Why choose SMS Design Video & Photography for your
Chicagoland Wedding? | Chicago bridal client shares her story

One of our wedding's testimonial feedback...

My name is Ann Marie and I got married on July 3, 2003. Joan and Paul Kaliher were our wedding videographers.

With all of the planning - please know it's worth it and the best day of your life - honestly!!! I've been overwhelmed as of late - it's kind of like the feeling of planning a wedding - I'm sure you can relate.

I am a teacher and we just finished our semester and with grades etc. ... and I'm pregnant too - so that's been good news, but busy nevertheless.

Ok - when I was shopping for all of the details to plan my wedding, I have to say that honestly one of the areas we WERE going to cut was - videography. As I said, I'm a teacher and I also run an iMovie club at my jr. high (filming video footage and editing to create movies) so I figured I could have a friend tape the ceremony and I would edit our video. Throughout the 6 months of planning our wedding my details became very involved and a friend said to me - you've GOT to hire a professional to remember every moment - because on that day - you will be in a fairy tale land and not pay attention - well anyway, she said the thing she would have liked on her video was seeing her husbands face and her expression as well as she was walking down the aisle. The only way this could be done is to have two videographers and one taping Eric and the other me and then the footage would be combined to show us both anxiously awaiting to meet each other at the altar.

I began my search. I was very picky to select videographers because of my background and thinking in my head - these people have got to be able to do something better than I could. We met with Joan and Paul in their home one Sunday afternoon and throughout our conversation and seeing the final product I was sold. I have to admit, Eric was not. He kept saying, "Honey, that's a lot of money for something you said you could do."

Let me try to explain, when you hire a photographer, they take the pictures and provide proofs and then create an album and ours was about the same price - videography is taking REAL life and capturing it and let me tell you - it's a lot of work to take 6 hours of video and choosing only the perfect parts into 2 hours of magic memory.

Joan not only listened to my needs but let me dictate what I wanted included, who I wanted interviewed, what music I wanted and where, and then listened - even when I changed my mind! She aims to please. Having a woman's touch is nice too.

Paul also videotaped, but she spliced the footage together and added things like...... Still pictures and motion blended of our church (inside and out), the hall, the flowers, the scenery, the table decorations, the sweet table, the candles, the guest book etc ... It really captured everything - I could go on and on - I also loved the beginning of when I got ready - it was at my parent's house and my bridesmaids were there. Paul was videotaping the guys - it's like you can be at two places at once - then the church was my favorite part - we did each SEE each other and our pre-marriage nervousness - it was wonderfully done and the reception was a blast to with all of the details captured on video.

Well, I could go on and on, but just ask if you have any other questions. I give my 100 percent recommendation for Joan and Paul Kaliher!

Good luck and happy planning!!!!

Love,

Ann Marie and Eric Lutsch