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4th Annual Anna Maria Island Wedding Festival – The BEST EVER

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Brides and grooms rode in complimentary limos and trolleys around Anna Maria Island to explore unique wedding & reception venues. Mother’s of the bride met with qualified wedding vendors in person to discuss wedding  plans. They asked  questions, face to face, with videographers, photographers, DJ’s and wedding officiants from Sarasota & Bradenton. Thank you for visiting us at the AMI Chamber of Commerce to view our wedding videos and ask about videography at the Visions Unlimited Video Production booth. Did you sample different cakes and drink options for cocktail hour? This “hands on” wedding festival was all about getting the info you need and booking the vendors your like. Wedding vendors offered specials for festival attendants; and I’m happy to extend Wedding Video Bridal Show Specials if you ask. We have some great bargains. Over $10,000 prizes were given away, including some amazing gift baskets at our “Mock Sunset Beach Wedding” at the Sandbar Restaurant. Bridal make up and hair was by Body & Sol Spa and Wellness, Island Wellness and  A Victorian Bride. Flowers & bouquets for the Mock Wedding were provided by: Flower Girls of Sarasota.

Thank you to those of you who came to see us in person. We had a great time! For more info on our next Wedding Festival, look for updates soon at: http://www.amiweddingfestival.com/ (Give us a little time to recover from the Best Anna Maria Island Wedding Festival ever!)


Anna Maria Island Festival promo video by Leslie Harris-Senac, Film maker and owner of Visions Unlimited Video Productions, Inc. of Sarasota, Florida. It features a lovely English couple who attended the festival and booked all their vendors in one trip! They later returned to get married at the Sandbar on Anna Maria Island.

(Visions Unlimited has been an Anna Maria Island Chamber Member since 2006)

~blog post by Leslie Harris Senac of Visions Unlimited Video Productions, Inc.

sunset beach wedding on anna maria island
Anna Maria Island Groom and Bride after their beach ceremony

11 Steps to a Green Wedding in Sarasota

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Every engaged couple wants their wedding day to be a special celebration that reflects who they are and what they care about. Going green is a great way to make the festivities unique and meaningful–and show friends and family just how fun, beautiful, and delicious a sustainable lifestyle can be. Here’s how to start planning the kind of wedding guru’s planners have anointed “the hot new thing”:

1. With this ring…
A green wedding begins where any engagement does: with a ring. Don’t start off on a sour note. The beautiful alternatives to “blood diamonds” (those that are mined in war zones and fund conflicts) include:

  • vintage rings, whether a family heirloom or an antique find (you can even have old gold melted down and refashioned)
  • lab-created diamonds (greenKarat‘s are set in recycled gold too)
  • diamonds mined in peaceful Canada or Australia, like those from Brilliant Earth, Cred Jewelery, or Leber Jewelry’s Earthwise line
  • diamonds certified as “conflict-free” under the Kimberley Process, an ongoing effort to reform diamond mining in Africa (ask your jeweler the questions in Amnesty International’s buyer’s guide)
  • one-of-a-kind wooden bands

2. Location, location, location
Your choice of venue sets the tone for your wedding day-and accounts for a big chunk of the money you’ll be laying out. Spend it wisely! Consider:

  • choosing a setting that’s convenient to the most guests to minimize travel impacts
  • having the ceremony and the reception at the same place, or providing ecofriendly transportation between them
  • picking a unique local spot-like the beach, an art gallery, nonprofit space, organic restaurant or farm, green hotel, Selby Botanical Gardens, or green-roofed building.
  • an outdoor setting that will infuse the whole event with a natural sensibility (and require less decorating too!)
  • arriving at the ceremony in a horse-drawn carriage, cycle rickshaw, or hybrid car
  • offsetting your guests’ travel (or asking them to do it as your wedding gift)

3. Please join us…
Your wedding invitation is the first impression guests will get of your green wedding. Look for:

  • recycled, handmade, or plantable papers processed chlorine-free and printed with vegetable- or soy-based inks
  • tree-free paper made out of hemp, banana stalks, bamboo, kenaf, or organic cotton
  • a printer who will use paper with a high percentage of post-consumer recycled content
  • papers that aren’t metallic or plastic-coated, characteristics that make them hard to recycle
  • opportunities to reduce paper use, like sending a postcard (instead of multi-enveloped notes) for your save-the-date, or using online invitations and a wedding blog to let people know about the bachelor/ette parties, rehearsal dinner, and gift registry

In your invitations, let guests know about the ecofriendly hotel and transportation options in your area, whether it’s hybrid rental cars or directions to the ceremony on public transportation. And don’t forget to pick up some extra green paper products for your guest book, place cards, and thank-you notes. (You will be writing thank-yous, won’t you?)

4. The final fling
Plan bachelor and bachelorette parties that will keep the green theme going:

  • Stay local (and spend more time with your friends, and less dealing with travel stress).
  • Offset your trip if you choose a “destination” party.
  • Travel by train (and start the party early in the bar car).
  • Indulge in organic wine tasting or an organic spa treatment.
  • Take a class and learn to make your own wedding flowers or jewelry.
  • Do something low-impact and outdoorsy like a camping, surfing, sailing, kayaking, or fishing trip.

5. Here comes the bride…
…in a gorgeous hemp-silk gown. When it comes to outfitting the bridal party, green options abound. You can:

  • go vintage (and update your look as necessary with tailoring and modern shoes and accessories)
  • pick clothes made from hemp, bamboo, and organic cotton or silk–or find a dressmaker who will make a one-of-a-kind item out of these sustainable fabrics (men’s suits and shirts come in organic cotton or wool too)
  • borrow an elegant gown from a stylish friend
  • buy something you’ll wear again (and let your bridesmaids do the same)
  • accessorize with a unique recycled purse and/or jewelry
  • use vegetable dyes on your shoes (or go barefoot for a beach wedding)
  • accentuate natural beauty with all-natural makeup
  • donate the dresses to charity after the event

6. Set the stage
Add beauty and style to your wedding décor, naturally. Here’s how:

  • opt for organic flowers
  • find a florist who’s diligent about recycling packaging and will source locally raised flowers
  • have bridesmaids carry matching purses or silk bouquets instead of cut flowers
  • decorate with branches, dried grasses, grains, greens, berries, or live plants (potted or dried arrangements can double as favors)
  • choose beeswax or soy-based candles over those made with paraffin, a petroleum byproduct
  • arrange to have decorations moved from the ceremony to the reception (if you opt for separate sites)
  • use leaves or other natural objects as place cards
  • throw biodegradable confetti or organic rose petals instead of releasing butterflies. Butterfly releases at the beach can be very sad when they hit the sand or encounter heavy wind without a plant to land on.
  • donate the flowers to a hospital or rest home at the end of the day

7. Eat, drink, and be merry
Showcase green gustatory pleasures (and spoil your guests) by basing your menu around local, organic, and seasonal foods. Don’t forget the organic wine, beer, and spirits, and the free-trade, shade-grown coffee and tea! Some tips:

  • Ask the venue’s preferred caterers and bakers if they can do your event organically.
  • Find a local organic restaurant that does off-site catering.
  • If your wedding won’t be complete without a specific type of food, get married when it’s in season.
  • Find a caterer you trust to pick the best seasonal selections (since you may not be able to taste those exact items ahead of time).
  • Consider vegetarian selections and seek out cruelty-free meats and wild, rather than farmed, fish.
  • Make sure the venue offers comprehensive recycling facilities, and ideally composting too.
  • Have your cake decorated with organically grown flowers or other natural materials instead of plastic toppers.
  • Rent real glassware, dishware, and linens instead of using disposables.
  • Go for a chic eclectic look by mixing and matching thrift-store plates and dishes (and donating them back when you’re done).
  • Use biodegradable utensils and dishes made out of cornstarch, potatoes, wheat, or sugar cane-if your venue can compost them.
  • Make arrangements to donate leftover food to a local food bank or homeless shelter.

8. Lasting memories
Whether you prefer film or digital photographs, look for a photographer who will do digital proofs to save paper and chemicals. Avoid single-use cameras, but ask friends with digi-cams to share their photos with all the guests online in a freeFlickr group or Snapfish group room you set up for your wedding.

9. ‘Tis better to give…
OK, OK, giving and receiving are both great! For your gift registry, consider:

For your favors, give something your guests will really use and enjoy, not disposable plastic souvenirs. Some ideas:

For your helpful, loyal attendants, you’ll want to up the ante a little, perhaps with:

  • gift baskets of organic skin-care products
  • recycled jewelry, wallets, handbags, or drinking glasses
  • selections of organic coffees, teas, and chocolates
  • recycled paper journals and stationery
  • great bottles of organic wine

10. How sweet it is…

Everyone enjoys breakfast for dinner on occasion. So why not dessert for brunch? A morning-after sweets soiree is the perfect way to say goodbye to departing guests AND reduce your event’s eco impact, as desserts make up the bulk of post-nuptial food waste. Just pack up leftovers from the night before (supplemented with new additions, if necessary) and set them out buffet-style for guests to munch on as they reminisce about the fun they had the night before (and gossip about anyone who might have enjoyed himself a little too much on the dance floor). Think about it: toasted breads and cakes, pastries with local fruit, toss in a few bottles of champagne and you’ve got a readymade party. If you don’t live in an area where wedding festivities extend past the main event, don’t fear. This idea works just as well when applied to the actual wedding day meal. What’s more, it’s a stellar way to feed a crowd on the cheap. Enlist the help of the amateur bakers in your family or friend circle, or talk to a local restaurant or bakeshop about low-cost catering options. Heavy hors d’oeuvres and seated dinners can cost anywhere from $25 to $75 per person for food alone; with a dessert buffet, you can save as much as 85% on the cost of food, especially if you keep things homemade. All you’ll need are quality ingredients, a few carafes of white wine, some coffee and tea and maybe a bottle of liquer, and you’re good to go.

Whether they’re the breakfast or dinner variety, hot foods take a lot of energy to stay fresh and appetizing. Chafing dishes require portable fuel sources, which are often made from petroleum , burn inefficiently, smell bad. And that’s not including the amount of electricity or gas it takes to cook the meal in the first place. Plus, all of those plates and service pieces have to be washed, either in a dishwasher, which consumes somewhere around 6 or 7 gallons of water per cycle, or by hand, which ends up flushing a whopping 20 gallons of water per load down the drain (really!). Desserts, on the other hand, require smaller plates, fewer utensils and virtually no maintenance, resulting in less cleanup and resource consumption overall. As an added bonus, you’ll also avoid the chicken-fish-steak conundrum that plagues caterers, brides and wedding planners!

These days, an increasing number of brides are forgoing formal affairs in favor of casual parties with comfort food and a lower-key vibe—and that’s no coincidence. With the economy in the tank, people want something manageable, something that seems appropriate for the current state of things. A dessert buffet has just the right mix of eclecticism and familiarity, AND it brings out the kid in everyone. Which is pretty sweet, too.

11. Happily ever after…
Begin your new life with a honeymoon that’s light on the Earth. Consider:

~ by videographer, Leslie Harris-Senac of Visions Unlimited Video Productions in Sarasota, FL w/excerpts from the Sierra Club website

Anna Maria Island Green Wedding
Anna Maria Island Green Wedding on the Beach

You Deserve to Hire a Professional Videographer for Your Special Day

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Your wedding day may be the most important day of your life. Why trust it to a part time photographer who “does video” on the side? Allowing Uncle Charlie to capture your most cherished memories is a worse idea.

Leave it to the professional who has the proper equipment, creative talent and skill  to do the job well. It takes someone with many years of on-the-job training to get great shots while being unobtrusive and graceful. Professional microphones, lighting kits and filters are a big investment that most people don’t carry in their camera bag. Your full time professional videographer has all this and more to insure that your wedding day memories are preserved with class and style. Let us take away the worry, and let a professional handle your videography.

You have more important things to think about on your wedding day, than being concerned if Uncle Charlie is having one drink too many, or if he’s decided to dance to his favorite songs. It was a very nice offer: to shoot your wedding video, but he just doesn’t have the experience to do your wedding justice. Let him dance the night away and have that extra drink; your professional videographer will get some amazing shots of him enjoying himself… and you’ll look a lot more relaxed too!

Contact Visions Unlimited at 941.315-3456 or les@beautifulvideos.com to discuss your Wedding Video with Film maker & Owner, Leslie Harris-Senac of Sarasota, Florida.

Testimonials from Brides, Grooms & their Parents

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Leslie-

Wow, wow, wow! We loved the video! You did an amazing job. When we were planning the wedding we had to really think about getting a video done because everything that goes into a wedding is costly. Let me tell you, every bride should have a wedding video as terrific as mine. Worth every penny and brought back so many memories we can now have forever. We are now able to remember even the smallest detail because we have this beautiful video. Thank you so much, you did a great job and we are so happy that we found you. Absolutely you may use whatever we have said, anyway we can help you. I enjoyed this video more than I enjoyed our pictures. You miss out on seeing so many things when you are the bride, like the bridesmaids walking in, the groomsmen walking in, and even the brides own entrance you cannot see until you have the video. THANKS A MILLION!

~Christie, a happy bride from Bradenton, Florida

We absolutely loved the video. The b&w Freeze frames at
the end are great too! It was better than I could have imagined.

Sarah C. Pellenbarg
Holland & Knight LLPHi

Hi Leslie,

Just wanted to let you know that the wedding was perfect and you were a big part of it! It was an absolute pleasure working with you and the montage was a huge hit!! So many people have asked me who did it and everyone thought your professionalism was to be commended. I hope you loved filming that day because it was an absolutely magical day, we had soooo much fun and none of us will ever forget it. I’m awfully glad it’s on DVD because this is one movie I won’t mind seeing more than once! Thanks again for a job well done and for your calmness and professionalism, I will recommend you often!

See you soon,
Cissy Peterson, Mother of the Bride
The Field Club, Sarasota, Florida

Sally and I received the video you created of our daughter’s wedding. Your results were above and beyond our expectations, far more professional than either of us anticipated. The music, the clarity, and the transition from one scene to another, was expertly done. As we watched, we were most impressed with the visual effects from different viewpoints of the event, especially the close-ups. Several times I asked Sally how many cameras were operating. You did all the filming in a most unobtrusive, discreet manner.

Thank you,
Mike Hard, Sarasota, FL

Hi Leslie – I just got the DVDs from my Mom and wanted to tell you how much we love them! Thank you so much for everything! They came out beautifully and we are absolutely thrilled with them. Thanks again and it was wonderful to work with you!

All the best,
Puja from Englewood, Florida (Ritz-Carlton ballroom wedding & reception)

Leslie,
We did get the video in time for Valentine’s Day. It was a huge hit with not only Megan, but also her parents. It was constructed beautifully to show exactly what I was hoping for and so much more. It was enough to make both of her parents tear up!!! You did an absolutely amazing job incorporating the two songs that I provided into the video as well as mixing in some of the live audio that you recorded. The transitioning slides were also a feature that went well above and beyond what I had ever imagined.
Thank you again for such a magnificently sculpted work of art that we can call our proposal video. I am positive that it will be a cherished keepsake for the rest of our days!

I look forward to keeping in contact with you and I can only hope that it will work out for you to also capture the magical moments of our wedding.
It would be a true blessing to be able to share that with you as well. I
will send another email within the week letting you know what option we would be most interested in.

Sincerely and gratefully,
Brian Rolfs (Surprise Engagement and Love Story Montage, filmed during sunset at Sharkstooth Beach in Venice, Florida)

Hi Leslie:

I just have to write to tell you how much we LOVE our wedding video 🙂

The video from our Siesta Key wedding is just so terrific! There are so many special moments – Alexa and Jordan look precious, and there are captions of Les’s boys that are really special to us. I love how you captured so many cute things – we expecially love the ending with the music and collage of shots. Simply perfect!

Thanks for more than a job well done….. a job that will hold many memories for us for years to come. If I can ever help with a referral, please let me know.

Warm regards,
Tracey and Les Brown
Oswego, IL (near Chicago)

Hi- Leslie,
I wanted to let you know that the video turned out beautifully, just as I hoped it would. I know you had metioned that you wanted to know that I like about it and if there was anything that I didn’t like about it.. I LOVED every part of it!!!! The only thing I wish we had done was , hired you to stay longer.. At the time our budget didn’t allow us to. Thank you for a wonderful memory that we can enjoy!!! Everytime we watch it,, it makes me want to go back to Anna Maria Island. We can’t wait for next year. My little one, Jada she loves to watch the video.
Thanks Again for everything.
Crystal Kash 7-7-07 (Sandbar Restaurant wedding and reception)

Leslie-

I just wanted to thank you again for a wonderful experience. It was truly a pleasure working with you. You are professional and so kind. Is there any where I can leave you comments? If so, please let me know, I would be happy to do so. As I told you previously, once the wedding was over with Sanaa did not want to have anything to do with us, she was friendly until midnight the day of our wedding. We greatly appreciate how easy you have been to work with and you have always told me I could call anytime. It does make a huge difference working with people like yourself. I cannot wait to watch the DVD. I will always keep you in mind and will refer anyone that I can to you. Steve and I are so happy we decided to have our wedding taped. What a great investment! Thank you again for always being so kind and easy going. When I didn’t know where to go for our cake, you left the door for me to call at any time. So, your references and suggestions meant a lot to us, as well. I want you to know that nobody else, except the harpist, Bonnie, told us we could call if we ever had any questions or needed help with anything. And, as you know, many many people are involved and hired in the making of a wedding. Thank you, you are great!

Christie and Steve
October 2007 (Crosley Mansion wedding & reception)

Leslie,
I just wanted to thank you so much for the DVD.
My mom loved it cried, laughed and had many smiles.
All my relatives loved it too.

Just wanted to thank you again for the great work!!!! 🙂

Friday, April 11, 2008
Craft, Susan of Santa Barbara
Subject: Package for mom’s 75th birthday DVD in Santa Barbara

From : Kimberly Manooshian
(Married at 1st Baptist on Main and LBK Harbourside reception)

Here is my testimonial:  My husband and I had all of our plan in order for our wedding about a month before our big day.

Our wedding coordinator ask if we had considered having our wedding videotaped and to be honest I was a little hesitant. After all we were spending more money than we had originally planned because our guest list was getting bigger and bigger.
To make a long story short… I can not imagine NOT having a video of OUR day.
I have watched our video at least 20 times…no kidding!
I love everything Leslie did to capture our special day!
If I had to choose, I would do without something else in order
to have Leslie capture our special day on video!
~George & Kimberly Manooshian, Sarasota bride & groom

Dear Leslie & Mark, I appreciate the way you captured the happiness of Jenni and Michael’s wedding day. I can’t stop smiling as I watch the video. It takes me back to the moment and I am thankful to be able to re-experience their wedding again and again. Seeing the happiness on our daughter’s face is priceless for her dad and I. Thank you again for taking such caring efforts to create the video. ~Sue Nierstheimer, Mother-of-the-Bride, Englewood Beach, FL

Leslie captured our special day with great expertise. Nothing was too much trouble for her and she even stayed for an extra hour in order encapsulate a beautiful sunset. She was unobtrusive throughout our wedding and would highly recommend using her.

Claire & Ade
U.K. clients w/Longboat Key Hilton Wedding

Leslie with Visions Unlimited did a wonderful job for our wedding day. She worked well with our photographer Dara Caudill with Island Photography, which made the day much less stressful! Though I have not seen the video yet, she was so friendly and kind to us and has been in constant contact with us since we booked her, both by email and by phone. Highly recommended for beach weddings!
Brandy Haid
West Virginia client~Sandbar wedding on Anna Maria Island, Florida

Thank God for Visions Unlimited!!!! I was in another world on my wedding day and don’t remember half of the special moments we had. But….it was all on video! They were so professional, I didn’t even realize they were there. They captured every important moment on our wedding day. I just received the video and watched it about 8 times already. The time and effort put into with the background music, slow motion at some points, and the accent photos were just amazing! EXCELLENT COMPANY!!!!

Victoria Randenburg
(Married at St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church;
Reception at Lakewood Ranch Golf & Country Club)

I recently used Visions Unlimited to create a wedding video for a friend of mine as a gift. I could not have been more pleased with Leslie’s professionalism and with the finished product. She was quick to respond to my questions, she called me with regular reports of the progress of the video, and the finished product was absolutely beautiful. In this unique situation where Leslie had never even met the bride and groom, she was able to bring out their personalities perfectly. The bride was thrilled with the video. Thank you Leslie!!!
Casey
Admirals Walk Condos

Leslie,
I just wanted to let you know that we saw the video and it AMAZING! We honestly could not have asked for more. You included every moment that we wanted and then some. We absolutely love it. Thank you so much for all of your hard work, what a wonderful keepsake!

~Katie and Mike Clementi, Bradenton, FL (St. Armand’s Circle Wedding near Lido Key, Florida & Marina Jack reception on Sarasota Bay)

Hi Leslie –

 

Received our wedding video yesterday.  We want to say “thanks” again for your efforts.  You’ve given us something to treasure for a very, very, very, very long time.

 

Regards,

 

GREGORY L. HARRELL

Orlando, FL  32822

(St. Martha’s Catholic Church wedding and The Meadows Country Club reception)

 

Leslie!
It was fun and inspiring seeing you in action last weekend at the Ritz. You are amazing — so professional, you are everywhere, yet look like you are really enjoying yourself. Hope I’ll get to see the final product sometime. I would imagine that whole thing was quite a challenge.
And your montage of fotos was beautiful! Just the right touches of effects and timing.

With admiration,
Diane Mason
Longboat Key, Florida

 

 

Dear Leslie,

Thank you so much for the video and Christmas ornament. The video is so well done and you captured so many memories for us! We have really enjoyed watching it. The ornament is a perfect addition to our 1st Christmas tree. It was very thoughtful of you.

Sincerely,

Sarah and Stefan Gates

Sarasota, Florida

(Incarnation Catholic Church wedding and Chelsea Center reception)

 

 

Leslie, Thanks for videoing our wedding and editing it so quicly for our Wisconsid reception. You did a great job!

Ginna & Matt

(Boca Grande / Gasparilla Island, FL wedding and reception)

 

 

 

Read all of our Wedding Videography Reviews at Weddings, Wedding Cakes, Wedding Planning, Wedding Checklists, Free Wedding Websites, Wedding Dresses, Wedding Ideas & more

 

Contact Visions Unlimited at 941.315-3456 or les@beautifulvideos.com to discuss producing your beautiful wedding video with filmmaker Leslie Harris-Senac.

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