1. Introduction: What's your story?
Hello, hello! I am Chelsie! My wife, Tori, and I are the the founders and owners of The Lumen Studios. We came into existence in 2017, just six months after our own wedding. Sadly, our own wedding story isn't the happy and joyful experience we hope to provide or every couple we serve. We were engaged for 9 months and married on November 19, 2016. We were so freaking excited to celebrate with our friends and family! We had never been to an LGBTQ+ wedding before... plus, many of our friends would be attending their first LGBTQ+ wedding as well! Our community had only been legally allowed the right to get married for about a year and a half, so this day was super important to more than just us!
On the day-of, our photographer arrived late, and in sweatpants. her nonchalant attitude carried on all day and, long story short, we got screwed. We ended up with only 95 photos and we received them 4 months late. We were missing vital moments from our day like our first kiss, Tori walking down the aisle with her dad, me dancing with my grandpa, and sooo many more.
We were devastated, and we were really heartbroken.
As time went on we ended up resenting our wedding day, and we found ourselves looking back on the memories with negative emotions, and saying things like "our marriage is great, but we never should have had a wedding." We quickly realized how sad it was that our beautiful day had been so tainted, and we never wanted anyone else to feel the way we felt.
So that's our story - and frankly, it sucks.
But! We had our film. Our film was a gift from one of my oldest friends. When we think back on our wedding day, the memories are often tarnished by the terrible experience we had with our photographer. But our film, our film means absolutely everything to us.
So that's why we do what we do. We know the pain and heartbreak of not having your precious memories preserved. We know how it feels to have someone taint one of the happiest days of your life, and we never, ever, want someone else to feel that pain.
So we go hard for our couples. We show up, and show out, every. single. time.
We are dedicated to you and your experience. We are devoted to ensuring that your wedding is a beautiful, memorable occasion. and we are proud to offer an experience and a product that will last for more than just your lifetime.
We care a lot, because we know how it feels when someone doesn't.
2. How long have you been filming weddings? How many weddings have you filmed?
We have been filming weddings since 2017. Since then, we have filmed 60+ weddings, including 2 weddings for charity. We take approximately 20 weddings a year to make sure we can give each couple the care, love, support, and attention they deserve.
3. How would you describe your videography style?
Our wedding videography style is a little unique for the industry. We believe love is a celebration and our films emphasize the booty shaking, belly laughing, fun side of love! We feel that your wedding film shouldn't just be a slow-motion, slow-music film because that's how every one else does it. We offer a fun, upbeat vibe with a focus on the festive! Party on, Garth!
4. How well in advance should couples book their wedding videographer?
We typically book 12-18 months in advance so the sooner the better! Since we cap the number of weddings we take-on to only 20 a year, we often find ourselves already booked for popular dates, or turning people away because we are already at our 20. There are, however, occasional exceptions for out-of-season weddings.
5. What are the different packages that you offer and which one is your most popular package?
We do not offer any set packages to make it easier for couples to get exactly what they want for their day. All of our pricing is visible on our website at: www.thelumenstudios.com/pricing
6. Are you the wedding videographer who will be filming on the wedding day? How many camera people and cameras will be operating on the day?
Our services always include 2 videographers and while 99.9% of the time it will be Tori and Chelsie filming the wedding, we do sometimes train additional people to work with us! We always have 2 people to capture your day, and will sometimes run upwards of 3-4 cameras depending on the needs of the day.
7. Do you charge a travel fee? For what distance? What does that cover?
Travel is charged for anything 120 miles outside of our home base. The general rule of thumb for anything too far from home is travel fee + 2 nights lodging.
That being said, travel fees vary by situation and will always be thoroughly discussed as needed.
8. How do you back-up your footage to ensure no footage is lost and for how long do you keep the footage after the wedding?
During the wedding we shoot on 2 cards, a primary and a redundancy. Upon transferring footage, we store on 2 separate hard drives. Finally, on the off chance that everything else fails, we also back up all the footage through a third party cloud service.
We store all raw footage for 365 days after the wedding before deleting and offer the option to add on additional ceremony, toast, and reception films after the wedding.
9. How long after the wedding will the couple receive the video? And how will the video be delivered?
We typically deliver final films within 3-4 months of the wedding. Teasers are delivered within 1 week of the wedding.
Films are delivered digitally with the option to have delivery via USB, and/or video book.
10. What is your cancellation and/or refund policy?
The flat-rate retainer is non-refundable.
Funds allocated for travel are non-refundable.
Any additional funds paid are half refundable up to 60 days before the wedding.
Any cancellations 60 days or less from the wedding are non-refundable, unless we can rebook the date.
Any cancellation by The Lumen Studios are entirely refundable including retainer, and travel fees.
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