Marian & Chris; St. Patrick's Cathedral & The University Club: May 30, NYC

Marian & Chris had two great places to enjoy their wedding day in NYC, starting with world-famous St. Patrick's Cathedral on 5th Avenue and University Club right after. Tim Alan Smith videographer- Lu K- was there to capture the beaming Marian as she came down the VERY long aisle to meet an excited Chris. Onlookers that included strangers and passers-by watched the happy couple exchange vows and cheered for them as they exited the historical St. Patrick's Cathedral at the end of the ceremony. After greeting guests near 5th Avenue, the couple had photos taken by Matt Gillis in both Central Park and the University Club. After that, it was time for cocktails and an evening of revelry (with great music by the Alex Donner Band!) that won't soon be forgotten by anyone attending this amazing NYC wedding!

Mayor Bloomberg, Tim Alan Smith & hundreds of very excited 10 year olds.

While the subject of this post sounds a little bit like the answer to a riddle, it's actually referring to how I spent last Friday morning. I used to teach at an elementary school in the Bronx before I got into videography full time. As a teacher, I filmed the moving up/graduation ceremonies for the kids and continue to do so every June for PS 106 in the Bronx. This year I stopped by the 5th grade "prom" at Maestro's catering in the Bronx to get some footage of them dancing and having fun with teacher/DJ Mr. Chin at the mike with All Night Long Entertainment. Rumors started swirling that Mayor Bloomberg was in another room at Maestro's to deliver the keynote speech for Aflac insurance company. The combination of good timing and convincing teacher pleas resulted in the mayor of NYC coming in to say a few words to the stunned 5th graders. Tim Alan Smith was happy to have the chance to film the mayor and shook his hand and told him to "keep up the good work" as he left to tend to his mayoral duties. The video below is a quick highlight of the dancing kids followed by a few words from Mayor Bloomberg.

Melanie & Nick: The University Church at Fordham, May 30, 2009, New York City

Melanie & Nick had a glorious day for their ceremony at the University Church at Fordham University in the Bronx. Melanie wiped away a tear during her vows (see video) which was a touching moment but the couple was all smiles at they exited the church to the cheers of family and friends. Melanie and Nick had met as students at Fordham years back so photos and video on campus were a must. Rich Janiello from Ciro Photography in New Rochelle and Tim Alan Smith had a great time with the couple near the historic landmarks on campus. After photos it was off to The Fountainhead in New Rochelle where a night of dancing, toasts and overall fun was had by all!

Rich & Pat Smith: 40 year Anniversary June 15, 2009

I'd like to wish my parents a happy 40th anniversary in this forum as today marks 40 years to the day that they exchanged their vows at the Manor in East Orange, NJ. (Where I actually filmed for the first time last June!) Every year I film plenty of weddings but felt my parents' 40th anniversary would be a unique event worth celebrating as well. For the last 3 or 4 months I have been planning a big surprise party at their house to mark the achievement. It was difficult keeping the 70 family and friends from spilling the beans but all did a good job because my parents were still clueless as we ate lunch at a local restaurant near their house yesterday afternoon. Meanwhile the neighbors decorated the house while the catering truck and bartender stocked the the place with food and drink. When we returned from lunch the front lawn was filled with cheering friends as well as a Tim Alan Smith videographer and photographer Rachel Miranda to capture their arrival. They were stunned and admitted that they had absolutely no idea. The weather was beautiful for the first time in over a week and everyone had a day of laughs, fun and good food/drinks. Here's to many, many more!

Tim Alan Smith nomiated for 2 "Big Apple Awards" for best NYC event video in 2008

Each June, The New York Metro Chapter of the International Special Events Society (ISES) holds the much-anticipated gala, the Big Apple Awards. This year the Big Apple Awards will be held on June 30 at Pier 61 at Chelsea Piers. The Big Apple Awards are effectively the "Oscars" of the NYC event industry with categories including best social event over $1000 per guest, best new venue, best invitation design, best entertainment program/concept, best table top design, best set design and best photographic image amongst others.

We submitted a 2008 wedding at the Rainbow Room between Ralph and Priya, Vera Wang's personal assistant as well as a corporate video from Tim Alan Smith NYC corporate videographer company, Avenue 5 Films. Both were nominated! Similar to the Oscars and other award events, there are only 3 or 4 nominated for each category, so we are very pleased to be 2 of those nominees!

We will post an update on this blog on July 1 after the awards are announced!

Tim Alan Smith films famed chef Marcus Samuelsson in his apartment

Tim Alan Smith loves filming weddings but every once in a while we get other projects that take us outside the realm of vows, rings and first dances. A few weeks ago was once such day when I spent the day with world-famous chef- Marcus Samuelsson- in his amazing uptown apartment. Marcus is a television presence with his cooking shows but is best known as chef at downtown hotspot Aquavit as well as other restaurants around the world. Photographer and friend- Jirel McClinton from A Raisin in the Sun Photography- was also there to capture Marcus in action. The goal of the shoot was to have Marcus teach owners of the amazing Blue Star Oven how to best maximize its potential. Along the way, Jirel, Keith from Blue Star, my assistant Gina and yours truly got to sample some of Macus's creations. We even took a lunch break at a local restaurant with Marcus where we ate even MORE food. In addition to joking with Marucs and picking up some tips throughout the day, a highlight had to be when Marcus gave one of my recipe suggestions a thumbs up!