Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

BACKSTORY & BEHIND THE SCENES

What kind of wedding celebration would you get with: 2 beautiful humans, who treasure the outdoors, have an impeccable sense of style, who love not only eachother but also their families just as boldly & whole-heartedly, and love to entertain – you get Stephanie and Mike and their 3 day wedding weekend retreat at Twickenham House in Jefferson, NC.

before the wedding

So Steph and I had mutual friends for years (I worked with her brothers, we worked in the same Entertainment department, and so on..) and I only actually met her at a sisterhood Bible Study group back around early 2018. I admired her vulnerability, as that first night we met she actually shared her testimony about the Lord and his hand in her life. We were all in tears by the end of that study session While chatting afterwards, she found out I did the wedding film for another girl in our sisterhood group and right then and there was like “oh my gosh, you’re going to be my wedding videographer when I get engaged too!”

Fast forward to when her and Mike got engaged on one of their many road trips via their yellow Jeep (she calls him Rex) to North Carolina She got us on the books quickly, and then from there it was all in the details of not only her wedding weekend but also Steph’s bachelorette weekend which I had the honor of getting to attend too.

filming & production

I think the words “telling your unique story”, “capturing your story”, etc get thrown around so much but I truly can’t describe the honor of Steph & Mike vulnerably letting us in on not only their past (before eachother) and the wounds and hurdles some of that left on their lives, also now their present life together, and all they had to look forward to. Luckily having known Steph’s testimony from our private sisterhood study, I knew that had to play a significant role in their film’s storyline. Also, Mike’s vows spoke directly to the promises of never letting her relive some of the old days again — and thus transported the storyline into what they have to look forward to. All with sprinkling in witty banter & personality between them and their friends & family.

They both paid tribute to their Irish heritage through a marrying-of-spirits (Whiskey combining) ceremony, cheers-ing “solancha!” as them and their guests drank a shot of Whiskey, and some traditional Irish dances at their reception — both of their Father’s told a story of a trip when they were in Ireland. So I made sure to add all of that into their film.

Overall, I knew with our common values and relationship with God, plus the only creative direction Steph told me was “heartfelt & fun, but just nothing cheesy” lol, that this would be a fun film to create ✨ I also felt Steph would appreciate some of the more abstract moments I snuck into the film such as the vintage radio EQ on her vows speaking of Mike’s love for her mirror God’s love.

It was handsdown such a great wedding weekend – if you want to watch more behind the scenes, I had some on my Instagram stories you can view.

What they had to say

I always make sure to snap a few still photos while filming; these make much better high-res thumbnails

Speechless doesn’t even begin to describe our experience with Narlee Films and the consistent product that they produce. It has taken me so long to write a review for this husband/wife owned & operated company, because I just couldn’t find the words to express how grateful I am to them.

From the very beginning, it was a breeze- and a joy — I don’t say this lightly either, because I was planning an out of state wedding, over a span of 4 days, in the middle of a pandemic.

You can tell a lot about what a vendor will provide (or fail to provide!) from how they handle themselves prior to booking. And I knew this was one vendor I could count on to deliver everything I needed and more, with smiles on their faces and eagerness in their hearts.

Jumping forward to the main event- Rachel and Chris were so comfortable to work with! ✨ It’s like they emit this warmth and happiness that helps even the most intense introvert relax and flow in front of the camera. Still shy or awkward? Narlee Films has you covered; they captured so much footage when my husband and I didn’t even realize they were filming. Those candid moments they compiled are some of our most treasured memories from our wedding day.

Before this review becomes a small narrative, I’d like to briefly mention the final product: Between the short teasers that Rachel released along the way and the final video itself- emotions aside- the quality and timelessness were outstanding. But of course, you can’t watch a wedding film without feeling all the emotions, so I’ll just say this: our wedding video got my husband and I through the darkest of days that we could ever imagine having to experience as newlyweds We watched and rewatched it day in and day out, and cried over how joyful it makes us each time we see it, without fail.

If you make one right decision while planning your wedding or event, make it by partnering with Narlee Films. It was truthfully the greatest honor to have had them witness our special day and retell our story for generations to come.”
– Stephanie