Lizzie + Juan's Santa Clara University Wedding

There are certain couples who seem to light up around each other; their joy completely contagious! Lizzie and Juan illuminate every moment of their wedding day at Santa Clara University with genuine smiles, sweet words, and an outpouring of love for everyone in attendance.

Though most elements of their ceremony and reception are elegant and classic, they gave a nod to Juan's family and added some Mexican flair with a Mariachi band during cocktail hour, fiesta-style banners sprinkled throughout the tablescapes, and parts of the Catholic ceremony read in Spanish. Lizzie's Dad says it all during the reception toast, "One and one is one... the Carter family and the Ramierez family are now one...It's a gift they have given us."

Lizzie and Juan initially wanted a small highlight reel of their wedding, but after seeing some of their day brought back to life, they opted for a longer Feature Film. We're so glad they did, because you can experience their whole event below!




We're smitten with our amazing clients, and continue to be more inspired by them every day!

- Cinematt

Sharing Our Favorite Things

Bonjour!

Cinematt is proud to announce that we're officially a Design Aglow Affiliate! You may have noticed that Design Aglow products pop up from time to time on our blog, and we've been featured as one of their 12 favorite filmmakers for their new Cinematography line - read the interview here!

What is this all about? We'll fill you in....

1. What is Design Aglow? 

If you're a wedding industry professional in photography or cinematography, you're probably well acquainted with this design-savvy online company. They sell a wide variety of products that make our busy lives easier, from workflow solutions to marketing templates, all very easily customizable to your branding and style. For our clients, this means more time focused on you and your event, less time hunched over a computer attempting to design our own materials.

2. What will change?

You'll occasionally see us review and highlight our favorite Design Aglow products on the blog. We only endorse products we use and love, and don't get paid for our posts. If a purchase is made through our affiliate link, we receive minor compensation.

Other than that, Cinematt will stay the same! We're just excited to share some of the tools that have made our business successful and stress-free.

3. How do I purchase products through Cinematt? 

If you see us talk about a Design Aglow product, it's available for purchase through our affiliate link. This link will be included in the blog post, and a small percentage of the sale will go to us. Just a little thanks from Design Aglow for putting the word out!

Stay tuned, and have a wonderful Monday!

Cinematt on Design Aglow Cinema!

Are you ready for a big announcement? We're beyond excited to announce that Cinematt is a contributor for Design Aglow! Joining so many other talented professionals from around the nation, we're going to offer up solid advice for success in the wedding industry. 

If you're a photographer or cinematographer, you probably know all about this uber-modern, design-savvy blog shop, that provides everything from educational guides on posing and business marketing, to photography actions and website templates. Their blog is also a must-follow for anyone with an online presence and services to offer; it's full of tips and tricks for optimal web traffic, drool-worthy contests, and inspirational interviews. 

As part of the brand new launch of Design Aglow Cinema, Cinematt was featured as one of 15 of Design Aglow's favorite cinematographers from around the world! Matthieu chatted about his demo reel, the importance of picking the right audio, and those crucial first 15 seconds of film. 

Click here to see the full interview! 

The Design Aglow Cinema line includes an amazing collection of useful tools for cinematographers. Everything from workflow guides to marketing suites and packaging accessories - all ready to insert your unique branding and improve your business. 

We can't wait to see what Design Aglow has in store, and keep an eye on their blog; you may see us there! 

Meredith and Mike | Highlight feature | Grand Island Mansion

There is nothing quite as enjoyable to film as a couple so obviously in love. Tucked away in the beautiful deltas of Sacramento county, Grand Island Mansion was the perfect backdrop for Meredith and Mike's romantic black tie wedding. Its manicured grounds and wrought-iron victorian arbor made for an enchanting late-afternoon ceremony, and the ornate ballrooms were lit up with pink and gold for the festive reception.

Meredith knew there was something special about Mike after their first date, texting her mom, "he's perfect!" As friends and family were introduced, everyone could tell they made each other incredibly happy. Mike hinted to Meredith's family that he would propose toward the end of 2012, and surprised her on Christmas morning when he hid a ring inside a box of luxury soaps!

This wedding was wonderfully personal for us, since Taylor, Meredith's maid of honor, was one of our brides, as well as her brother! Meredith had already fallen in love with both of their videos and called us up a whole 15 months before their big day.

June 6, 2014 Meredith and Mike walked down the aisle with big grins, and we couldn't have been happier to capture it all.



Meredith and Mike | Feature highlight | Grand Mansion Island from Matthieu Meynier-CINEMATT on Vimeo.


Hop over to Facebook to see all the familiar faces! You'll see Meredith as Taylor's maid of honor in Taylor and Joe's wedding film from 2011, and you'll spot Taylor during her heartfelt "big sister" toast at Jacob and Tobi's wedding back in 2010!

Best of luck to you both!

Changing with the times: USB drives

When I started working in this industry as a wedding videographer in 2001, I was using VHS tapes to record 2 hour films for my clients. For nearly the past decade, Cinematt has been providing customized DVDs to clients along with an option of adding a USB drive since 2011.  Now fast forward to 2014, Cinematt is very excited to announce that we are transitioning to providing our films only on USB drives.

It seems that as technology improves over time (with the emergence of Amazon drive, Apple TV and Google Chrome) DVDs and even Blu-ray are going extinct.  CDs are now becoming obsolete.  As most of you have probably noticed, as I did when I purchased my iMAC last year,  Apple has removed the optical drive for playing CDs on their newer model computers. 

There are many advantages to receiving your wedding film on a USB drive.  It is important to show our films, which are filmed in HD, in an HD format.  DVDs are standard resolution.  As more people purchase smart HD TVs, they have the capability to view their wedding film in the highest quality resolution. With the USB drive you can play your film directly on your TV, on your computer via iTunes, and you will save time without having to load different chapters as with DVDs. Sharing the film is also easy via email or social media.

We look forward to delivering your wedding film on a USB drive and hearing feedback from you.

Matthieu

Liz and Eric | feature highlight | Healdsburg Gardens, California

As we are wrapping up the summer, and ready to leave to France on Monday for Valentine and Thibault's wedding in Bordeaux, I wanted to share with you Liz and Eric beautiful film. They got married in one of my favorite place, The Healdsburg Country Gardens. I have had the chance to film there a few years back alongside my good friend James, and was dying to do another one there.

This one is a bit particular to me as two weeks prior their wedding I had a scooter accident, and broke my Big Toe, which landed me in a walking boot for the next six weeks. Off course, I had six straight weddings to film to make things even better. So naturally I called Liz and Erick to let them know what had happened, but not to worry I will be there filming their wedding, and will also bring an extra cinematographer.
You see our community of cinematographers in San Francisco is really strong, and my Friend Luke Goodman stepped up to the plate to come help me and be "my legs" on that day. It turned out that the pain wasn't as bad as what I thought and I was able to film alongside Luke, and Dennis.

But I digress. From the moment I met Liz and Eric, I knew we were a great match. They were fun loving, and definitely my kind of couples. Liz had some great ideas to make her wedding as personal as possible, which included but was not limited to shot glasses for favor, Mexican tiles for table numbers, a fun Photo Booth and a dessert station to die for.
I really enjoyed their sunset photo session as those two are so natural and comfortable with each other. It's beautiful to see two people so much in love. Their vows to each other was just a perfect icing on the cake.
Please enjoy their film and don't hesitate to leave a comment or press the like button if you enjoyed it.
Merci et bonne journée


Venue: Healdsburg Country Gardens
Wedding coordinator: Elsa Vera
Photographer: Andrew Scott
Make up and Hair: Hair Artistry by Gabrielle
Caterer: Park Avenue Catering
Floral: Bud Stop
DJ: Diamond Dave
Cinematographer: cinematt

Wish Upon a Wedding: a fantastic experience

The amazing people behind the scene who were an integral part of this special occasion:

When my good friend Elisheva from a bride's best friend contacted me and asked if I would be willing to participate in Wish Upon A Wedding, I was interested immediately. This non-profit organization generously grants the wishes of brides and grooms who are affected with terminal illnesses. Having lost both of my parents to cancer, participating in this event was very meaningful.
I'm so honored I had the privilege to document Winnie and Joe's day. Winnie was glowing when Joe saw her the first time, and Joe kept murmuring love notes to his gorgeous bride during the photo session.
The experience? Inspired and beautiful, and a blessed event filled with great food, fancy footwork on the dance floor and fond memories.
To learn more about Joe and Winnie and to find out more about Wish Upon a Wedding, please follow the link: Wish Upon A wedding

The amazing people behind the scene who were an integral part of this special occasion:

Venue: Campbell Hall and Gardens, Sausalito, California

Wedding Planner: MB Wedding Design & Events

Photographer: Colson Griffith
Videography (love story): AK Films

Videography (Day of Event): Cinematt

DJ: Sound In Motion

Flowers: Michael Daigain Design

Linens: Napa Valley Linens

Cake: The Cakemaker

Hair and Makeup: Katie Nash Beauty

Sarah and Michael |Vintners Inn, Sonoma | Highlight Film

Making a wedding film, takes every fiber of your body and soul. It is a draining process. You concentrate on the couple on their story and within 10 minutes you try to tell the most compelling story you can. It's not an easy process, and sometimes it takes days, even weeks to get you started. I've always think that strong beginning and strong ending were the key to a great film, as the beginning is the one to hook you into it, and the ending is what allows the film to really flourish.
In the case of Sarah and Michael, I felt that the best way to go at it was to start with Michael's vow, and finish with Sarah's vows. I felt they would carry their story well, and will help the audience understand who they were as individuals and a couple. I hope you will enjoy it, and as usual any feedback or comments is welcome. So without further ado I present to you Sarah and Michael's wedding film. Enjoy

music licensed through songfreedom.com and themusicbed.com

Fizz and Frills 2011 at Blu Bungalow

In August of 2011 Utterly Engaged, the first online wedding magazine , and Lovely Jubilee held the first ever Fizz and Frills - a wedding market for brides - at Blu Bungalow. It was a huge success, and I was lucky to be part of this great event.
In September of 2012, Lucia, Henny and Wilmarose are doing it again this time in So Cal area. So if you are interested in participating or coming to see what it is all about, here is a short film I put together for them. The idea behind it was to explain why Fizz and Frills, and how it is different from a regular wedding fair. I hope you will enjoy it, and we look forward to seeing you either as an exhibitor or a bride to this marvelous event.
Bonne journee a tous et toutes



You can find a list of all the sponsors right here: all our sponsors 
 And if you would like to participate , just follow this link 

Garden Room Hotel - Oakland - Christina and Winfield

I always love cultural weddings. They are always rich in colors, tradition and fun. Christina and Winfield's was exactly that.

When they contacted me for their wedding I was ecstatic. I had shot Winfield sister's wedding the year before, so I knew it would be an occasion to meet their family again. It's always nice when family members refer me, and at the same time, it is a challenge because you want to make sure to deliver them with something unique and representing their personality well. And it wasn't to difficult to do in their instance.

From photo session at target to dancing on the bay in Emeryville, and including some funny vows, this film is a sure fire cracker, where both of Christina and Winfield fun personality shines.

Enjoy and merci for watching.
Matthieu