Just as so many couples who originally planned an entire wedding to take place in 2020, Russell and Alisa had a long and harrowing journey to hold a wedding reception event at The Pearl in San Francisco.
Drone shot of the San Francisco Skyline from the Dogpatch District, next to The Pearl.
It was indeed, only a wedding reception, because they were able to have a Jewish ceremony in 2021 as a backyard microwedding, recorded on an iPhone by an uncle. Fortunately I was able to use this footage in the final edit of the highlight film to complete the story! As a wedding videographer, post-pandemic edits have involved quite a bit of shaky iPhone footage, and I’ve actually enjoyed figuring out ways to integrate that footage.
I’ve shot at the Pearl numerous times and the 3 story building is always gorgeous. The rooftop is the perfect place for ceremonies and cocktail hours, and a great place to do your family photo sessions.
The 2 creative edits I made, a wedding trailer video and a full highlight film, were some of the most fun edits I’ve had the pleasure of working on. Their personality, as well as the city scape of San Francisco, graffiti covered pink/red walls, and the general vibe of the day was easy for me to pin my finger on for music choices. I was able to make a spunky, bouncy, fun edit to some cool indie rock tracks and loved how it all turned out.
It was also great working with their amazing photographer, Ryan Chard Smith who has an avant-garde style and great vision. Many photographers would shy away from shooting in a dingy ally behind a hotel, but Ryan and I both agreed it was a perfect spot for a first look, and the proof is in the pudding.
If you’re curious, you can also look back to one of the first weddings we shot at The Pearl, a beautiful same-sex wedding back in 2018:
If you’re looking for a wedding videographer for your wedding, whether it’s in San Francisco, the Greater Bay Area, Napa Wine Country, Sacramento, or Tahoe, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us for availability! We’d love to hear from you.