Meet Lauren & Clay

Lauren and Clay got married at Weyer’s Cave, a popular wedding venue in the Shenandoah portion of Virginia. We sat down with Lauren and asked her about the wedding day and what she thought about our services as a wedding videographer.

Hi Lauren, thank you for taking some time today to chat with me and share your wedding with the readers here.

First, how is married life treating you and Clay since your wedding back in November?

Hi Joshua! Life has been good to us. No one prepares you to spend your first year of marriage in quarantine, but the honeymoon stage is still very much alive and well. We are happy and loving being married!

I wanted to ask about your wedding day, for the readers out there, can you talk a little bit about the venue and what your day was like?

Our wedding happened on November 7, 2020 at Melrose Caverns in Harrisonburg, Virginia. We spent a lot of time thinking about the logistics of a wedding during Coronavirus, and made some concessions to keep our guests safe, but ultimately felt like we were still able to pull off the wedding of our dreams!
The venue allowed us to have the rehearsal dinner in the same place as the actual wedding, so it was nice to not have to plan essentially two back-to-back events in separate places.
Highly recommend if that’s an option at your venue! We just love the mountains and the venue had that rustic, log cabin feel we both love.
Fun fact: the original owners of the venue were the Harrison family, the namesake of Harrisonburg. The same family still owns it today.
There was also a farmhouse just next door owned by the same family so our whole party was able to stay with us the night before and get ready together there.
It felt like a whole wedding weekend, which was great! The day felt like it went by in less than a minute, but everyone important to us was able to make it and have a good time, so at the end of the day, we left feeling thankful and blessed! We had the ceremony outdoors, then moved inside for the reception and it was a beautiful occasion.

One of the coolest things about your wedding was going into the caverns at Weyers Cave, I’ve never done that before as a professional, can you talk a bit further about what it was like taking photos in the cavern and just being in them?

So we didn’t actually know that going into the caverns was an option until the rehearsal dinner.
The owner of the venue was so wonderful and he told us he would open the private caverns on premises up just for us!
He wound up giving some of our guests tours throughout the night, which was amazing, but the icing on top of the wedding cake was being able to take photos and video in the caverns just the two of us.
It was such a sweet, private moment for us to be together and just live in the moment of our wedding day.

So I want to switch gears and ask about your experience with us here at Wedding Photography and Films. Juliana and I had a wonderful time at the wedding, but I’d love for you to explain to the readers in your own words what it’s like working with us and your experience?

Clay and I were never really looking for a videographer for our day.
We thought it was one of those things we could live without.
But then I saw a few friends who had had their weddings in Harrisonburg recommending Wedding Photography & Films so we decided to check y’all out.
The financing options were really convenient for us and the pricing was so fair so we were off to a good start.
Once our day finally arrived and you and Juliana arrived, I was immediately put at ease.
I will say the video was one of the things I was the most anxious about just because being on film is something I’ve never been fully comfortable with, and Clay doesn’t really love the camera either.
I feel like I’ve said it to everyone I’ve talked to about the wedding, but I’ll say it again.
Having you at the wedding was SO much more than having a videographer for us. You made me so comfortable.
My nerves were at an all-time high and you didn’t just make me feel relaxed about the wedding, but really our big day as a whole.
I felt like both you and Juliana had the most calm, easy-going energy. It was honestly a huge blessing to have with us on our day.
So, we filmed our videos and I literally didn’t feel like I saw you or Juliana for the rest of the day, but when I went back to watch our video you were steps away for every single intimate moment.
I couldn’t believe it!
There were a lot of moments I didn’t even remember because it was such a crazy day, but thankfully you captured them and we can now look back at them forever. And we got our video back before we even got back from our honeymoon!
I would say looking back that hiring a videographer, specifically Wedding Photography and Films, was the best decision and the one that we had to spend the least time on, during the whole planning process.

What was the best part of your wedding experience with us?

Writing our letters really encouraged both of us to sit down in the chaotic days leading up to the wedding and focus on the reasons why we were getting married.
When I think back to our day, my first memory is taking a minute out of the morning while I was getting ready with my girls to sit on the porch outside in the sunshine while I read my note to Clay.
It was so peaceful.
Now we have those memories and thoughts captured forever. That’s priceless! I was so thankful that you had us do that.

Having been through the wedding process as a whole, if you could give a piece of advice to future couples out there getting married and going through what you did?

Don’t try to plan a wedding during a national pandemic!
Just kidding.
The best I can say is remind yourself why you’re doing this every step of the way. Whether you’re having a big or small wedding, things will get stressful.
But when you remember that you’re bringing your closest friends and family together to celebrate your love for each other, suddenly the tablecloths you ordered in the wrong color or whether your appetizers will be passed or plated doesn’t matter quite so much.
on having a fun time with your loved ones and the rest will fall into place. Also, get the videographer!!!!

Finally, before we wrap up here Lauren, I wanted to ask about weddings in general and if you had a piece of advice for all the wedding vendors out there, what would you give people like me?

Oh gosh, I’m not sure that I have advice for you specifically.
If I had advice for vendors in general, it would be to be understanding and responsive with your clients.
Your energy really made our experience.
And you emailed with us back and forth so quickly and willingly. A lot more goes into the wedding than just what happens on the day-of.
When I think back to all of our vendors, the ones who were easy to work within the weeks, and even months, leading up to the wedding really stand out to me.
The wedding planning experience can be hectic and chaotic and stressful at times.
So the more you as vendors can do to make the bride and groom’s experience just a little bit easier, I think that goes a long way.

Lauren & Clay Client Success Story