Autunm Love

Check out this film!
It is so beautiful! The bride and groom have such a unique approach to the traditions of the common wedding events that it just makes this film so much more exciting and personal.
Feel free to moment if you have any other unique ideas that you will be using for your wedding!

Beach Wedding

Hey Everyone!
I just thought you would enjoy watching this wedding film that we completed just a few weeks ago. It was such a beautiful day. And the bride looked so beautiful and the groom looked so hansom. What a perfect match!

{ Film credit to Well Spun Wedding Films}

Complete Video/ Photo package!

We are proud to announce that Well Spun Wedding Films has teamed up with Wolfgang Freithof Studio to give away a complete photo/video package to the bride who is planning the most modern wedding!

The wedding will be featured on the Brooklyn Bride blog to inspire other brides-to-be. This is something that you and your friends will not want to miss!

To give you a little background about the both us and Wolfgang. We are a boutique film production studio that specializes in making "vintage" wedding films. We have been known as a "Trendsetter” by Modern Bride and have won the "Brides Choice award” from Wedding Wire. Check out out our website to see some amazing film samples!
http://www.wellspunweddings.com

Wolfgang Freithof Studio has a background in fashion photography with models like Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, and now is focused on producing stunning images of brides and has been chosen as a “Preferred choice” by Brides.com!
Check out his website and see some stunning images!
http://www.adayofbliss.com

It’s simple to register. Click on the contest link below and fill out the form to be instantly entered.

Our judges will announce a top 10 finalists list and the winner on November 1st 2010.

Surprise Coming!

Attention all brides-to-be!

Stay tuned for a big surprise announcement coming on October 12th!!

Vintage Wedding Films

Hey Everyone!
I just thought that you would enjoy watching one of our very first films! I hope you enjoy watching the progression of film growth as much as I do. In the beginning we were going for the "true" 8mm feel to the films so we would put the crackle in the beginning of the film and the rustic feel of the 8mm lines throughout the film. I love how it has the crackles!

Black and white footage gives such a elegance and peacefulness to the film. Such love was at this wedding!

{Credit to Ben and Amiee's Wedding}

Contemporary Modern

Check out this beautiful wedding out in LA. The bride decided to have more of a contemporary modern theme to their photos and wedding. One place that they got photos taken out was the Disney music hall where it just happen to be their reception hall! They chose the sleek platinum color to match up with white, black and a pale green. Check out the film to see more ideas for your wedding!














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Classic New York Wedding!



Complete with adorable ringbearer, gorgeous bride and lots of champagne, this is the quintessential New York wedding. Behold the ceremony which took place at the magnificent Saint Thomas Church built in 1913. With a nave vault rising 95 feet above the floor, this structure was created in the French High Gothic Style and is consistent in materials and acoustics to churches built in the Middle Ages.

Reception is in no other than Palace Hotel famed in countless films and lore. This romantic and iconic hotel serves as the perfect celebratory spot for an elegant reception ending with champagne and sparklers.

A warm, intimate Christmas

Nothing says class like black and white! This December Christmas-themed wedding took place at the Blue Bell Country Club outside of Philadelphia. Enjoy!



Traditionally brides wore their hair flowing down the back to symbolize their virginity; now the white diaphanous veil is often said to represent this.




The lifting of the veil was often part of ancient ritual symbolizing the groom taking possession of his wife. However, among the Tuareg of West Africa, women do not traditionally wear the veil, while men do.

This male facial covering originates from the belief that such action wards off evil spirits, but most probably relates to protection against the harsh desert sands as well.

the cutest couple in the universe weds in Puerto Rico

This couple wed at the historic El Morro Fortress in San Juan. This lovely HD film documents their intimate bilingual ceremony.







Originally the city of San Juan was called Puerto Rico (rich port) and the entire island was San Juan. The capital and the island's name were later accidentally switched.

The Fort San Flipe del Morrow (El Morrow) lies on the northwestern-most point of San Juan. Named in honor of King Philip II of Spain it was designed to guard the entrance to the San Juan Bay and defend the city of Old San Juan from seaborne enemies. Construction began in 1539 and numerous additions and expansions carried through the next 400 years. Today this magnificent structure, including the grounds cover over 70 acres.

DSLR - it's the new black!!

Super 8 wedding film!

Fabulous new Super 8 wedding film - shot in, where else, New York!




The New York City Subway system is one of the oldest and most extensive systems of public transportation in the world with 468 stations in operation translating into 842 miles of track.




Only Tokyo, Moscow, and Seoul carry more riders annually. It is a beautiful that this couple is moving among sucht masses on their first day as man and wife, joining the millions who have come before and the millions who will follow.

New stuff!

Keep an eye out for some amazing new films! We're back at it!

New York Wedding Party!

Claudia Hanlin & Jennifer Zabinski of The Wedding Library hosted another extraordinary and flawless Wedding Party!! Well Spun Wedding Films set up a table along with Ron Ben-Israel and Mark Ingram and many other cool people.

While there I had the opportunity to meet some highly influential people in the wedding industry, including Darcy Miller of Martha Stewart Weddings, Colin Cowie.

The highlight for me was the Vera Wang Spring 2010 show. I had the privilege of creating a film of the show. Here is a sneak peak at it:

Vera Wang - Spring 2010 from Well Spun Wedding Films on Vimeo.

Vera Wang - Spring 2010
Wedding Party NYC - New York Palace Hotel
Hosted by Wedding Library
Segment Produced by Well Spun Wedding Films

Timeless Memories

A wedding day can come and go so quickly. Being the center of attention for the day can really make you miss out on a lot of the little moments. Sometimes, the little moments can be the most beautiful.

The most beautiful moments happen when you least expect it. The gold is really found in children though, they always pull off something so cute such as being shy to go down the aisle or waving around in a field with their puffy dress. Grandma and Grandpa can surprise you as well, but it's hard to catch them swing dancing their behinds off in a crowd. Your family pet is probably wandering around wondering what's going on-- in a very cute way!

So even though your eyes might not catch everything, luckily there's a wedding videographer who can kind of act as your second pair of eyes to catch these moments. Otherwise, how will you ever know what happened? We tell him to specifically focus on the timeless memories and emotions, which actually show through the most in nice closeups.

That's how we define our style of shooting, close shots defined by the right action. It's not about how much money you spent or the decorations even so much as the people you love and capturing them to hold onto forever.

The most important thing? Smile! Emotion is what we look out for. The tears behind the smiles, we try to catch those too. How many of these timeless memories can you catch in this film?

Timeless memories Wedding Film from Jon Gangwer on Vimeo.

The "Perfect Wedding" may not exist

What is your relationship based on? Is it fun and games, or maybe more sentimental? What if the couple is more fun and laid back? Then they won't fit into the traditional wedding theme, right? Weddings are many times elegant, serious, and classy.

Sometimes while editing our wedding films, we come across some really unusual couples that OBVIOUSLY are far from traditional. So what if their idea of a beautiful wedding is the equivalent of a 13 year old boy's bar mitzvah party- complete with funny glasses, games, funny dancing, etc. This just represents their personalities; more power to them!

A wedding is a day you can proclaim your love and share your love with your families. Why try to mask that love with the old stereotypical ways if that's not who you are?

Sometimes brides focus on the perfection of the wedding day. They have to remember, their wedding day will never be perfect. In my opinion, they should focus more on bringing their personalities to the table than the idea of perfection. A wedding day is just another day in life, and life isn't perfect! Have fun and enjoy, rain or shine!

Untitled from Jon Gangwer on Vimeo.

Asian Tea Ceremony During a Wedding

One of the most mesmerizing moments to watch is an Asian tea ceremony. There are very particular customs the bride and groom do and it's completely surrounded by a family oriented philosophy-- something I really respect.

So what exactly is the meaning of a ceremony, what does it achieve? Generally, what happens is a low table is set up with prepared tea, and before the groom arrives, the bride serves her parents tea to thank them for raising her, as a sign of respect. In a way, the parents accepting the tea is a sign of them accepting the daughter's decision and that they are ready to embrace her new life.

Next, the groom enters and they both kneel on pillows, holding a cup of ready tea with particular seeds called Lotus seeds, which the ancients believed would help the bride and groom have children early in their marriage. It is a very sweet tasting tea, which portrays an embracing future and sweet relations between the families.


Next to them is someone called a Lucky woman, who knows the customs in and out and helps them serve the tea, and helps them if they forget their positioning or any of the steps. She is also there to wish them luck and happiness.

Typically, the bride is in front of her father in law and the groom is in front of his mother. They are addressed by their formal names. After the groom's parents, the ceremony proceeds in order of the oldest family members to the youngest. These typically can include grandparents, aunts, uncles, and siblings.

At the end of the ceremony, the bride and groom are offered money and other valuables in red envelopes.

The vintage wedding film below is of a Korean tea ceremony, where the bride and groom wear outfits of the noble class. The groom's outfit represents fidelity and faithfulness to the bride, showing her parents that he will stay with her until the end. The bride's outfit is to ward off evil spirits.

Untitled from Jon Gangwer on Vimeo.

Enter with a bang!

One of the things that's always fun to see in the wedding videos we edit is a grand entrance. Some of the bridal parties simply walk in with a wave and kind of hang their head till they get to their seat. The BEST bridal parties are the ones that get a kick out of doing something goofy (probably after a drink or two). We've seen a lot of crazy entrances! The below are descriptions of the goofiest.

In one weddings in particular, the bridal party was masssive. If I remember correctly, like 10 couples or something like that. Well, the entrances in themselves seemed to take up most of the reception as they did this grand entrance on a stage with a spotlight following them as they leaped, threw stuff in the air, did funny dances, etc.

This couple came out, and at first attempted to trick everyone because they were walking like any standard entrance. Suddenly, the girl in front threw up what looked like pixie dust in the air. Then her guy came behind her and did the same thing.

Another couple came up behind them and the guy whipped out what looked like a magician's cloth and waved it around. Then the couple after that played leapfrog. It was a riot!

In a different wedding, the bride and groom made what was quite possibly the craziest, most unique entrance I think I've ever seen. They dressed up like Aladdin and the girl rode in on a magic carpet ON WHEELS that lit up neon colors. If that doesn't grab anyone's attention, what will?

In my opinion, the fun entrances are the best. They really pump up the guests and set the tone that everyone there should let loose and have a ball!



Take a look at the film below to witness all the goofy entrances for yourself!

Joanna's Wedding Film from Jon Gangwer on Vimeo.

Traditional Jewish Wedding

Below are two traditional Jewish wedding films that we filmed and edited. There are so many different traditions in a Jewish wedding that really make for an exciting film. For example, there's the:


Ketubah- A document the bride, groom, and their families sign which display the responsibilities of the groom to the bride. It is traditionally read out under the chupah (canopy the couple gets married under), but many times it is signed privately in a room away from the wedding madness. Many times, the document is decorated with a neat illustration that mean something to the bride or groom. For more traditional couples, however, it remains plain and in Hebrew.


Next there is something called the Bedeken, which happens after the Ketubah. The groom and his parents, as well as the rabbi approach the bride and veil her face. Many times during this ceremony, there is joyous singing. Music is taken very seriously in orthodox Jewish weddings. The musicians are not just there for a paid gig, they play spiritually and sway to the rhythm, really becoming part of the couple's emotions.


The chupah is a canopy held up by 4 poles. In traditional Jewish faith, it represents a roof where directly above is clear skies, depicting a soaring future for the couple. The entire ceremony takes place under this chupah, including exchanging of the rings and the breaking of the glass, which can represent many symbols. One of the symbols is that the couple's old world is broken and now they're entering a new world, where they are married and have new responsibilities.



And the best part of the Jewish wedding (in my opinion), the hora! This is a family dance where everyone holds hands and spin clockwise. This depicts the two families coming together and celebrating the marriage. It is custom to play musical instruments and drink during a Jewish reception.

Rebecca's Wedding video from Jon Gangwer on Vimeo.

Alison's Wedding Film from Jon Gangwer on Vimeo.

Southern Belle Wedding

This Philadelphia wedding video we filmed/edited really struck a artistic chord with me. It really brought me back to the good old days of simplicity and life outdoors where everyone knew they're neighbor. This couple had a close-knit family, all the bridesmaids looked like southern bells, the guys wore suspenders and looked carefree, and there was even a cute dog there that I decided to name "Rover." I think the idea to have a "southern" or "old time-y" wedding theme is so humble. You can even refer to it as a vintage wedding. I can't imagine any guest who didn't feel like they can be themselves and relaxed with good family and friends. It really gets away from all the politics of weddings.

Robin's Wedding Film from Jon Gangwer on Vimeo.

Destination Weddings

There's something about a destination wedding. Whenever we get one in, I know it's going to be particularly special from a film perspective, especially if it's in a tropical place like Mexico. I know that there will be some elements that a video camera in Philadelphia, PA for example, wouldn't be able to capture in the same way.

I think it has to do with the quality of the light first off. It's warmer, it humanizes a person more on film. It rims a person's face so perfectly if it's in just the right shots. The ability to use it to your advantage is there- you can make people silhouettes, or you can just admire the soft glow on a baby's face.


The other thing about tropical locations is you can find certain elements or art and value that are hard to find anywhere else. Like, certain works of antique art or sculpting on the wall that is tearing way. These things are hard to preserve, so it's admirable from a video perspective to get close ups of certain textures and things like that. Every once in a while, you'll scan the footage and find something you'd only see on the cover of a book.


It's just different. Different in a good way!

Wedding Transportation

We just had a wedding in Central Park this past weekend and discovered a great idea. This maybe a standard thing to do, but it had never occurred to me. There was a trolley that shuttled guests on a set route along the park stopping at three different parking lots. I realized that this approach can be implemented in most any city wedding where parking spaces are a limited commodity.

I suppose when planning a wedding you can map out some approved parking lots and perhaps even work out something with them. And then communicate your route and trolley schedule to your guests with a spiffy little handout that matches your wedding design pallet. Depending on the wedding size, you can go with one, two or more trolleys to decrease the wait time for your guests.

This way, you can have custom transportation that easily gets your guests where they want to be, when they want to be there, in an often challenging environment!