beautiful! I loved how the cake table cloth was ivory lace just like Lynn’s dress. And the cake matched perfectly. It was a tall cake! And yes, of course I had a piece before the night was over. Actually, a couple of pieces. :--) It was Yummy!

Again, such a happy and fun reception! One of my favorite bands, City Lights, played at the reception. They always do a great job. Their vocalist has a voice that can raise the roof!

After Lynn and Jake made their entrance, danced their first dance, dinner was served and the cake was cut, the dance floor was opened and it became a mosh pit! The dance floor stayed full from the first moment the band started playing until the very last note was played.

Everyone was having a great time on the dance floor. They even did a limbo!

Just like the first part of the day, the reception flew by and it was soon time for Lynn and Jake to make their exit. Oh, but one last treat for everyone… donuts to go!

Guests tossed rose petals as Lynn and Jake made their way to the limo, but before leaving they stopped to hug everyone good-bye, which was really sweet. So many friends wanted to say bye before they left that Lynn and Jake could barely get into the car! And even then as the limo drove off, a group of groomsmen chased them as they drove away. Luckily, the limo driver out ran them!

What a fun day!

Lynette, Dawn, and I want to thank Lynn and Jake and their families for allowing us to spend such a fun and beautiful day with you. Thank you all for your kindness and friendliness throughout the day. You ALL made our day!

Best wishes always to Lynn and Jake as they start their brand new life together!

Rut Ro. Three’s Company is on in the other room. Either its 1977, or it’s 3:00 am and Nick at Night is playing re-runs again.  I think I prefer the latter!  And that means its time for this girl to go to bed!

I hope that everyone is having a really great July 4^th weekend! I know I’m looking forward to having a three day weekend. What to do what to do what to do……!

Last weekend we ended the month with a great wedding! Katherine and James were married on June 27 at First Presbyterian Church.  The ceremony was followed by a reception at Richland Country Club.

Lynette and I were eager to see the church since we had never worked a wedding at First Presbyterian before, and I must say, wow, that is one big church and campus area. Right next door to the church, practically connected, is a big old mansion-type building called the “Cheek House”. We learned at the rehearsal that we would be spending part of the pre- wedding at the Cheek House since that was where Katherine and her bridesmaids were going to be getting dressed. Both the church and the Cheek House were lovely inside.

Okay. I’m going to speak my mind here, but it’s nice when a church has a place where brides can get dressed that doesn’t include yellow baby bunnies on the wall. Or in other words, the nursery. :--) Don’t get me wrong, we love all the churches where we have weddings, but I always felt that since so many brides are getting married in these big beautiful churches, the least that the church could do would be to set aside a nice room for their brides to get dressed in.

Okay, I said it. Just something that I’ve been thinking…..

Everything about this wedding day was lovely. First of all, Katherine and James were absolutely so so so very nice. It is almost effortless to work a wedding where the bride and groom and their families are as nice as Katherine and James. Again, please don’t get me wrong, we love ALL our couples, but Katherine and James put out a sense of warmth toward us that seemed to just invite us into their day not as videographers, but as PEOPLE who just happen to be videoing their wedding. Personally, I know that I felt welcomed from the very moment that Lynette and I met with Katherine and James at the rehearsal, until the moment that Dawn and I left the reception after Katherine and James had driven away from their reception. Such a nice couple!

But since this is June and all, of course Saturday was scorching hot! And we all know that Cheryl does not do well in the heat. And Cheryl does not do well AT ALL in the heat AND HUMIDITY! But I was all powdered up and ready to go when I arrived at the church several hours before the wedding was to start. Since James was going to be arriving at the church already dressed and ahead of his groomsmen, I knew that I wouldn’t be spending a lot of time hanging out with just the guys, but I did want to get some shots of James before he and Katherine saw each other. And luckily I was able to get some great shots of James in the sanctuary of the church before he saw Katherine. His dad was around and they both were really excited about the day. In fact, James’ dad seemed to be just about the happiest Father-of-the-Groom that I’ve had the pleasure of working with! You would have thought it was HIS wedding day! :--) I luvs a happy Father-of-the-Groom!

Since James and Katherine chose to see each other before the ceremony, it was very important to get their first reaction when they saw each other. Or especially, James’ first reaction when he saw Katherine walking down the aisle toward him. Katherine wanted James to see her as she walked down the total length of the aisle, and boy, James sure did seem to enjoy seeing Katherine! As Katherine walked down the aisle toward James, she didn’t have to wait long to see if he liked how she looked. James was very expressive once he saw Katherine! I think he said “wow” a couple of times, and I know he told her that she looked pretty and beautiful. I don’t know the exact words, (but we do have them on film), but I know James said EVERYTHING that a bride wants to hear from her groom when he first sees her. What a great “first reaction”! I love it when grooms say all the right things! :--)

And I must say that Katherine looked absolutely gorgeous. She was classically beautiful. And her dress! Oh my! It was a classically BEAUTIFUL dress. I especially loved her train!

I also loved the colors that Katherine chose for her wedding. Pink! Since I AM a pink girl!

After Katherine and James saw each other and shared a few private moments (with only about five cameras pointed at them! Ha Ha), we all got down to the photo shoot.

This was another great thing about the day. We got to work with our longtime friend and photographer Angie Gambill of Gambill Photography. We have loved working with Angie since that very first time many years ago when we first worked with her at one cold and beautiful winter wedding in Murfreesboro. We ALWAYS enjoy working with Angie! She’s an awesome photographer and a pretty darn nice person too. :--) Our day goes really smoothly when we work with photographers that we respect and enjoy working with, and who work together with us to get the very best of everything of the day FOR THE BRIDE. Because that’s why we’re all here, isn’t it? Angie’s assistant for the day was her husband Trey. Dawn and I really enjoyed visiting and talking with Angie and Trey during our break at the reception. They are “good people”. :--)

Since I spent most of the time before the ceremony covering the photo shoot with Dawn, I got to spend more time than usual around the bride and her bridesmaids. I really enjoyed this! Katherine and James were very kissy kissy and lovey dovey and that was really fun to see. Angie didn’t have to keep telling them to kiss and such for the photos, because they were already doing it on their own! They were clearly enjoying their day. :--)

Most of the photos were taken indoors, but Angie did brave the heat and took the guys outside for some photos, and since it was the guys, I went along while Dawn stayed with Katherine and her bridesmaids.

Gosh! It was HOT!

During the photo shoot Lynette was getting all the cameras set up for the ceremony, as well as sitting up the audio. We did have a few restrictions at the church and we pretty much had to stay in the balcony or behind closed doors in the vestibule. We really wanted to get a shot of Katherine as she walked down the aisle, but since we couldn’t have a manned camera in the front of the church, Lynette came upon the great idea of hiding one of our little teeny cameras in a flower arrangement at the front of the church. Actually, Lynette couldn’t really get the camera inside the flower arrangement so she sat it down at the bottom of the flowers, and to help it blend in, she brought some greenery to set around it. It looked kind of pretty!

I don’t know what happened toward the end of the afternoon as it was getting close to the time to start the ceremony, but it seemed that Lynette and I found ourselves in the church setting our cameras up and getting ready, while Dawn was over at the Cheek house with Katherine and James. I don’t know how we thought Dawn could cover BOTH Katherine and James and all the things going on, but evidently, we thought she could! But I was up in the balcony setting up my camera, getting my tapes ready to change out etc, and I noticed that it’s getting close to wedding time, and there was no Dawn in the balcony with me! Where was Dawn????? I didn’t have to wonder long before here comes a very hot and tired and out-of-breath Dawn running down the balcony steps toward me. She literally had to bend over for a few seconds in order to catch her breath so she could breathe! I think Lynette and I nearly killed Dawn! But being the trouper that Dawn is, she quickly recuperated and was set up and ready to go by the time that the wedding started. Way to go, Dawn!

So Dawn and I were up in the balcony, and Lynette was on the first floor getting Katherine as she was preparing to walk down the aisle.

It was a beautiful ceremony. A huge pipe organ and a trumpet played as everyone from the grandmothers to the mothers and bridesmaid and finally Katherine walked down the aisle. I had the pleasure of standing next to the trumpet as he was playing. Boy! Are those things loud! :--) But pretty!

Katherine and James were obviously very happy, but also very sincere with their vows to one another. It was a very touching ceremony. I just thought that everyone seemed sooooo happy for Katherine and James!

After the ceremony, Lynette went on home and Dawn and I covered the reception. Dawn and I drove together to Richland Country Club. Dawn drove and I rode shotgun, giving her the directions as we went. I like riding with Dawn. Dawn drives like I do!

But even so, Katherine and James and Angie and the wedding party beat us to the reception. Since everyone was getting ready to take some outdoor photos, and since Dawn was driving, I jumped out of the car with my camera to cover the photo shoot until Dawn got a chance to park the car and relieve me. You see, Dawn does so much better in the heat……

It wasn’t long before Dawn came, once again, running down the back steps at Richland, out-of-breath but ready to take my place so I could go indoors, (where it was COOL), and she continued to cover the photo shoot.

I then was able to go inside and get some shots of the beautifully decorated reception room. First, The guest tables were decorated so pretty! They had really lovely flower arrangements that were just the right touch. Not too large but not too small. They were JUST RIGHT. :--)

Then in the middle of the room was a long table that was beautifully decorated with lots of flowers, and I noticed that the name cards on the table were the names of the wedding party, as well as Katherine and James. This was a really pretty table! I really liked the special touch of having individual place cards for the guests at all the tables, and then specially decorated place cards for Katherine and James. Its little touches like that, that I just LOVE. I LOVE THOSE DETAILS! :--)

I also LOVED the wedding cake. It was one of the most beautiful wedding cakes we’ve had so far, in my opinion. It was covered in the most pretty dainty lovely sweet sugar flowers! I mean, literally almost covered! I could have spent an hour just getting shots of that cake. It was that pretty! And then there was also a groom’s cake which paid homage to James’ alma mater.

Katherine and James treated their guests to a lovely sit down dinner, which as I mentioned earlier, gave me and Dawn a rare chance to actually set down and eat somewhat leisurely! And we also had time to visit with Angie and Trey during our break as well, and that’s also a rare treat. Thanks Katherine and James!

After dinner, things got moving along really fast. First, toasts were made, followed by the cake cutting, followed by Katherine and James first dance, followed by other special dances, followed by…….the dance floor opening!

The Blue Tones was the band for the evening, and we have worked many weddings over the years with this band and they always give a solid performance and get the people out on the dance floor. This night was no different. As soon as the dance floor opened, it was pretty much full and stayed that way the entire night. Katherine’s parents were really great dancers! I was impressed! Actually, there were lots of great dancers on the floor all evening. Katherine and James spent time greeting guests, but also found time to get out on the dance floor as well. It was a lot of fun! OH, I must say that I really enjoy the Blue Tones Saxophone player. He can really play that sax, as well as dance while playing it! A few times he was even out on the floor with the guests! And I enjoy their lovely and very talented red-headed chick singer as well……….I guess I need to learn their names! Maybe at the next wedding reception we work with them. :--)

The evening moved really fast. Even though Dawn and I were busy shooting the dance floor, I had a chance to make a run to the wedding cake and grab a couple of pieces for…… ME! NOOOOOO! Just kidding! Actually I grabbed two pieces of cake……one for me and one for Dawn. I felt bad for not getting her a piece of cake at an earlier wedding we did this month. But to my defense, it was under totally different circumstances. I really COULDN’T grab a piece of cake for Dawn at the other wedding because of how the room was set up and we were no where near each other during the dance floor coverage. But at Katherine and James wedding it worked out to where I could get a piece of cake for Dawn too! See? I’m not so bad!

And btw, the cake was YUM YUM Double YUM! Vanilla! My favorite!

Pretty soon it was time for the bouquet toss, garter toss, and the last dance. And Katherine and James made their grand exit to lots and lots of bubbles provided by lots and lots of their friends and family. Then they jumped into a very nice limo. Vintage or Foreign? I don’t know, but it was nice. And off they went!

I thought it was a perfect day and a perfect wedding and a perfect couple. I don’t know how the day could have gone any better.

Thank you sooooo much, Katherine and James, for inviting us to spend this very special day with you and capture it all on video. We got some really great footage of your day that I just know you will both treasure forever! It will be an honor for us to give you the best video of your day that we can possibly do. Thank you both again, and your families. It was a fun day for us and we totally enjoyed ourselves.

Best wishes to you both as you start on this great adventure together known as LIFE. I just know you are going to have a great marriage! Such a nice couple who are so kissy kissy and lovey dovey can only have a great marriage! :--)

WOW. I don’t have to go to work tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the next! Lynette is even giving me Saturday night off even though I know she would really like for me to come in and help her with logging and capturing video. I have such a great sister. And she knows that I will be there with her at the studio next weekend working away with her. But gee. It’s late and I don’t have to go to bed! Even thought I’m a sleepy girl, I can stay up late without guilt! Yay! I love 4^th of July weekends!

And so…….it’s NOT time for me to go to bed…… And I hear a Pepsi calling my name from the fridge. :--) So it’s time for this girl to go and get her Pepsi! Yum!

I love Facebook! I know, I’m too old for such things and I’m one of these old people who are signing on to Facebook and running all the young cool kids off. So sad. . . so sorry.  

But anyway, I love Facebook! I never thought I would ever create a profile page to such a place, but I was talked into it at my college reunion last fall by my other “old” friends who told me it would be a great way to keep in touch with my old buddies. And they were right! But it’s more than that. I get to post things about our weddings on my profile page, and we also just put up a McNeal Video page! (Thanks Amy!). So we’re accepting fans! Want to be a fan?

If you’re on Facebook, please go to the McNeal Wedding Video page and become one of our fans! Every time we get a new fan, we all get so excited! We just giggle! Just like little girls!  :)

We have had such a fun June! Three weddings down and one to go! And last weekend’s wedding was so much fun!!!!!!

Noreen and Justin, (such a cute cute cute couple!) were married on Saturday, June 20 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Madison, followed by a lively reception at Gaylord Spring House.

It was an early wedding……

Now, those of you who know me, know that Cheryl doesn’t do early well. And I must admit it was difficult to ooze out of bed on Saturday at 6:00 am in order to get ready and be at the church by 9:30……. Okay. It was difficult to ooze out of bed by 7:00 am in order to get to the church …… okay. It was difficult to ooze out of bed at 8:00 in order to get to……okay. It was really easy (because I overslept and panicked) jumping out of bed at 8:30 in order to get ready and get to church by 9:30!

Yes, Cheryl overslept, but still managed to get to the church by 9:30! Yay! In fact, we, meaning Lynette, me, and Dawn of Team McNeal, all got to the church at 9:30. I think. At least that was the plan. I got there and ran into the church building so I could find Justin, so I didn’t see anyone until about an hour later when Noreen and Justin saw each other for the first time in a beautiful, but HOT, courtyard area outside the church. Did I mention it was hot? WOW. It was HOT! Cheryl sure does not do “HOT” well…..

But it was a GORGEOUS day with a blue sky and a lazy Saturday morning feel to it. Generally I’m sleeping through this lazy Saturday morning feel, but still, it’s a nice “feel” if you’re awake and all.

Anyway, Justin and his groomsmen all arrived at the church already dressed. For the most part. Justin and the guys only had to put on their shirts and boutonnières before the photos started. But I was there getting the guys getting into their shirts.

Oh. They didn’t wear the traditional tuxedo, which I think they were all REALLY glad about. But rather, the guys wore black pants and a really cool traditional shirt from the Philippines that I think men wear there when they get married.    It was a really cool shirt! The groomsmen wore theirs over a green tee-shirt and Justin wore his over just a plain white shirt. The shirts had really delicate patterns sewn into the front of the shirt. Justin’s pattern was different than his groomsmen’s patterns. Justin told me that the shirts were made of pineapple. They were really light and organic and looked cool, as in NOT being HOT. I heard the guys mention several times how grateful they were that they weren’t wearing tuxes! But yet they all looked so handsome!

Lynette and Dawn were with Noreen while I was with Justin, and they were getting her as she was getting dressed. Noreen looked so beautiful!

Like I mentioned before, they chose to see each other before the ceremony. The photographer first took Justin, followed by me, out to this really pretty courtyard and pointed Justin away from where Noreen would be entering the courtyard area. It was hot, and Justin was starting to pace around a bit while he was waiting. I don’t think he was nervous, I just think he was excited about seeing Noreen and getting their day started. I saw Noreen first as she walked toward Justin and she was sooooooo beautiful! Her veil! Ahhhhh! I don’t know what it was, but it framed her face just perfectly! And her dress! And just everything! Noreen is such a nice person too, that she just glows anyway. So she glowed even more than usual on her wedding day. Justin turned and saw her and they were so happy! I love it when that happens!

I also just love it when we have such a super nice couple like Noreen and Justin! You can’t help but fall in love with both of them. Plus, they’d been dating eight years before getting married, so that made everything else about the day even so much more special.

After Noreen and Justin saw each other, the photos began and everything went into double time! There were a lot of people to take pictures of! Lots of family! Lots of special friends! Lots of groomsmen and bridesmaids! Dawn and I handled most of the photo shoot since Lynette was working very hard with the audio. We had never worked a wedding at this church before, and we were having problems with our wireless mic interfering with the church sound system.  So Lynette had to figure out a plan B, and that kept her really busy before the ceremony.

The Church Ladies at St Joseph also kept things moving right along at a brisk speed. There were three Church Ladies, or okay, “Women of the Wedding Guild”, or something like that, but I only know one of them because she was so funny and easy to work with. That was Lonnie. Yep. I enjoyed Lonnie. :--)

We also had a wedding planner for this wedding, but she didn’t get to do much at the church since the Church Ladies were in charge, but she was very helpful at the rehearsal as well as at the reception. We had never worked with Amie Williams of Simply Exquisite Event Design before, but she was very nice. And we were so happy to have a wedding planner in charge of the details! We feel that wedding planners are SOOOOOO important for a wedding.

We also worked with a photographer that we’ve never worked with before either. Her name is Evin Krehbiel, and she moved things along pretty fast too. I like it when photographers can move a photo shoot along in good time, and especially with a large group of people! That’s hard! But Evin did a great job!

Soon it was time for everyone to get into their places for the ceremony. Lynette had figured out a plan B with the audio, so we were ready. Lynette shot the wedding from the front of the church, but sort of behind a wall. I was standing along the side of the aisles, and Dawn was shooting the wedding from the back. Plus, we had an extra cam shooting from the back as well, only from a low perspective. We had it covered. And there was a lot to cover! Noreen and Justin had a traditional Catholic ceremony with a full Mass and Holy Communion. And they also had a Veil Ceremony, a Coin Ceremony, and a Cord Ceremony. All of these had special meaning for the couple and in uniting them in marriage forever. It was a lovely service.

But after the ceremony, let the party begin!

Dawn and I covered the reception at Gaylord Spring House, and we had such a good time! Noreen and Justin were so happy! And all their family and friends and guests were also so happy! Everyone was just SO HAPPY! It’s easy to work a reception where everyone is HAPPY and enjoying themselves. And that’s how it was with Noreen and Justin.

Before the reception began, I was able to get into the main reception room where the tables were all set up and decorated for a very nice dinner. Dawn was down on the floor below where the guests were being treated to pre-reception hordourves. They had a chocolate fountain and a photo booth……it was really nice.

Oh! But when I first arrived at Gaylord Spring House I ran into someone I didn’t expect to see! Courtney Hammons of A Magical Affair! We enjoyed working with her so much last year at Sarah and Eric’s wedding, it was good to see her! I didn’t get a chance to really talk with her, but she seemed to be helping out with Gaylord Spring House. And it looked beautiful! Everything at the reception was organized really well, and that was especially nice for us! We were kept informed about upcoming events such as the toasts, cake cutting, first dance, etc. That makes our job so much easier! We love good wedding coordinators and event planners!

Also, Noreen and Justin had a great band at their reception. City Lights was there! The last time I did a reception with City Lights was years ago and I remembered how great they were. We had another wedding with City Lights last year, but it was the wedding where I was Missing In Action because I was at my college reunion. Anyway, Sam Levine, the saxophone player and also the leader and mouth-piece for the band kept us updated really well as to what was coming up so we could be in position to get our best coverage. Plus, they totally blew the house down! What a great band! They had the dance floor full and fun! Their lead singer can belt out a tune! I luvs a good band. :--)

Oh! I almost forgot! The Cake! It was beautiful! And I snagged me a piece too! After all the guests had been served their cake and were dancing, I spotted a cart with plates and plates of cake just sitting there right in front of me, so I grabbed a slice and ate it while shooting the dance floor. YUM! I saw Dawn across the room looking at me like she wanted a slice too, but I didn’t get her one. Well! Dawn is going to have to learn that at the receptions we generally grab a piece of cake when we have the opportunity to grab it! When it comes to cake and receptions, it’s generally each man for himself!  Dawn will learn. :--) Besides, Dawn knows I luvs her too. :--)

 An interesting thing happened during the toasts. I must say, it’s never happened to me at a reception before. During Noreen’s Father’s toast, a bird smashed into the window right behind him and the wedding couple! Oh my! And I got it on video! But I hear that if a bird smashes into a window at your reception, you will be granted 100 years of marital bliss. Yep. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

The total highlight of the reception was Noreen and Justin’s first dance. Get this. As a total surprise to everyone, they choreographed their first dance to the famous dance from the movie “Dirty Dancing”! They did a GREAT job! Noreen was so nervous! But she didn’t have to be. She did great! Noreen and Justin can really dance! And their guests LOVED it! I know I was smiling from ear to ear the entire time. So much fun!!!!  A video clip is posted in our screening room, so be sure to check it out.

It was just a very nice pleasant happy day. And I think that was mostly because Noreen and Justin are just very nice, pleasant, happy people. We enjoyed working with them SO MUCH. And it’s really so great when two really nice people find each other and get married. It’s a good feeling…..

Dawn and I left the reception before the party ended, but we left knowing that Noreen and Justin had a wonderful day.

Thank you Noreen and Justin for letting us capture your wonderful wedding day  on video for you! We totally enjoyed spending the day with you and your families. We know you two are going to have a very happy life together! All our best wishes go out to the both of you!

And now it’s almost 4:30 am and time for this girl to take a quick nap on the couch before starting her day.

WOOT! WOOT! WOOT! 

I am covered in cat hair and I don’t know what to do about it. There. I said it. So when you see me out in public, especially at weddings when I’m wearing all black, and I have yellow/blonde cat hair all over me, just realize that I am aware that I have cat hair all over me and I have tried to get it off of me, all to no avail. I appreciate everyone’s understanding in this matter.

Cat hair and all, last weekend I was up in Franklin, Kentucky on a road trip. We had a great wedding up in the country, and it was mighty fine, indeed. Bride Leslie and Groom Billy were married Saturday, June 13, in a very nice ceremony at the Franklin Church of Christ in Franklin, Kentucky, followed by TWO receptions, one of which was held at the Shaker Tavern Bed and Breakfast in South Union, Kentucky.

Some of you may recall that last year we had a wedding in Franklin, Kentucky, and Lynette and I got very lost the Friday before the wedding as we were trying to find the groom’s home and the church before the rehearsal. That was a horrible nightmare that neither of us wanted to relive again in a million years, so Lynette told me to be ready three hours before Leslie and Billy’s rehearsal was scheduled to start so that we would have plenty of time to drive to Kentucky from my house (located about 20 miles from the Kentucky border) and find the church and reception sight. I told Lynette, “We don’t need to leave so early”.

After many attempts, I was finally able to convince Lynette that the drive to Kentucky from my house was not so long, and we decided to leave ONLY two hours before the rehearsal was to start. So off we left from my house north of Nashville at 6:15 pm for the long drive to Kentucky, and to the rehearsal which was scheduled to start at 8:00 pm.

Thirty minutes later, Lynette and I found ourselves in Kentucky, parked in front of the church.

Sigh…..

“I told you we didn’t need to leave so early”, I said.

So with an hour and a half to kill, we decided to drive to the reception venue so that Dawn and I, who would be working the reception, would be sure to find it Saturday night. Well, we breezed right to it.

Lucky for us, though, is that Lynette drives about 50 miles an hour tops, and the reception venue was several miles from the church on a winding, country road, so taking all of that into consideration, we barely made it back to the church from the reception venue in time for the 8:00 rehearsal. And of course wedding rehearsals NEVER start on time…..

ANYWAY. At the rehearsal we were happy to see old friends Leslie Harris Fisher and her mother, Brenda Harris. Leslie and Brenda were going to be helping out with Leslie and Billy’s wedding! Lynette and I know Leslie and Brenda from a wedding we did in Franklin, Kentucky in 2008. Brenda is the mother of one of our 2008 grooms, Justin, and Leslie is his sister. They were wonderful to work with at Justin and Lesslye’s wedding in 2008, and they were wonderful to work with at Leslie and Billy’s wedding in 2009! It’s always so much fun seeing old friends we’ve made from our weddings!

If you have already noticed that there is a LOT of “Leslie’s” in this story, well, yes, we noticed it too!

Getting back to the wedding of Leslie and Billy…..me and Lynette and Dawn and Amy of Team McNeal drove up on Saturday in two different cars, since Lynette and Amy (or as I call her, “Too-Pretty-To-Be-Working-A-Wedding-Amy”) were not going to be staying for the second reception and would be coming home before me and Dawn. We all converged at my house, and Lynette and Amy drove up in one car, and Dawn and I drove up in another. Lynette and Amy started the drive about 10 minutes before Dawn and I left, but lo and behold! Who did Dawn and I nearly run over at the interstate exit ramp? None other than our Lynette and Amy! Of course Lynette insisted that she drove 70 miles an hour on the way to Kentucky, but Dawn and I weren’t born yesterday! WE drove about 70 miles an hour, left 10 minutes behind Lynette, yet were able to catch and almost pass her on the way to the church????? NO WAY !

But getting back to the wedding of Leslie and Billy…..As planned the night before at the rehearsal, we arrived at the church where we would be meeting our bride Leslie, photos would be taken, and our day would begin. Since we arrived at the church about 30 minutes earlier than we had planned, (typical Lynette!) it didn’t really concern me that there was no one else there. So I got out and of the car and started taking establishing shots of the church, while Lynette and Team McNeal waited in the car. And waited. And waited.

Lynette became a bit concerned that we had waited a fairly good amount of time and still no one was at the church, so she called our friend Leslie Fisher to see where everyone was. OH MY! There had been a change of plans! Turns out that our Bride Leslie wasn’t going to be getting ready at the church after all and Lynette and Amy needed to go to the house where she was getting dressed, and Dawn and I needed to go to the home of Groom Billy where he was getting dressed.  Luckily for Lynette and Amy, Bride Leslie was getting dressed at a house practically next door to the church. But Dawn and I had to get directions to the house where Billy was dressing. Our friend Leslie gave is the directions to Billy’s house and it didn’t sound very hard to find at all. I was confident there would be no problems finding it.

Pretty soon, Dawn and I are driving up and down the main road, following the directions to a “T” yet not finding the name of the street we were looking for. Visions of 2008’s “Lost in Franklin” nightmare flashed before my eyes…..

Wake me up PLEASE! But soon, Dawn is smart enough to contact our friend Leslie Fisher again, get more directions, and this time we had no problem finding Groom Billy’s house.

But getting back to the wedding of Leslie and Billy…..As soon as we found Billy’s house, Dawn and I ran in with camera’s ready knowing that Billy was probably dressed and ready to go. Luckily, he wasn’t! Yay! Actually, we found Billy and his groomsmen and family all sitting out around a large table, talking, laughing and having a great time. As soon as they saw me and Dawn and our cameras, everyone stopped talking and just sort of looked at each other.

Okay, granted, its not every day that people have TWO video cameras aimed at you and recording every single thing you do. And granted, there is generally only ONE camera, (me) with the groom, and maybe two cameras was very scary, but due to the day’s schedule and logistics, Dawn was helping me with the guys. But the clock was ticking, the day was running, and the groom and his groomsmen had to loosen up fast! So I told the guys to PLEEEESE pretend that Dawn and I weren’t there and to just go on with their day like usual. And you know what? They did! :--) Before I knew it, everyone was talking and laughing around the table again and Groom Billy was playing a trumbone! I couldn’t have asked for better…..

We love our brides at McNeal Video, but I heart my grooms!

But getting back to the wedding of Leslie and Billy…..Soon it was time to drive over to the church in time for Billy and Bride Leslie to see each other and for photos to be taken before the wedding. Leslie and Billy had chosen to see each other before the wedding……But time was so short that they barely had enough time to both get to the church, take some individual photos and get in place to walk down the aisle. So Leslie and Billy never got to see each other before the wedding. So as the ceremony begins, I made sure that I had a good shot of Billy as he saw Leslie walking down the aisle. I think he was very happy to see her!

Leslie looked sooooo pretty! Her dress had been custom-made in San Francisco and she looked lovely in it.

The wedding itself was very special in that Billy’s brother performed the ceremony, and his father sang during the ceremony. Also, both Leslie and Billy’s parents each wrote individual letters to the happy couple which were read during the ceremony and made everything very personal and touching.

Leslie and Billy got a case of the giggles at one point during the ceremony after Leslie whispered something to Billy about her pearls, but only Lynette heard it since she was monitoring the audio going straight into her camera. She, of course, told me later what Leslie and Billy were laughing about during the ceremony .....And I guess if anyone else wants to know what was said they will just have to wait to see the video! But it was funny! :--)

But getting back to the wedding of Leslie and Billy……After being pronounced Husband and Wife, Leslie and Billy made their way to the first of TWO receptions. The first reception was held at the church for everyone who attended the ceremony.

A SECOND reception was held after the first reception for a smaller group of family and friends, at the Shaker Tavern Bed and Breakfast. Lynette and Amy stayed for the first reception, while Dawn and I made our way over to the second reception.

Since I wasn’t personally at the first reception, I can only report what was told to me by Lynette. But evidently a LOT of people were there! And also Lynette said that Leslie and Billy released butterflies from cages before they left, and guests were also given butterflies to release as they made their exit. Oh, and I think there were bubbles too!

While all of this was happening, Dawn and I were at the Shaker Tavern waiting for their arrival.

I loved the Shaker Tavern! It was built in 1869 and was a beautiful old building. I LOVE old buildings. A tent was set up beside the main building and had pretty tables all decorated for the party. Pre-reception hor’dourves were sitting out for the guests.

Thanks to our friend Brenda Harris, Dawn and I were treated to a plate of cheese and crackers and fruit before Leslie and Billy arrived, and we had a very good time relaxing and sitting in the rocking chairs on the front porch. How nice! And this was especially appreciated by me because it was very hot and humid and Cheryl does NOT do well in the heat! I was fading fast while Dawn was still fresh as a daisy. Apparently Dawn does well in the heat……

But getting back to the wedding of Leslie and Billy……Soon they arrived at their second reception and everyone was happy to see them. The guests were treated to a home cooked style buffet dinner which was yummy. (YUM).

But I HAVE to mention one thing about the cake…..! Of course I have to talk about the cake! Or I should say, TWO cakes! Since Leslie and Billy had two receptions, they had two wedding cakes! WOW! And more about that later…..

After dinner, Leslie and Billy danced their first dance and cut the cake, then the dance floor was opened. Leslie and Billy had Shane O’Dazier at their reception. If you have never heard of him, he is a new and upcoming act in the Nashville area and he’s really great! I hadn’t heard of him since I don’t listen to country music, but I visted his website before the wedding, and I enjoyed his site so much that I borrowed one of his videos about his goats for my own Facebook page!

But getting back to the wedding of Leslie and Billy….. Everyone had a great time at the reception and too soon it was time for Leslie and Billy to call it a day. Since they had already made a big exit at their first reception, there wasn’t a second big exit and Dawn and I actually left before Leslie and Billy. But before leaving, Billy surprised Leslie by telling her where they would be going on their honeymoon……Maui! How great is that!

But getting back to the cakes……As Dawn and I were packing up our gear and getting ready to leave, I noticed that I had lost my white-balancing card. Since I knew Lynette would have to replace it, and I hated for her to have to do that, Dawn and I decided to make a last effort to find the card. Dawn walked through the Shaker Tavern once more while I walked through the outside tent area. Neither one of us found the lost white-balancing card, but both of us found the cake! Or rather CAKES! I grabbed two pieces of strawberry cake for me and Dawn to eat on the drive home, and when I made it back to the car, I saw that Dawn had grabbed two pieces of chocolate cake for the drive home as well! We both had a good laugh, traded cakes, and drove home for the night. What a nice way to end the evening, eating TWO pieces of wedding cake!

A big thanks to Leslie and Billy for letting us spend this special day with them, capturing everything on video. Best wishes to you both as you start your new happy lives together…..in Maui!

And since the sun is coming up, it’s time for this girl……to get ready for her day job!