Unlike photography, video is one of those services that some couples choose to forego on their wedding day.
But once you see some of the wedding videos from the team at Swehland Productions, this “optional” service may just become a “must have.”
Founded by Shawn Wehland, this Maryland and Washington, DC videography team captures a series of moments and seamlessly edits them together into a story. It could be a love story told at a wedding. It could be the story of a graduating class. It could be the story of what a nonprofit organization is bringing to the local community.
But we think where they shine brightest is in their wedding videos.
Shawn, his wife Kacie, and their teammate Tony work together to capture all the big wedding moments, from the ceremony to the couple’s big entrance, dances, speeches, and more. But they get all the little goodies too — the mother of the bride buttoning the gown, the groom reading a letter and trying not to cry, the flower girl twirling in her dress. These are the small details that tie the memories together and turn a series of events into a day full of love and laughter.
It seems that wedding clients have found the perfect word to describe how wonderful Swehland Productions is…
“Shawn was absolutely amazing!” - Nicole
“Swehland productions is amazing.” - Sheena
“Our highlight video is everything I wanted and more. I never dreamed it would be as amazing as it is!” - Carly
“Shawn and Kacie were absolutely amazing to work with throughout the entire wedding process.” - Jessica
“After watching and sharing our video with our families we knew our decision to have Shawn film our wedding was a good one. Our video was amazing and we couldn't have asked for anything more.” - Brittany
“Thank you to Shawn for his patience and his amazing eye for catching every important moment.” - Katy
Ok folks, we get the picture. Everyone should have a cheering section this enthusiastic!
Outside of weddings, the Swehland Productions team does a huge variety of work. They’ve done a series of “Dear Future Me” videos, where young people get to write a letter to their future selves. They’ve also done work for drug prevention and community outreach to gain visibility for treatment programs. Plus commercials, movie trailers, promotional films...if it can be filmed, the Swehland team is on it.
We asked Shawn to tell us a bit about how he fell into wedding videography and what he loves about his work!
Responses have been lightly edited for clarity.
How did you get started in the wedding industry?
I filmed my cousin's wedding in 2014 and fell in love with it right away. After leaving that wedding, I knew I wanted to make this my career.
What’s your favorite venue and why?
I truly don't have one. Each venue has its own unique character, and it's my job to capture the essence of it.
What’s your favorite thing about weddings?
This is a hard one, but I think it's the in-between moments of the day. Moments like the dad seeing his daughter in her dress for the first time, the groom's reaction to seeing his wife, the mom helping her daughter get dressed, grandparents during the anniversary dance. So many of these moments capture such raw and pure emotion. Most people only get to witness that once if they are lucky, we get to see it almost every weekend. I will never take that for granted.
See full wedding video here
What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever seen a member of the wedding party do?
Jump off a roof of a building into a swimming pool...while drunk.
What’s one thing you wish people knew about working at weddings?
It's not as stressful as people think. After a while, you get into a routine. You truly get to enjoy the day just as much as the family/guests do.
What’s the best speech you’ve ever heard?
It's always the father of the bride speech that gets me emotional. There are sooo many but if I had to pick one I think it would be Megan and Brock's wedding.
Maryland’s DJ Note: grab a hankie before you push play.
What’s your best marriage advice?
She is ALWAYS right.
To inquire about hiring Shawn and his team as your wedding videographers, fill out their online form. And keep up with them online on Facebook or Instagram.
And make sure to let us know if we can help with your DJ or lighting needs!
Published on:
Friday, May 15, 2020