My Parents' Wedding: 40 Years later....

I've always thought how great it would be to be able to see video from my parents' wedding from June of 1969 at the Manor in West Orange, New Jersey.

They would have that glow of new love in their eyes and more importantly their voices- as they said their vows. All of my grandparents would be young, energetic and alive- their laughter and conversation a treasure for generations to come. I would get to hear what I imagine was a very interesting best man's speech by my Uncle Rob- my dad's twin brother. There would be relatives I know well and others I've never met- all dressed their best and enjoying the day with dancing, drinking and conversation.

Unfortunately, my parents don't have a wedding video. They have a good excuse, though, which is that filming weddings at that time was a rarity. And if it were filmed, it most likely would have been with a Super 8 camera, not capable of recording sound. To me, those sounds of the day- vows, toasts, conversation and more are what make getting a wedding video indispensable. Moving images without sound are nice, but hardly an adequate substitute for the real sounds that will bring your wedding to life in a way photographs never can for future generations. A lot of times people don't want a videographer at their wedding because they don't like video or think it will be annoying or obtrusive. With the right company, video is neither obtrusive or annoying, but instead a way to create an enduring legacy and memory for generations still yet to be born.

So while I will never have the chance to watch and enjoy their wedding video, it was with great excitement last week when I booked the wedding of Tenesha and Eric at the Manor in June of 2008- almost 39 years to the day my parents were married there. I have never been to the Manor, but next June will most certainly flashback in time as I film the events of the day and imagine what it would have felt, looked and sounded like on June 15, 1969....