Our Surprise Vow Renewal

September 18, 2014 marked my 5th wedding anniversary. To celebrate, I decided to surprise my husband with an intimate vow renewal in the park at dusk and have our 18 month old son be there with us as well. The timing could not have been more perfect as I had recently found out we were expecting another baby! I decided to tell my husband the exciting news through my vows…and his amazing reaction was captured on film.

~ Filmed with love on Kodak 16mm film ~

We were so lucky to have the amazing Kim Ing photograph our ceremony. Here’s a sample of her incredible work and to see more check out today’s feature on Wedding Obsession!

~ Photography by Kim Ing ~

The ceremony was more beautiful than I could have imagined thanks to the help of some amazing industry professionals and friends. A huge thank you to all our vendors including Kim Ing Photography, Full Bloom for the gorgeous florals, Satin & Snow for making our event even more special, and Inky Design+Print who crafted the perfect treasure map for my husband to follow!

Photographer: Kim Ing Photography
Floral Design: Full Bloom
Event Planning: Satin & Snow
Stationary: Inky Design+Print
Decor Rentals: Amy + Jen
Officiant: Diana Claire Douglas
Cake: ThimbleCakes

Ridley’s first year

Ever since creating that first film for the Brooks family years ago, I knew I wanted to film my own family should I ever be blessed with little ones. So when my husband and I welcomed baby Ridley almost 18 months ago I kept my 16mm camera handy and during his first year I filmed him whenever I could. The final film is about 20 minutes long so I cut this trailer to share with you all…

~ Filmed on Kodak super 8 and 16mm film ~

If we had one more day

This is my Aunt Cathy. We were very close and she helped shape the person I am today. Sadly, she unexpectedly left us last month after a short illness, much too soon and without enough time for me to tell her all the things I had wanted to share with her. So a week after her funeral I made a film in her honour to help me through the grief.

The new film was called “If we had one more day”. It was created on 16mm film within 12 hours and publicly screened that same evening. The film was shown as a continuous film loop and projected as part of an annual one-night-only event alongside the work of members of the Window’s Collective. Here’s a nice article about the event (I produce and exhibit my personal artwork under my maiden name).

I create a lot of films for and about other people. But this film was for Aunt Cathy. And I like to think that she was there with us that evening, watching.

xo Bridget

Catch the holiday spirit… if you dare!

Looking back at 2011 I’m reminded how amazing this past year has been. I wanted to take this opportunity to express warm thanks to all of our wonderful clients for trusting us with such important and special moments, and to our friends and families who love and support us.

So as our last post for 2011, we’re sharing a non-First Kiss film, but it’s a festive one that’s quickly becoming an online hit. Plus it’s made by none-other than my husband with a cameo by yours truly. :)

Wishing you all the best in 2012!
xo Bridget

Ready for my close-up

I remember reading somewhere that the best film directors are also pretty good actors. If this theory is true then part of becoming a better filmmaker would mean *GULP* getting in front of the camera yourself, right?

So in the spirit of improving my filmmaking skills and reminding  myself of what it is like for my clients to be in front of the lens I occasionally participate in shoots where I hang out on the OTHER side of the camera. It’s also a lot of fun.

Some of you may have seen the recent TV commercial featuring a familiar face frolicking on the beach, kayaking, shopping and biking through scenic trails and wondered, “Is that Bridget?” Yep, it’s me. I loved working the team who produced these spots and they did a wonderful job despite the fact that I’m a filmmaker first, actor (distant) second.

The two commercials have been airing a LOT but for those who have missed it you can watch one here:

Click here to view the long version.

Wishing you a lovely week with minimal TV and maximum sunshine!
xo Bridget

2010 retrospective

Looking back at 2010, I’m feeling very grateful for a year packed with love, success, adventure & creativity.

So I’d like to take a moment to thank all those who helped to make this past year so darn incredible. A big thank you to all the amazing newlyweds who choose to have { First Kiss Films } capture their wedding day – I loved working with each and everyone one of you! I’m also thankful to those who took the time to visit the blog, watch the films and spread the word and for my wonderful new friends in the wedding industry – you rock my world.  But I honestly could not do what I do without the support and brilliance of my oh-so talented hubby… THANK YOU ♥

Being that I am giving thanks for a great year, I felt it would be fitting to share a few highlights from my gratitude journal this past year. Here are twelve things that made me smile in 2010:

– soft, cheery flannel sheets
– the beautiful light at dusk
– today’s discovery of an amazing shooting location
– feeling the evening breeze and hearing sound of crickets as I drift off to sleep
– seeing the sweet, shy excitement in the faces of a bride & groom
– sharing a Ryan’s Ashbury shake with my hubby
– today’s amazing yoga practice and a long visit with a dear friend over tea
– gourmet candy treats
– fresh-cut flowers in the kitchen
– doing work I love
– a 90 minute massage
– free tickets to a movie

Happy new year everyone! May you all have much to be thankful for in 2011.

Celebrating love, one year later

One year ago today, I had my first kiss.

Our wedding was perfect in our eyes, and thankfully we had asked a friend to film the big day. Almost one year has passed since we said “I do” and we still haven’t watched our film. Why? With {First Kiss Films} taking off faster than expected I’ve never had the time to edit my own footage!

So to celebrate our very first wedding anniversary, I decided to edit our film in secret and surprise my husband with a romantic outdoor screening for just the two of us.

(shhhhhhhh!)

Since I knew I wouldn’t be able to slip away the evening-of to set the scene to premiere our wedding film, I had asked our friends who live right next-door if they could help out.

Well, I couldn’t have lucked out more – not only was our neighbour entirely willing and very familiar with setting up projectors but she surprised us with delicious home-made mini-cupcakes and a bottle of champagne!

These extra additions were so absolutely thoughtful and in the end both my husband and I ended up being surprised by what we found in our backyard.

It was a perfect way to finish off a perfect day.

Out of Africa

August 21, 2010

Tonight I am enjoying my last African sunset…at least for a while. Tomorrow I begin my long journey home so I can be back and well rested in time to film my next wedding of 2010 (this upcoming Saturday).

I feel as though time slows down when visiting certain parts of the world. Back home, distracted by day-to-day routines, a month can pass by inconsequentially. But with all that we accomplished while overseas and the richness of my experience the last four weeks away have felt more like four months. It’s been an incredible four weeks – at times trying but isn’t that the case with most rewarding undertakings? While most of this trip would not qualify as a vacation, I did take a few extra days to relax and explore breathtaking, soulful, Ethiopia.

And yes, the purpose of this blog is to mainly feature wedding-related goodies so if that is why you are here I invite you to stick around. I’ve so many new wedding films that I’m anxious to share with you now that I’m able to return to my weekly blog posts.

Amahoro & love,

Bridget

iheartmom

Looking to give a meaningful Mother’s Day gift this year? How about making a donation in your mom’s name towards heart health research?

The University of Ottawa Heart Institute recently released this touching video as part of their iheartmom.ca campaign. The video features Olympic figure skating Bronze Medallist Joannie Rochette raising awareness for the number one killer of women. It will likely be an especially difficult Mother’s Day for Joannie whose mother suddenly died during the Olympic games from an undiagnosed heart condition.

The campaign focuses on women because heart disease is often associated with men. Personally, when I hear of heart conditions, I usually assume people are talking about men, partially because a few years ago my father had serious heart issues but has since become a spokesperson for health.

(You might be wondering what my dad is holding in the image on the right – it’s a pogo stick! You might assume that the pogo stick was selected for the image as a metaphor for youthful physical fitness but actually it is used as part of my dad’s workout regimen).

There is one extra reason why { First Kiss Films } is sharing the iheartmom video: my hubby wrote and directed it!

A premiere wedding venue

Think you’ve explored all the best wedding ceremony venues Ottawa has to offer? Think again.

The Mayfair Theatre is one of the very few settings in Ottawa with style, history and drama. Only a handful of weddings have been held at this grand venue since it was built in 1932 so it’s a unique option that your guests will never forget. Another plus: it is without windows so if you were hoping for a candle-light ceremony mid-day then the Mayfair is a fabulous option.

I love this venue so much that this is where my hubby and I decided to get married. Since we both are filmmakers and it was filmmaking that brought us together it felt like a natural location for us to say our vows. The following images are from our own wedding this past September (thanks AMBphoto!).

The Mayfair Theatre is already such an incredible space so we only needed to add just a few details to create a personalized ceremony. We decided to keep the theatre curtains drawn back take advantage of the large cinematic screen in three different ways. Before and during the ceremony we projected a hand-made video backdrop which was tinted one of our wedding colours – apple green. It gently sparkled behind us just like the candles that surrounded us without distracting from the “main attraction”.

Afterwards, our guests mingled, enjoying drinks and passed appetizers while a slideshow played in the background. Each one of our guests were represented in the show by either photoshopping them into relevant movie posters or featuring them in trivia. It was a great way to get guests to learn about each other and encouraged conversation.

We used the screen one last time to project a short documentary we shot a few months before the wedding starring about 20 family members and friends. The goal was for our guests to learn a bit more about us and each other and was screened before we all left for the reception.

Afterwards we enjoyed an amazing meal at LAGO and then danced the night away with our guests. We both agreed that the day could not have been more perfect. Going to the movies will never be the same. *sigh*