Seattle Wedding at Olympic Sculpture Park - Same Day Edit

We traveled to Seattle, WA to capture this stunning wedding of David and Raychel at the Olympic Sculpture Park. What made it even more epic was that we filmed and edited a Same Day Edit that premiered at the wedding reception. It was an amazing and stressful weekend in Seattle, but we loved the challenge and captured a memory that the couple will cherish for ever.

When Raychel and David initially reached out to me, they mentioned that they wanted a Same Day Edit to play at their wedding reception. I love Same Day Edits! I understand they are quite challenging and extremely stressful, but I also know they are quite rewarding for the couple and their closest friends to watch their beautiful wedding film at the wedding reception. So of course, I agreed to this challenge.

We arrived two days early to capture some Seattle scenery, time lapses and video session with the couple. Our first stop was Alki Beach. This gave us an epic view of Seattle from across the bay. We captured a few shots there, especially of the Space Needle, and headed on.

The next morning, we headed to Gas Works Park with David and Raychel and spent some filming them with their dog. Since their dog, Gary, wasn’t going to make it to the wedding, I made sure that he made it into the Same Day Edit. We then drove to Pike Place Market, getting a few more shots of the couple simply being “them” around each other.

Most of our second day, we spent driving around Seattle capturing time-lapses of clouds through building, the Space Needle, the Seattle Great Wheel and more city shots. At this time, I already started to get an idea how the Same Day Edit might start. So, we headed to our hotel, copied the first batch of cards, and I begin the editing process.

That same evening, we headed to Olympic Sculpture Park for the rehearsal. We cleared up and planned the Same Day Edit premier with the involved wedding vendors. It was definitely something that helped to make sure that the Same Day Edit would play smoothly. We also found out that it’s a complete surprise for all the wedding guests, only the bride and groom knew. Right after this, we headed to the rehearsal dinner at a nearby industrial photography studio to capture a chill evening that the couple spent with their friends. That pretty much wrapped up our second day. We headed back to the hotel and got back to editing that lasted into the night.

The wedding day was the most complicated day for us. We had to balance filming and editing. Most importantly, we knew we had to have a film ready to show at 10:30pm, only a mere 4.5 hours after the beginning of the ceremony. On top of including the ceremony in the Same Day Edit, we also planned to include the couples Grand Entrance, their First Dance and even dancing. And if that was not enough, David presented us a crazy idea to finish the Same Day Edit with a LIVE shot of him and Raychel between all their friends in the middle of the dance floor creating a very interesting end for the guests. This was a simple cool idea, but extremely complicated on a technical level.

So, how did we do it all? It’s pretty intricate but at the same time quite simple.

I collected memory cards from all the cameras though-out the day, multiple times, gathering footage as it was being filmed. Editing in FCPX on my iMac Pro, I’d diligently sort through the footage choosing my favorite shots and putting them on the timeline. Many times, an assistant would help me color grade and perfect small aspects of the film while I captured important moments. However, because of the strong team we had for the wedding, it gave us the power to be able to include footage in the Same Day Edit that literally just happened a moment before. And to put the cherry on top, we flawlessly cut to a live shot at the end of the Same Day Edit of both David and Raychel giving each other a kiss in the middle of the dance floor.

The cheering, the laughter and the awestruck crowd — all made this worth it. All this organized chaos definitely amazed the wedding guests, the family, and most importantly, the bride and groom. For me, this is a humbling and rewarding experience.

Cinematography by Aperina Studios