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vendor reviews: videographers |
Natural family talent and years of video experience are the driving forces at Anchor Reviewing Doug & Judy Croden, Owners & Videographers and Teresa Davies, Videographer, Anchor Video Productions
Being able to relive your wedding day through photographs is one thing, but being able to watch it over and over again - from hearing you and your husband repeat your vows to sharing your first dance- is another. With twenty-one years of videography experience and use of the latest in Blu-ray and HD technology, Doug and Judy Croden, Owners of Anchor Video Productions, are committed to providing couples with high quality wedding videos for eternal memories.
From basic to ultimate, Anchor offers packages that capture your wedding day from the bride and groom getting ready, to the ceremony and reception, with options of wedding highlights, love walks and montages to be shown at the reception; they can even include honeymoon pictures to finish off the video. Discs come with music, titles and most are polished off with special effects, menus and chapter breaks. With a repertoire of videotaping nearly 1,000 weddings, on top of local corporate clients and even a London based TV show, it's no wonder that brides love Anchor Video Productions; in fact, most of Doug's business comes from referrals from past brides. We met with Doug and his daughter Teresa (Croden) Davies (who walks in her father's footsteps) at their home office. Let us explain...
Personally speaking... When video was introduced in the mid to late 80s Doug was working part-time as a photographer. He was drawn to video and switched from photography to videography as his part-time business. Business picked up over a six year period and Doug realized one of his jobs had to go; since videography was his passion he gave up his position as a mobile lift truck mechanic in 1994 and put all of his heart and soul into Anchor Video Productions.
Doug is the Owner, main Videographer and Editor at Anchor and is self taught by enhancing the technical basics he learned as a photographer with what he describes as "a 'natural gift' for creativity and a flair for editing." Doug continually upgrades his skills through seminars and online lessons in order to stay on top of new software and techniques.
His twenty-one years as a videographer, plus his previous experience in photography, means Doug has been involved in the wedding industry for thirty-three years so he and his team can often help wherever they can in addition to shooting the video. "We have given advice in wedding planning, helped dress the bride and groom, chauffeured bridal parties, calmed nerves and helped keep things light during tense moments," explains Doug. They've even helped line up processionals and iron flower girl dresses!
"We have developed a strong rapport with other professionals in the industry - photographers, DJs, chauffeurs, florists, caterers and decorators. We work with them - not against them. Ask around - we do come highly recommended," Anchor says on their website.
Anchor has been in business since 1988 with other impressive feats in their repertoire, including their ten years of work with the Sisters of Penelope (from the Greek Orthodox Community) videotaping their annual fundraising fashion show. Doug is also one of the producers of a weekly television show called 'Life & Faith', which airs on London's "A" TV every Sunday (in its twenty-first season, it's "A" TV's longest running, independently produced television show).
Judy, Doug's wife, is also an Owner, a secondary camera person and in charge of sales and promotions with sixteen years of experience.
Doug's natural gift has been passed on to his daughter, Teresa, who "is a principle with the wedding division, with both her shooting and editing talents shining in this area." She is also the Office Manager with ten years of experience.
Why choose Anchor? They've lost count of how many weddings they have been a part of, but Doug says they're sure it's close to 1,000, and still, after so many the enjoyment and fulfillment Doug finds in producing top notch videos for brides and grooms is what he says helps keep him inspired. "Who wouldn't enjoy being an integral part of one of the most important days in peoples' lives? And then taking the events of that day and producing a high-end, quality video that will help them relive the day and keep the memories alive," says Doug.
Doug says he thinks brides choose Anchor "primarily due to referrals from people they trust and the good reputation that I believe we've earned." Anchor also believes that "every wedding is important, large or small, and we show people that when we meet them for the first time," Doug told us. "I think we are well known for producing wedding videos that people truly love to watch and are proud to show. We are known for being reliable, and delivering what we sell."
Anchor's three biggest selling points, says Doug, are their commitment to providing their clients with a quality product, offering great service, as well as their decades of video and general wedding-related experience. Together, these elements combine to produce success for Anchor. "We're always up to date and using the latest in technology... we see each couple as a new adventure and commit to giving them the best that we can to create a video that will be uniquely theirs... and we care about the success of the whole wedding day, not just the video," says Doug.
Rhonda Buchner say she and her husband, Brandon, loved that Anchor offered High Definition video coverage for their June 14, 2008 wedding. "That, and their special effects," explained Rhonda. "We also liked the video recap option. It's nice to be able to show people our entire wedding day in less than ten minutes when they don't have time to watch the entire three hour video." Overall, Rhonda says their experience with Doug and Teresa was amazing. "They were very flexible... very friendly and easy to talk to about what we wanted... When Brandon was deployed over to Afghanistan a few months after we got married, Doug and Teresa worked so hard to have our video done so that my husband and I would have time to enjoy it together before he left.... They went over and above our expectations and we will forever recommend them."
Newlyweds, Vic and Michelle, told The Ring that they really enjoyed working with Doug and Judy on their August 23, 2008 wedding day. "They were extremely professional but not uptight. They were very helpful and accommodating. On the day of the wedding they were very relaxed... We could hardly tell that they were there." Vic and Michelle told The Ring that they knew Doug and Judy would take care of everything for them and "create an amazing wedding video, which they did."
Since each couple is different, Anchor doesn't shy away from taking your suggestions for making a unique video. "We've shot couples from ages twenty to eighty and also all sizes of weddings from ten people in the Caribbean to 600 at a large reception hall," says Doug. "We have also worked with many different cultures, religions and nationalities learning many beautiful wedding traditions."
Anchor's packages are all shot digitally using wireless mics for premium sound production. The Basic package for $1600 includes two DVDs with music and titles, two cameras at the ceremony with one operator and one camera at the photo shoot and reception locations. This package is not available on Saturdays from June to October. It offers their services until 9:30 pm, and $150 per hour thereafter.
The Deluxe package offers one camera at the bride's house pre-ceremony, two cameras at the ceremony (with an operator for each), one camera at the photo shoot location and two cameras at the reception for $1900. It comes with three DVDs complete with special effects, music and titles and menus with custom chapter breaks.
Anchor's most
popular package is the
Ultimate-HD,
which Doug says "covers the most in terms of quantity of footage as
well as providing entertainment." The package includes the same
coverage as the Deluxe package, plus your
The following options are also available a la carte: Photo montage up to forty pictures ($200), additional pictures for montage at $4 each, recap of wedding day highlights ($250), honeymoon photos at the end of the video ($125), love walk ($200), projection service ($250), groom's house coverage ($200), DVD set copy ($40), Blu-ray disc set ($50), Blu-Ray Authoring ($250).
"I believe that the bride who wants both experience and high quality is our target bride," says Doug. "She will also appreciate that a wedding video is an investment providing a life time of happy family memories for when the wedding day is over... and not just an expense."
Vic and
Michelle chose full day video coverage for their
wedding. "It started with the bride getting ready and followed all
the way through to the reception... They had a package that included
everything we were looking for and the price fell within our budget.
The prices were a little higher than some of the other companies
that we looked at but the quality of their work was not even
comparable to Anchor's." Michelle says they could have spent less
money, "but I know that we would not have been as pleased with any
other work as we are with the video we received from Anchor Video." Walking you through it... Brides can call Anchor to book an appointment with Doug, Judy or Teresa. They recommend booking their services six months to a year before your wedding. Before the big day, you'll discuss all the options and details. Then, they will attend your wedding rehearsal when possible, or contact the church or venue in advance to be aware of their policies. This also allows them to select the best positions for their cameras beforehand.
Anchor has two teams who shoot weddings so, depending on whether or not your wedding is a first or second booking for the day and on what package you have booked, your team will consist of a seasoned main videographer plus either Judy, Teresa or one of our other freelance camera people. Anchor says that brides will know in advance who will be present on their wedding day and will meet them at the rehearsal, if not before. "All our main camera people are well experienced having shot weddings with us for at least ten years," Judy told us.
Vic and Michelle explained that that part of what made them feel confident in Anchor was that the people they met with would be the people that would shoot their wedding day. "We had met with other videographers and we did a lot of price comparison and research before choosing. We were happy to know that when we met with Doug and Judy, they would be the ones who would be on site that day. With other companies we met with a representative but they could not guarantee that they would be the one shooting our wedding... We just weren't comfortable having a complete stranger capture some of the most intimate moments of our lives. Doug and Judy were very nice and sociable, we felt very confident and comfortable with them."
Making Anchor your own Contact Doug or Judy Croden, or Teresa (Croden) Davies at Anchor Video Productions by phoning 519-685-8982 or emailing doug@anchorvideo.com. You can also check out clips from weddings they have done video for on their website at www.anchorvideo.com.
- Staff @ TheWeddingRing.ca * Prices are all approximate and are subject to change and verification by authorized staff and management of Anchor Video Productions. |
Packages&prices
