Welcome to our blog!
This is where we share stories and videos from some of our recent weddings and events. You will also find news about our team of professional videographers and editors, updates and news from our clients, along with helpful tips for your wedding or event planning.
Crystal Clear Productions - Specialising in Wedding Videos in the Wellington Region.
Jen and Joe came over from Australia for their wedding on Friday 30th April 2010 at St Alban's Church in Pauatahanui. Although the sun was shining beautifully, the wind was at it's strongest on the top of the hill - but that led to some great moments outside the church. Thankfully Jen's veil held strong!
After the ceremony and the photoshoot with FineLine Photography (see some of their beautiful photos below), the couple met their guests at Boomrock in Ohariu Valley for their reception. For regular readers of our blog you will know we just love filming at Boomrock with it's stunning views and this day was no different!
Throughout the day it was evident just how in love Jen and Joe are, and how happy they were to be celebrating their love with their closest family and friends. We'd like to thank Jen and Joe for asking us to be a part of their special day, and we wish them all the best for their future ahead. We hop you enjoy the highlights of their wedding day.
Yana & Craig were married on 10th April 2010. Their ceremony was held at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Thorndon, followed by a sentimental Dove Release ceremony outside.
After the photoshoot with FineLine Photography at some iconic Wellington locations, they headed out by Hummer Limo to Wallaceville House in Upper Hutt for their reception. The dinner, speeches and cake cutting led to an entertaining choreographed "surprise" dance by Yana & Craig - a great treat to all! Their first dance is in full in the second video below.
We wish Yana and Craig all the best for their future, and thank them for allowing us to be a part of their wedding. Here is the recap of their day.
If you think it's hard work planning your wedding day, imagine planning 2 weddings - for the same day! That's exactly what Komal and David did, with the help of Silkworm Events. Their wedding on Sunday 27th December 2009 started with a traditional Hindu ceremony at the St James Theatre. This was followed by a photoshoot and an Afternoon Tea, then the bridal party all got changed into their 2nd outfits for the beautiful Christian Ceremony that followed, also at the St James Theatre.
With 2 ceremonies and 2 photoshoots we and Woolf Photography were kept very busy! But luckily Wellington put on lovely weather and both the shoots were beautiful. Some of the photos from Woolf Photography are shown below.
Their reception was held in the Grand Ballroom at the Duxton Hotel. This was a great opportunity for Komal and David to finally relax and spend time with each of their 300 guests. The evening had enjoyable food, great speeches, cake and dancing to build a wonderful atmosphere that I'm sure Komal and David will treasure for years to come.
We'd like to thank Komal and David for allowing us to be a part of their special day. Here is their wedding recap showcasing as much of their beautiful day as possible. We hope you enjoy it!
Crystal & Ryan were married on Friday 12th March 2010 at Coney Wines in Martinborough. Their beautiful outdoor ceremony included a song composed and performed by Ryans brother Logan. The weather held off with almost enough time to finish their ceremony, and then started to rain just as they signed the register. They quickly ended the ceremony as a huge storm hit, including rain, wind, thunder and lightning.
The weather didn't dampen their spirits however and they continued to have a fantastic evening, with photos inside the venue and then a great reception full of lovely heartfelt speeches. As Crystals Dad said in his speech, if he'd let Crystal be early to the ceremony as she'd wanted, they might have avoided the storm altogether! They started off the dancing with an awesome First Dance, with great music and great hip-hop moves!
This is the recap of Crystal and Ryans day. We'd like to thank Crystal and Ryan for allowing us to share this day with them and we wish them all the best for their future together.
Alana and Stewart were married on 27th February 2010 and this day could not come soon enough for this couple who are very much in love. As Alana said while getting ready "Every girl dreams of their wedding day, and mine is today!" Alana was emotional from very early on, taking lots of deep breaths and shedding a few tears of happiness, and a few nervous shakes. When she arrived at the ceremony venue, Holmesleigh in Paraparaumu, she was even more nervous and Stewart teared up as she walked down the aisle.
Once they were finally married both of them were able to relax and enjoy the rest of their day which, as you will see in their recap below was full of love, laughter and happiness.
After a picturesque photoshoot on the Paraparaumu Beach, their reception was held at the Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club. Stewart teared up again as he spoke of how much he loves his family and how much he is looking forward to their future together with their son Corey.
Here is the recap of Alana and Stewart's wedding day, as emotionally charged as the day was! You may need to get your tissues, be prepared to shed a tear. We wish Alana and Stewart all the best for their married life, it was so special to be able to share their wedding day with them and to witness such love.
Teresa and Jonathan were married on Saturday 30th January 2010 in a beautiful outdoor ceremony at the Wellington Botanic Gardens. Luckily Wellington put on gorgeous weather for their big day and it turned out perfectly.
Their ceremony was followed by a photoshoot at some of Wellington's stand-out locations such as the Botanical Gardens and the Cable Car. Jaxon Laidlaw did a great job with the photos, we have shared some of his photos with you below (and you will even see some in the recap!) Their celebrations continued into the evening with a large group of family and friends at their reception in the Holiday Inn Hotel.
This recap has been a long time coming, with their 6 month wedding anniversary almost here! We'd like to thank Teresa and Jonathan for their patience with us as we put this video together for them, and hope that it's worth the wait. It looks especially stunning with the inclusion of footage from the Canon 5D Mark II - one of the latest cameras that has taken the videography world by storm.
Teresa and Jonathan, thanks for allowing us to share your special day with you and we hope you enjoy this recap of your day, I'm sure it will bring back many wonderful memories!
When I first formed Crystal Clear Productions, one of the first weddings we filmed as a new company was for Alex & Luigi. Now over 5 years later, we got to film the wedding of Alex's sister, Demetra - so it holds a special place in my heart.
Demetra & Raffaele were married on 6th February 2010 at the Greek Orthodox Church. It was a beautiful hot sunny day and although it always seems 10 degrees hotter in that Church, it especially did with a bridal party as "hot" as this one! Following their ceremony they had an extensive photoshoot session in front of the boat sheds on Oriental Parade, where the gentle Wellington breeze created some great effects with Demetra's veil.
Their reception at The Ballroom in The Duxton Hotel was certainly a grand affair. The speeches were a big part of the evening, followed by the cake cutting and the first dance.
We'd like to thank Demetra & Raffaele for sharing this special day with us and wish you both all the best for a wonderful future together. This is the recap of their special day, put together a bit differently to our usual recaps. We hope you enjoy it.
Michelle and Paresh were married on Saturday 20th February 2010 at The Lodge At The Inlet in Pauatahanui. As you will see in their wedding recap below, they were blessed with a beautiful bright sunny day which made their outdoor ceremony perfect. Their wonderful day continued on into the evening with great speeches, great food and great dancing.
The beautiful weather also led to beautiful photographs, and it was a pleasure to work with our friends at Paul Michaels Photography again. Some of their photographs can be seen below.
Here is the recap for Michelle and Paresh's special day - the perfect day for a perfect couple.
Clare and Jonathan came over from Australia for their wedding on 20th February 2010. Their guests travelled from throughout New Zealand, Australia and even as far as England to join them on their special day.
Their ceremony at St Mary of The Angels begun with a lovely performance by a choir, which created a beautiful atmosphere as the guests arrived. The ceremony was really emotional, especially for Clare as you can see in their highlights video below.
Following the ceremony Clare & Jonathan had photos at some of Wellington's most iconic locations with their photographer Erin King, ending at Te Papa Museum for their Reception. The evening was exciting and fun - a great opportunity to catch up with all their family and friends who'd travelled so far.
Clare & Jonathan hope to travel back to the UK to celebrate again with their family & friends overseas, but in the meantime here is the highlights of their Wellington day. We hope you enjoy it.
Tash & Justin were married on Saturday 9th January 2010, and it was certainly a day they will never forget. They are such a fun loving couple, their ceremony at St Mary of the Angels was full of laughter, tears with a tremendous kiss at the end. As soon as Justin saw Tash walking down the aisle, he couldn't help but shed a tear.
Their reception was held at The Pines in Houghton Bay, which has beautiful views of Houghton and Princess Bays, and out to the South Island. Unfortunately Justin got very sick at the reception, but he was determined to stay and not let his new wife or guests down. It really showed how much he loves and appreciates the people in his life.
It was great fun working with our friend Adrian De la Feunte of Duo Photography again, and as usual they produced some stunning photos. A selection of the photos were shown at the reception, and everyone was amazed - again there were tears, laughter and lots of "Awww!!" Some of Tash & Justin's favourite photos are shown below.
We'd like to thank Tash and Justin for allowing us to share their special day with them and wish them all the best for their future together. We hope you enjoy this recap of their wedding day.
The 48Hours Film Fest is always a busy time for any amateur or professional film-maker in NZ, and this was certainly the case this year for a lot of our staff who were involved. We'd like to send out a BIG CONGRATULATIONS to you all!
One team, which included CCP staff Fran, Nina and Jason, had their film "Day One" voted as the audience favourite in their Wellington Heat. It's an excellent film, and I invite you all to watch it at the following site:
This video has been a long time coming, over 50 years in the making to be exact! Magdalena and Saturnino were first married in the Philippines on 20th December 1959, and renewed their marriage vows in Wellington exactly 50 years later on 20th December 2009.
It was extremely special to Magdalena and Saturnino to have their family included in all aspects of the day, from the bridal party to providing entertainment at the reception. The celebrations started with their renewal of vows at St Mary of The Angels Church. They were humbly awarded with a Papal Blessing from Pope Benedict XVI, and included a traditional Philippine Cord & Veil Ceremony.
Their reception was held at The Duxton Hotel and was full of many wonderful moments, exciting memories, interesting and heartfelt speeches and entertainment from each of the Grandchildren.
So how does a marriage last the test of time? Some advice I found particularly interesting which their daughter mentioned in her speech - "A successful marriage is like living in an earthquake zone area. If you find a fault, don't dwell on it."
We'd like to thank Magdalena and Saturnino for including us in their very special day, and wish them all the best for their future. Here is the highlights of their Golden Anniversary.
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It's that time of year again when The Wellington Wedding Show opens its doors to many brides and grooms who travel from all over New Zealand to get ideas and contacts for their wedding planning. I can't tell you how much this event helped us plan our wedding, as it gives you access to so many vendors all in one place, at one time.
This will be our 5th year attending The Wellington Wedding Show and we can't wait to see you there! You will be able to see some of our latest wedding videos and we will also reveal our new packages. Make sure you stop by our stall and say hi, we'd love to chat to you about your day. It's only on for 1 day, Sunday 2nd May, so make sure you get there early to make the most of the day (and beat the crowds!)
A BIG Congratulations to Amanda & Nathan who won our Love Story Competition last year. As Amanda put it, their story has the makings of a Rom-Com Movie: Boy & Girl grow up living next door to each other, 1 family moves away, then years later they meet up again when studying at University.... and the rest is history.
It was a lot of fun filming this with Amanda & Nathan, they are such a fun couple and you can really see that their relationship is built on the foundation of a strong friendship. It was also great that we could incorporate some "old movie" footage of them growing up. They were married yesterday and played this video at their reception as a surprise to their guests. Now we finally get to reveal it to you!
Kate & Stephen have been together for over 7 years and both their families agreed in their speeches it was about time they got married! On 2nd January 2010 their long awaited day finally happened.
As Kate got ready at the house, squeals of excitement came from her mother and the bridesmaids as each new person arrived at the house. And when Kate's Mother saw Kate in her wedding dress, her eyes welled up with tears as her only daughter was getting married.
Their ceremony was held at St Mary of the Angels, and included a special photo slideshow showing where they had come from to get to where they are today. The whole day was very relaxed and a lot of fun.
At the reception at Shed 5 on Queens Wharf, Kate & Stephen's speeches poignantly declared their love for each other. To finish off the night a live band played many party favourites and guests had a great time singing loudly and dancing about the room.
We'd like to congratulate Kate & Stephen on their marriage and wish them all the best for their lifetime together. Here is the highlights of their wedding day.
We get a lot of emails from our brides and grooms thanking us for making a great video of their wedding day that they will treasure for a lifetime. Often we are providing living memories, or even helping them experience parts of their day they weren't there for or didn't see happen. But an email I received this week from Meredith & Scott on their 1 year anniversary, really takes the cake and I had to share it with you:
It's taken me a year to write this, but believe me when I tell you that I've tried to write to you a dozen times. It has been too hard to express how I feel about what you and your team created for us. I owe you this after everything you did for us.
I watch our highlights video daily, sometimes up to 3 times daily, online and on our tv at home. You blew me away with how you captured the dramatic intense scenery and wonderful personal moments of our day. So many friends have said after watching the highlights video (which we put on facebook and emailed to everyone), that it was like watching the trailer to the most romantic movie on the big screen. Everyone was in tears, but I think that also has to do with your wonderful choice in music since we had such a hard time selecting the right tunes. You really did surpass yourselves with the music you chose for our helicopter entry on the highlights video, it really added to an already dramatic scene. well done.
Crystal, I can't thank you and your team enough for the effort and time you put in for us to make the perfect video, you all went out of your way, beyond your normal duties to create the most magical video I think any bride could ask for. I feel that I am in debt to you, what you did for us was priceless. Thank you for everything, love meredith xxx
Our team would like to thank Meredith for her lovely words and for reminding us of exactly why we love what we do. To celebrate their 1 year anniversary, here is their wedding day highlights:
Olivia & Jim celebrated New Years Eve 2009 in style by coming a long way from Tipperary Ireland to get married in their home town of Kapiti. Their ceremony was held at St Alban's Anglican Church in Pauatahanui and their reception was at the Kapiti Boating Club. They were such a lovely couple and made the most of their day, having as much fun as possible and taking it all in.
As you can see from their wedding day recap below, the weather stayed lovely and they got some gorgeous photos taken on the Paekakariki Hill and at the Paraparaumu Beach. This was our first time working with photographer Luke Pilkinton-Ching of Vision Photography, and he did a fantastic job and was a joy to work with.
A few days later they flew back to Ireland (with a bit of a honeymoon stopover on the way) where they had a second wedding, and they played this recap of the day in Wellington to all their Irish friends. We'd like to wish Olivia & Jim all the best for their future together and thank them for allowing us to share New Years Eve with them.
Jennie & Dermot were married on Saturday 21st November 2009. Despite the weather their day was never gloomy - you could tell they are a couple very much in love and very excited to be getting married. The day was also brightened by the cheerful and "bright" bridal party.
Their ceremony was held in St Mary of the Angels Church followed by the Reception at D4 On Featherston, the bar & restaurant they own. The guests filled the room and the evening was full of song and dance, both Maori & Irish.
It was great to share another wedding with Paul Michaels' Photography, and some of their stunning photographs are below. We'd like to thank Jennie & Dermot for inviting us to share this emotional and exciting day with them, and wish them all the best for their future together.We hope you enjoy this recap of their wedding day.
Choosing the music for your wedding day and your wedding video is always difficult, and many of our couples ask us for help or suggestions. That's why we put together this song list which contains over 350 songs that are recommended by us and by our previous wedding couples. Hopefully this list will give you some ideas or help you think of other songs you would like.
The music you choose for your wedding DVD will become the "soundtrack" for your day. The style of music you choose is completely up to you, and should reflect the two of you. The songs don't have to be love songs, and they don't have to be slow. We recommend a mixture of slow, medium and upbeat tempos. If you really can't decide, let us choose the music we think suits your video the best.
View our updated song list by clicking the link in the right hand column, or the title of this post. If you have any questions or need any help, feel free to ask.
