Welcome to Maharani Weddings

Artistry.  It is what sets apart any wedding vendor , especially when it comes to wedding videos.  Artistry is the warm, fuzzy, goodness that makes you stop, stare, and maybe even shed a tear when you watch a complete stranger’s wedding video. I know that any good Maharani addict knows exactly what I am referring to.  That is why I had to, and I mean HAD to, share these two videos from Serendipity Videography with my Maharani-oholics today.  Very rarely do we showcase a full feature wedding video. We usually stick to a highlight video of some sort.  However, today we decided to share the trailer, as well as, the actual video because Seredipity’s work is just so special.  There is a grace to their cinematography style that will draw you in, and sets them apart from the crowd.  So, take a few minutes, relax, and enjoy. Trust me, you won’t want to be disturbed!

See what I mean?! Absolutely breathtaking work.  I am totally blow away by the creativity and emotion Serendipity Videography put into this wedding.  Congratulations to Roshen & Ajay, and thank you to BQ Photography and Serendipity for brining us this wedding story.

Church : St. Mary’s Basilica / Reception : Foothills Golf Club / Ceremony site : Villa Siena / Wedding Coordinator : Events Your Way  & Fifth Ave Events / Photography : BQ Photography / Rentals : Tri-Rental / Caterer : Bon Cuisine Catering / Florist : Blume / DJ : Isaac Jensen / Video : Serendipity Videography

Indian brides are always looking for unique Indian wedding ideas.  I have a modern Indian wedding idea for you today that will definitely knock your Jimmy Choos off! Kevin Shahinian, of Pacific Pictures, has finished his masterpiece CITY OF LAKES and Maharani is lucky enough to feature it today!  The artistry and creativity that goes into a full scale production like this wedding movie is filled with sleepless nights, endless shooting,  & countless hours of editing, that is only possible when you have true passion for your craft.  I really don’t know how Kevin and his team are able to do it, but every time I see one of his videos I think to myself, this is the ultimate wedding video. But then sure enough, I see Kevin’s name in my inbox, and he blows me away. Again. And, again.  So, sit back, grab a glass of wine (it’s Friday people!) and enjoy this very unique, wedding cinema from Pacific Pictures

From Kevin at Pacific Pictures : Melissa & Samir, Chicago natives, initially contacted me to document their 3-day destination wedding in Udaipur, India; they were also interested in producing a short Bollywood concept film to play for guests at their reception. Quickly realizing no concept could rival the couples' actual fairy tale wedding, I pitched the idea to combine a scripted concept movie with their live wedding footage to create one, seamless movie. The hope was to create a 'hybrid' feature that would include far more meaning than a traditional documentary. The result of this unprecedented collaborative effort, which included event filmmakers Patrick Moreau, Joe Simon & Casey Warren, is "CITY OF LAKES," and I think you'll agree, the results are rather stunning.

{A Tip from Shawna : Watching videos on the web can be an annoying experience because of their large file size.  Here is a trick that I use: Click play on the video below, then immediately press pause. Get yourself comfy while you wait for the video to load most of the way and then press play! The video will play without stopping to load!}

For once in my life I am speechless.

Congratulations to Kevin and the team at Pacific Pictures on this amazing production.  It is definitely going down in the Maharani Hall of Fame!

Pacific Pictures is part of The Platinum Guide.  For more details on how to become a member of The Platinum Guide, please click here.

Wedding videos are quickly becoming  a thing of the past.  The most stylish way to capture your big day is through wedding cinema.  These days, wedding cinematographers are using the same equipment, editing techniques, and camera tricks as all of the big Hollywood studios. What the top studios are producing look more and more like something you would see at the box office and less like something off your camcorder. 

I was thrilled when Julie Hill, from one of our all time favorite studios, Elysium Productions sent me their latest Arthouse edit.  The artistry and creativity of Elysium really comes through when you see this style edit.  It isn’t the normal sequence of events.  It is an action packed movie that makes you feel like you are right there!

 
Images by Dina Douglass, Andrena Photography

From Julie Hill of Elysium Productions : An Arthouse Feature Film is basically a cinematic short film.  It takes the place of a long documentary wedding video and instead allows the viewer to feel and experience the event vs. just watch it happen as an outsider.  It is meant to entertain and our couples tell us that everyone they show it to gets sucked in and emotional - just like a real Hollywood (or Bollywood) film.  It takes a lot of time and planning to produce this type of film since each one is completely unique.  It's also one of the aspects that make Elysium very desirable and why so many couples from all over the world hire us for their events.  This style is especially unique for South Asian weddings because all of the many events are packed into this short film which makes it MUCH easier for friends and family to experience it again.  Traditionally, most South Asian wedding videos are very, very long and the viewers tend to skip around to the parts they want to see.  An Arthouse Feature is definitely a departure from the norm, but is also highly desirable because it keeps the audience engaged.  We realize that although everything is about the Bride and Groom, it's also about the family, all the guests, and all of the details.  We require at least three cameras to film an Indian wedding for this reason.  We will have a tremendous amount of footage of everything else along with great shots of the bride and groom, which will allow us to tell the WHOLE story.  Our couples rave about this since the whole day (or week) is a complete blur and they want to see all of their guests having a great time as well as all of the details and decor that they spent so much time planning.