Kairos Moment Wedding Films

KMBC-TV is putting together an A-List of Kansas City’s Best Businesses and we’ve been nominated under Kansas City’s Best Wedding Videographer category!

The cool thing about this contest is that the results are based on the votes submitted by people who visit the site.

So if you appreciate our films and want to be a love cat, I’d greatly appreciate you clicking on this link and putting in your vote for us… and if you’d be so kind and leave a review, that would be even more spectacular!

You do have to register but takes only a few seconds and they will NOT spam you.

I wouldn’t be where I am today without all of your enthusiasm and trust in my abilities and talents. And I thank you in advance for taking the time to vote and show us some love :)

Peter

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Oh my gosh! It’s been less than 24 hours since I announced the finalists and the response already has been phenomenal!

As you can see from the photo above, my daily traffic went up almost ten-fold!

This only confirms that these finalists are surrounded by people who truly care for them and want to see them succeed.

From the very beginning of this contest, I didn’t want it to turn into a popularity contest. That’s why I included a “Why” text-box in the vote submissions. More than just having random submissions, I want to hear from you why you feel the couple deserves to win. It’s about quality, not quantity.

With that said, I understand that in the zeal of wanting to see their friends win, some have tried to bloat the vote count by voting multiple times, using all their email accounts, and even making some up. I am touched that you want to do all that you can to help them win. I even got a proxy vote from expectant parents placing a vote for their child, who is still in the womb. While you get points for creativity, I will have to discount that submission… :)

One thing that I appreciate about the finalists is that each finalist took time to think through their story and put it in words that would touch others. The best thing you can do in voting for them is to tell me how their story has touched you and why you genuinely feel they deserve to win.

I’ll end this post with some of the comments I’ve received:

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Details:

Our ceremony is at Unity Village. We chose this location because of it’s peaceful and holy atmosphere. We knew as soon as we were there that this was the place in our hearts where God would make is one.. We both feel comfortable in the location, so much so that I have gone back to meditate there on several occassions. It’s just a great place to be. There are some other very important details in our wedding. Lester’s mother passed away over 15 years ago. Although she has not been with him his whole life, she had so much to do with the man he has become. I know she is watching over us and I know her spirit will be there with us on Aug 30. We are going to pay a special tribute and honor to his mom and her memory during the ceremony. We don’t know exactly what we are going to do yet, but we are planning to do something very special.

We are also planning to incorporate Lester’s son in the ceremony. He has a two-year old son, Darion. We will become one family, and we both think it is important to mark the occassion with a symbolic moment during the ceremony.

Another important, yet sensitive note is that Lester’s 5 yr-old nephew was recently diagonosed with a brain tumor in his brain stem. The disease is terminal, but we have faith in God’s will and believe that he will be healed and live a full and healthy life. Our prayer is that he will be with us to celebrate on that day, and we would like to be able cherish the moments and time with him forever. Not only to see him in a picture, but to hear him laugh and play. That is something that is very important to us and our family.

So, how did Lester and I meet anyway, and what has been our journey to this place in our lives. Well, let’s take a trip down memory lane.

We met September ‘06 at happy hour in KC which Lester’s marketing company was hosting. I was an event planner, so a friend introduced us on that basis. We learned that we were both Mississippi natives, so we decided to keep in touch. He gave me his card, and invited me to the next happy hour. I went, but I was meeting another friend there, and I didn’t pay much attention to Lester, but that didn’t deter him. As I left, he asked me to call, but I misplaced his card. He was nice and gave me another card and the next week, I emailed him, we’ve kept in touch ever since.

We got engaged during a trip that I planned for Lester for his birthday.

The proposal:

[Melissa] I planned to take Lester to Las Vegas for his birthday. We were running late to the airport due to traffic and I was starving, so as we got through security and to the boarding gate, I ran to grab something to eat. Lester went ahead to board the flight and secure seats on the plane. When I returned, I boarded the plane and took my seat next to Lester. I got settled in and started to eat lunch. I brought Lester food too, but he couldn’t eat. He doesn’t like to fly, so his behavior wasn’t surprising to me. I relaxed as the flight took off, but Lester was still nervous. As the plane reached cruising altitude of 30,000+ feet the Captain came on the loud speaker and made an announcement. This is pretty normal, so I wasn’t really paying attention until I heard my name! The captain began to read a letter over the loud speaker that Lester had written to me. At this point, I couldn’t keep my composure and all I could do was look at Lester while he stared back at my teary eyes. The next thing I remember is the flight attendant calling us to the front of the plane. Once we got to the front of the plane, Lester got down on one knee and proposed to me in front of everyone. I am sure if I could have seen my own face it would have been flushed, but even in the midst of a plane full of complete strangers, I felt like we were the only two people there. No passengers, no crew, no plane, just the two of us in the clouds at 30,000+ feet. It was as close to heaven as I have ever been. Standing there, I looked directly in his eyes and told him…Yes.

[Lester] Knowing we were going to Las Vegas, I contacted SWA where I spoke to customer relations. I told them what I planned to do for the proposal, and they were extremely accommodating. On the morning of the flight, customer relations informed the flight crew of my plans and everyone was more than willing to assist me in making Melissa the happiest woman in the world. When we arrived at the boarding gate, Melissa went off to get something to eat. Timing was perfect! I checked in with the boarding attendant and he took me to the jet-way to meet the flight crew. The flight attendant confirmed my plans and took the letter, which I had written to Melissa, to the flight captain. I went to my seat and informed my neighbor passengers what my plans were. As the plane reached a cruising altitude of 30,000+ feet the captain came on the speaker and read the letter I had written to the love of my life. As the captain read the letter, Melissa was in tears. Through her beautiful smile she said yes!! And the rest is as they say… is history.

It was such a special moment in time for us. We were among great people and many couples on the plane. The flight attendants asked the passengers on the plane to write words of advice to me and Melissa. The passengers were more than willing to do this, they wrote handwritten notes on the back of beverage napkins. The flight attendants gathered them for us and packed a snack bag for us to take with us including a bottle of champagne! The passengers had so many words of wisdom and encouragement for our new life together. We greatly appreciated all the advice. We found that many of the passengers on the plane were married couples of 30 years or more! That made this flight and their advice even more special. Even after all that, we received a letter from the President of SWA congratulating us on our engagement. How amazing is that! Things seemed to happen just right that day. Everything was perfect and in God’s time.

When we returned to Kansas City, we were both excited about planning our new life together, but we both decided that it was best to wait until after I graduated from school. So we were planning to get married in May, 2009. The long engagement was a good idea for budgeting, but also a good idea to work through any issues or doubts we had as a couple or about the future. To be quite honest, Lester was sure that I was “the one” for him, but I was not completely convinced that he was the one for me or that I was ready to get married. So, I immediately sought the advice of my spiritual Father, one of my pastors. He suggested we place a hold on the wedding plans and start pre-marital counseling. I agreed, but I wasnt sure if Lester would. My pastor assured me that if Lester loved me, that he would do anything for me….and he did. So, we started pre-marital counseling and as we met with the pastor week after week, things in our relationship started to change. As we grew closer and more intimate with God, we grew closer to each other as well. The kairos moment in our relationship happened after church one Sunday at brunch. We went to the Classic Cup. We started having a conversation about our relationship and the conversation wasn’t going in a good direction. I became upset and went to the ladies room to get myself together. While there, I prayed to God as asked for direction, I asked for a sign to indicate that Lester was “the one” for me, and that the steps we were taking were the right ones. I called God out on His promises. God tells us to ask, and it shall be given unto us. So, I asked the Lord that day to annoint me with the presence of His Holy Spirit and to allow the Spirit in me to recognize the Spirit in Lester if we were to be together in covenant marriage.

Upon my return to our table, the conversation took a different direction and Lester began to tell me all the things that he felt God had in store for our relationship and our ministry together. At that moment, I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit and I knew without a shadow of a doubt, that Lester was the one for me, because he loves me, but more importantly he loves God. In our most recent counseling session, our pastor told us about the character of God and His intent for marriage covenant to be a reflection of His covenant to us. It was then that we realized how great God’s love for us really is. Neither one of us can love each other as much as God loves us, but if we attempt to love the God in each other, each day, then that is what will sustain our love and that is what makes our love unconditional and we believe God honors that as we honor Him. We are sure of that now, more than we ever were before.

For this reason and the others listed, it is important for us to have our wedding captured in a media that is timeless. It will be our testimony and a reminder of the day that God honored his promise to man by sending Jesus, the greatest love all. It is our hope that we can share this testimony for years to come so that others might see the character of God in us and be renewed, revived, and saved!

Winning the contest also provides an important financial break for us. We have dreams of owning a home together as husband and wife and this will help us reach that dream faster. Many couples and families go into debt to pay for the “wedding of their dreams” only to realize that they spent more on a dream than the actual components of the marriage. We don’t want that to happen to us. We would like to focus more on our future together without worrying about incurring additional debt. So, this is a unique and wonderful opportunity.

Lastly, we have been searching and interviewing videographers and we never connected with any of them. After visiting your website and learning more about your testimony and your love story, we knew that this was the right fit for us. We believe in the ministry you do through your work, and we know that if anyone can capture the holiness and reverence of the sanctity of marriage, it is you, Peter.

Song:

It is so hard to choose one song that embodies our relationship, but we finally narrowed it down and selected one. The song is called “You’re The One” by Lisa Shipman and Hallerin Hill. It’s a duet and it’s beautiful both musically and lyrically. It seemed to fit with our relationship and the path we took to get to the security we have in each other and our relationship. Here are some of the lyrics to the song:

“You’re The One”
Baby tell me, how did you know?
Was it the first kiss?
No, not the first kiss, it was so much more than that
and baby tell me, how did you know?
Was it the first touch?
No not the first touch, it was so much more than that
I wasn’t really sure, so I got down on my knees
and when I talked to God, He said you were right for me…
He says…

You’re the one…you’re the one
God told me so, that’s how I know, and baby that’s enough for me
You’re the one, …you’re the one
God told me so, that’s how I know, that we were meant to be

Baby tell me, what changed your mind?
Was it the diamond?
No, not the diamond, this is so much deeper than that
Baby tell me, what made you change?
Was it your mother?
No, not my mother, she didn’t talk me into it

Instead I talked to God, I told Him what I need
He said this one is right, he loves you and he loves Me

God said it, I believe Him
God said it, that settles it
I trust you with my life…

WOW!!! that song, just makes me tingle all over!

The other song that we love, is “Nothing Without You” by Smokie Norful. Smokie wrote this song as a present to his wife. It is a beautiful song and truly embodies the husband/ wife and man/God relationship. Here are some of the lyrics to that song.

I have no sun, no moon, no stars, no clouds, no day or night. Nothing is right if I don’t have you.
I have no hills, no mountains, no valleys or plains, no plateaus; nothing goes if I don’t have you.

There is no reason, any season of the year
to live without the one I love and cherish so dear.
And no amount of any thing can replace the joy you bring. I have nothing if I don’t have you
.
There is no joy, no peace, no love for me, no one to care unconditionally if I don’t have you.
There is no west, no east, no understanding, no peace, no one that makes my very heart beat if I don’t have you. If I don’t have you

I have no life no death, no air to breathe, not a single thing to be if I don’t have you.

Oh, you gave me everything I’d ever need.
You are the true definement of my destiny.
Ever since you’ve been a part of my life, my whole world has changed.

There’s nothing undone, there are no battles that are unwon, no burdens that we cannot overcome.
You are the beginning, you will surely be the last. Lord, my whole world starts and ends with you.
You are the alpha, You are the Omega.
There is nothing that can take your place.
When I think about all you’ve done for me, how you came and made my life complete.
If it had not been for the Lord on my side, without you, Lord, I surely would have died.
I’d have nothing, I’m nothing if I don’t have you.

See what I mean, it’s just sooooo hard to choose.

Well, this is our story and why we want to win the contest. I hope it gave you some insight into who we are as a couple. Thanks for such a wonderful opportunity!

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Our Story:

Our story begins long before Ryan and I had ever met. I had moved to Kansas City from Florida seven years ago for a job in design. I came straight out of college and knew no one in this new city. I met and made friends right away through a church in Overland Park and for two years felt at home.

But after over two years I felt a tug to move on to a new church. That God was calling me to a new place in my life. So I left the familiar once again and began attending Jacob’s Well Church in midtown. I felt at home in the creative environment among fellow artists. But it took a solid year before I met anyone and made friends. Several times I questioned whether I was supposed to really be there. But every time I would think of leaving, God would confirm that I should stay. “Just give it a little more time,” I felt Him saying. “Something is coming for you here soon.”

All the while Ryan was having his own struggles finding his place at Jacob’s Well. The church was growing faster than it could handle at times. But Ryan soon made friends of his own. A group of guys that eventually became his roommates.

To get more involved at Jacob’s Well, I began volunteering in the children’s ministry where I became good friends with the children’s pastor. One day out of the blue he tells me, “I had a dream about you the other night. I dreamt that I was supposed to introduce you to a friend of mine.” And he told me the name which I didn’t recognize. So my pastor friend threw a pumpkin carving party at his house in early Fall of ‘04 so that I could meet his friend. Well, the friend wasn’t Ryan. That would make this story somewhat predictable. Ryan and my story is much more layered and I love it for that reason. That night at the party I did meet Ryan. He was a good close friend of the guy I was supposed to meet. And although romance did not start for us that night, I was blessed from that night on with the greatest group of friends, Ryan being one of them. For two years our friendship grew. We watched each others’ hearts get broken by foolish crushes. He would comfort me by saying, “He wasn’t good enough for you,” or “I thought he was creepy anyway.” And I would comfort his heart by saying, “She doesn’t know what she’s missing.” Without our knowing, God was growing this friendship into something more. He was the first person I called when I needed to be rushed to the ER for a kidney stone. He held the bucket I would throw up in and urge the doctors for more meds. He was there when I got the news of my brother-in-law’s death and held my hand as I cried. I didn’t know then that the hand he held, he would one day be placing a ring on its finger.

It took two years for God to prepare us. Looking back I know I wouldn’t have been ready for true love when we had first met. I tell Ryan now that God waited for us to fall in love so that I could be my best “me” for him.

It was another Autumn two years after we met on a trip with friends to the mountains of Colorado that something clicked in both our hearts for each other. Shortly after that trip we began to date.

We have been dating for a year and a half now and that in itself has been a layered road. We’ve had our laughter and our tears which have only solidified the bond we have. And the struggles we have faced have only grown us closer. My parents are of an older generation. Their old school way of thinking voiced their disapproval of our biracial relationship. Ryan’s patience with my parents and passion for me gave strength to our love. We have maneuvered through the difficulties of life and family and have come up against many walls that have forced us to choose, “Will we climb or walk away?” And countless times we’ve taken each other by the hand and together have climbed each wall of adversity.

Over a year we dated before Ryan popped the question. I knew just a few short months into the relationship that he was the one God had been preparing me for and him for me. But patience proved to be my lesson for the many months I waited. So finally, at the top of the Eiffell Tower at the Paris Hotel in Vegas (not exactly the city of love but close enough), Ryan held me in his arms and asked me to love him for life. And I said yes.

Details:

Our wedding date is set for April 18, 2009. That day I will be marrying my very best friend. Our ceremony will be at Jacob’s Well, our church where we both were led to be. Our friend that introduced us that Autumn night carving pumpkins will be officiating the ceremony. All the pieces have fallen together in God’s perfect time and place.

Because neither of our families are financially able to help with the wedding, the cost has been on our shoulders entirely. I’ve been able to foot the bill for the big things (caterer, church, reception) but have been relying on friends and God to help supply the rest. Unfortunately there’s no room in the budget for a videographer though my heart wishes that day could be captured on film. Because I am an artist and designer, I value so much the art of pictures and images to tell a story. I’ve seen the work you’ve done and am so moved and impressed how you capture the story of other couples. My hope is that Ryan and my story could be one day captured as beautifully too.

Ryan and my main desire for our wedding day and even our marriage is to tell a story of a greater Love through the love we display for each other. I envision the day of our wedding: us standing there at the front of our church surrounded by our family and friends, some knowing the struggles we’ve fought to get there. A battle for a love conceived in friendship, forbidden by some, pushing through and being birthed into full grown love.

Our Song:

Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol

On our trip out to Colorado that Autumn before we began dating, it was Ryan, my roommate, and I car tripping to Estes Park. We hit blizzard-like weather on the way there. Ryan was driving and I was in the front seat. I’m normally a very anxious person and worrying is second nature to me. But that trip, in that moment when none of us could see the road and both my roommate and Ryan begged to stop, I had such confidence in Ryan driving us to safety that I encouraged him to keep going. I felt such protection and safety with him at the wheel. I don’t normally have that kind of trust in people in control of my life. And he was at that moment. We came out of the blowing snow safely and Ryan, white knuckled, continued the drive through the mountains. I had climbed into the back seat with my roommate and we watched episodes of Grey’s Anatomy on her DVD player. It was one of the final ones for that season and it was where Denny Duquette had died. If you’re unfamiliar with the show, that particular season one of the surgeon interns had fallen in love with her patient who had a heart condition. He had an extended stay at the hospital and had fallen for her too so he asked her to marry him. But before they could marry, he grew worse and died. Lizzy, the intern, still in a party dress from right before his passing, now laid on her bathroom floor mourning her love’s death. At that moment Snow Patrol’s song Chasing Cars was playing in the background. “If I lay here, if I just lay here, will you lie with me and just forget the world?” The lyrics reflected the moment beautifully of her laying on the floor mourning her loss. And I bawled my eyes out in the backseat watching it.

What I didn’t know was my heart was falling for the man in the front seat and he was falling for me. One night on that trip, Ryan and I sat on the back porch surrounded by mountains just watching the stars. It felt good and safe to just be with him. He confessed to me later that he wanted to kiss me that night. I think it was good for our hearts to walk slowly towards love’s perfect timing. But our song always reminds us of that weekend where we both can pinpoint our hearts moving towards a new direction. Ryan has been my best friend. He makes me laugh hard enough to grab my inhaler. And he’s holds me tighter than anyone as I’ve cried. At moments we, like the song says, “… don’t need anything or anyone, we’ll do it all, everything on our own.” We’ve clung to each other when some have tried to pull us apart proving our love more true to ourselves and the world. “I don’t know where, confused about how as well. Just know that these things will never change for us at all.” I know where my heart began to change, I still don’t exactly know how it went from friendship to love, but I know this: our love is forever.

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I know, I know, the PWG Bridal Show was just 2 weeks ago… Another bridal show?

I had mentioned that being a part of a bridal show is a great networking opportunity… and that is how I met Dave Lamaster, Director of Sales & Marketing at Staley Farms Golf Club. If you’ve never met Dave, you’ll instantly love his friendly personality and over-the-top “Helllllllllooooooooo!” It will put a smile on your face every time. If you ever need a boost, just give him a call and listen to his voicemail message ;)

So what’s a golf club and bridal shows have to do with each other? And why is Dave at a bridal show instead of out playing golf? Hear from Dave Lamaster himself…

That clip was from the bridal show 2 weeks ago but it was also the case yesterday. He could have been out playing golf but instead he’d rather be hosting a bridal show ;)

Staley Farms Golf Club is not only a country club but it’s a great place to hold events like weddings or receptions… and the food is fantastic! They had a layout of food and everything was so tasty!

Not only is Dave super-friendly but he is also very professional and flexible. We had some last minute changes with our table and Dave was so helpful and supportive of everything. Having been with Pepsi for numerous years, he knows the ins and outs of client satisfaction and will take very good care of you. If you’re getting married in the northland, take a look at Staley Farms. Once you get a tour of the place and meet Dave, you’ll know you’re in good hands!

The bridal show was great. The thing I really liked about the Staley Farms Bridal Show was that it was a more intimate setting. You get more time to talk to vendors and look at their work and the atmosphere is a much more laid-back and easy-going so everything is less intimidating.

Not to mention again that the networking opportunities as a vendor were phenomenal as well. As a vendor, I was able to develop relationships and get to know some of the other vendors.

Next to our booth was Carolina and Darrell Coleman of Eclektica Salon, located in Briarcliff Village. I was able to spend some time with Darrell and get to know him. We have a lot in common in our business mission, focusing on customer service and bringing our professionalism to a more personal level with clients.

I also asked Carolina her professional opinion of my haircut, since she is a Master Stylist, having studied in Spain and Italy. She was very impressed with my haircut! She said the hair was blended very well with no holes or missed spots. And she really liked how the front was a bit longer and natural looking. The reason why I was so interested in Carolina’s professional opinion was because I actually cut my own hair. I’ve been developing this skill since college to save money and also because of some bad experiences with haircuts. (I figured if my haircut was going to be messed up, I’d feel better knowing that it was me who messed it up instead of letting someone else mess it up ;) After talking with Carolina, I was boasting to my wife, Mary, and telling her that my haircut was approved by a Master Stylist. I felt very accomplished! Thanks, Carolina. And I hope I didn’t make Darrell too jealous at the attention you were giving me ;)

One of the things that I appreciated most about Carolina and Darrell was their prioritizing family-time over business. Being a small business owner, it’s easy to get carried away trying to make your business grow. But at the end of the day, they couldn’t wait to get home so they could spend time with their five-year-old son, Alex.

On the other side of our booth was Caren Bittiker of Caren’s Cakes. It’s always a pleasure to see Caren but yesterday was the first time we really had a chance to hang out with and get to know Caren. If you haven’t tasted one of her creations yet, you’re missing out. I never knew how much time and effort Caren puts into her cakes and had a newfound appreciation for her attention to details. For her daughter’s wedding cake, Caren worked for 2 weeks straight to make over 2,000 white chocolate roses to adorn the cake! Talk about an extravagant expression of a mother’s love! Being next to Caren’s table was a pretty sweet spot, to say the least! LOL

I also got to meet Amber and her husband, Dave, of Solomon’s Porch Productions. They are moving to Lawrence, KS in August from Denver, CO to study film! They flew in to KC after waking up at 3am, had their whole setup as carry-on only and flew back out last night. I couldn’t believe all of their stuff for their presentation fit in a carry-on! Best of luck to you guys and thanks for helping me so that Mary wouldn’t have to carry that big, heavy TV with me!

A vendor that I never really met before was for chair cover rentals. I just happened to walk by their booth and we struck some good conversation. Bill and Regina Calderwood of Best Seat in the House were so friendly and we had a lot to talk about and share. Their work is very professional and chair covers are such a small touch but it makes such a difference to the atmosphere and look of a room. Below is an example of how chair covers bring uniformity to a room’s design.

We met a lot of brides and vendors and look forward to the follow up in the upcoming weeks. It’s awesome how we find favor with people and they just love our work. One of the most common observations people coming by had were the attention to detail and the quality of our presentation. People still think videography is cheesy, obtrusive, and boring to watch so they loved what we had to offer because it was so different and entertaining. The vendors across from us kept looking over at our screen at every free moment and we even had people come over from the other wing and tell us that there was no comparison. It just continues to encourage us when people notice and go out of their way to let us know.

Just wanted to give you a little update before I get caught up with things.

Have a great week!

Blessings,
Peter

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