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Wedding Style – Joya and Emre and their Wedding Music Video!

May 6, 2011 | editorial team

Joya and Emre's colorful wedding at Terrenea Resort with a wedding music video by David Robin Films, event by Amber Events, photos by Callaway Gable Photography

 

The Couple: Joya and Emre

The Wedding: 3.26.11 – Terranea Resort, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

What three adjectives that best describe your wedding? Unique, fun and heartfelt.

The feelings expressed on our wedding day, not only between Emre and myself but also from our friends and family, were all so incredibly warm and sincere. We really tried to personalize each aspect of our day and to think out of the box when it came to entertaining our guests. We wanted to create a vibrant but inviting atmosphere for everyone and in return we felt surrounded by a lifetime of love and friendship that we will cherish always!

What inspired your personal wedding style, and how did you incorporate your style and personalities into your big day? We are big architecture and design aficionados, and have a particular fondness for the Art Nouveau and Craftsman movements. I also have a love for vintage styles, especially when it comes to clothing, music and dance. When we first got engaged, we knew that Terranea was the place for us as it not only had a gorgeous location on the ocean but it conveyed a true old – and grand – California feel.

I started incorporating our style by designing our Save-the-Date postcard, in which I chose my favorite Arts and Crafts font and used a scan from a real 1920s postcard back. Emre and I both work at NBC, and I wanted to incorporate a peacock into our invitation suite, but also wanted to use the same font and style of our save-the-date postcards. I found the exact design I was looking for on Etsy, and hired Mali Chi from Hello & Co. on the spot. I worked closely with Mali on all the stationery designs, to stay faithful to our motifs and color palette. As both of our families live far away (mine in Canada, and Emres from the East Coast and Turkey), and we ourselves have lived in various cities around the world, we decided to continue the postcard theme with our escort cards. We bought almost 50 different vintage postcards on eBay and named all of our reception tables after cities we lived in, or that held a special meaning for us (such as Vancouver, where we got engaged during the 2010 Winter Olympics). We wrote personal stories for each of the cities and addressed them to each guest, and made sure each table had an assortment of different postcards so they could compare and share. We set them out in old wooden card catalogs set amongst a vignette of vintage decor that included an Art Deco velvet green fainting couch, old lamps and used books.

We also added smaller rustic touches to the day, like weathered signs and antique frames, our initials handcarved in wood and a custom ringbearer book stack. This love of vintage style was also reflected in our music choices: we had a swing quintet play 1920s and 30s music for our cocktail hour and part of our reception, I surprised Emre by singing a special song, Youre A Heavenly Thing,  just for him, and then a DJ capped off the night with modern fare.

Joya and Emre's colorful wedding at Terrenea Resort with a wedding music video by David Robin Films, event by Amber Events, photos by Callaway Gable Photography

Tell us all about your wedding music video! Initially we wanted to do a concept video that we planned to show at our reception but our ideas required a lot of resources and time, neither of which we had in the final months leading up to our wedding. So we brainstormed with our videographer David Robin and the idea of a music video shot on our wedding day came up.

The bar for participation would be low since we just needed people to lip-synch a few lyrics and/or dance to to the song. We knew our friends and family would love the idea, and it would a great gift to give back to them as a unique memory of our day. We had very specific criteria for choosing the music: 1. Big song with lots of energy, and a fun and easy chorus, 2. Singing parts for girls and guys, 3. Relevant lyrics fitting with a wedding, and not R-rated, and, 4. Timeless song that won’t be dated when we watch this 10 years from now. The Time (Dirty Bit) by The Black Eyed Peas met all these conditions, in addition to being a newly released song and one we didnt tire of listening to again and again.

We divided up the lyrics amongst our bridal party, family and friends so they were manageable, we hired a choreographer to teach us some simple moves that our bridal party could perform at our reception, and we informed all our guests beforehand about the plan to film on the day. We shot all day leading up to the wedding, immediately after the ceremony (in fact, we recreated our recessional so we could lip-synch to the song!), and all throughout the reception. We assigned all the spoken word dirty bits to those individuals who would be the unlikeliest of stars: JP Reynolds (our officiant), John Reynolds (our hot jazz guitarist and friend), Emres father Ziya, and finally my father Gordon (who filmed his part at a urinal!).

We couldnt have been more thrilled with the outcome thanks to David Robin and his team, and the 100% support we got from our wedding coordinator Amber Gustafson and the staff at Terranea Resort.

Joya and Emre's colorful wedding at Terrenea Resort with a wedding music video by David Robin Films, event by Amber Events, photos by Callaway Gable Photography

Looking back, what are the moments, decisions or memories that you love the most about your wedding? Finding our wedding coordinator (Amber Gustafson of Amber Events) was the first best decision we could have made! We are both extremely busy with our careers, and having someone to guide us — especially someone whose taste so beautifully mirrored our own — made the entire year of planning a joy and devoid of stress (well, 95% of it hehe).

Choosing to have our wedding at Terranea really set the tone for day, in terms of look and feel. We had great memories of staying there before our engagement, and always thought it would be our perfect venue.

Taking the time to choose a photographer who gets us, and whose style compliments our own. We began working with Callaway Gable Photography last summer on our engagement session and that really put us at ease come our wedding day. They are so detail-oriented and were so much in-tune with our vision for the day. Looking at our photos now we couldnt have asked for a more perfect portrayal of who we are and what the day meant for us, our family, and our friends.

Doing a first look before our ceremony took so much stress out of the day for us, and really let us relax that much more and spend time with our guests.

Deciding to shoot the music video was one of the best decisions we could have made. We knew how ambitious the project was (and how much our coordinator would have to go the extra mile to accommodate it) but we were determined to make it work, and have fun doing it – and we did! Once our friends and family saw the completed video, it truly became the most talked-about highlight of our day!

 

What was your wedding color palette? Apple Green and Pumpkin Orange. Green is my favorite color (and the color of my eyes) and orange is Emres favorite color. They also worked perfectly with our design ideas and the spring season!

Joya and Emre's colorful wedding at Terrenea Resort with a wedding music video by David Robin Films, event by Amber Events, photos by Callaway Gable Photography

A behind the scenes view from event planner Amber Gustafson of Amber Events: “After planning all of the details of their wedding day together for almost a year, Joya and Emre told me about this music video idea just a few weeks before their wedding. While they storyboarded who would lip-sync which portions of the song, I worked with the videographers and photographers to lay-out a timeline that would not only allow everyone to get what they needed for the wedding day itself, but also this music video. We were producing a wedding and a music video all in the same day. No pressure, right?!

Joya and Emre had sent an email out to their guests ahead of time giving them the heads up, and also wrote a note in the program asking them to get up and sing to the camera after the ceremony. They did their recessional three times, actually: the first one was their official “we’re married!” walk down the aisle, and the second two were directed by David Robin, the videographer.

Potential inclement weather on the wedding day put yet another stress factor on the 7 cameramen, 4 photographers, and 4 wedding coordinators orchestrating this, but with team work we all made it happen. We think it was worth it!”

 

The Wedding Team:

Photographer: Callaway Gable Photography
Event Planner: Amber Events 
Film Maker: David Robin Films
Ceremony and Reception Venue: Terranea Resort
Officiant: JP Reynolds 
Invitation Designer: Invitation Suite, Menus, Program – Hello & Co., Save-the-Date Postcard – Bride
Catering: Terranea Resort
Florist: Hollyflora 
Cake: Vanilla Bake Shop 
Wedding dress: R-Mine 
Bridal accessories: Shoes – Nina, Organza Hairpiece – Jennifer Behr 
Bridesmaids apparel: J.Crew
Groom and groomsmen apparel and accessories: Suits – Jos. A. Bank, Lego Cufflinks – Retro Classy Cufflinks on Etsy 
Hair and make-up: Bridal make-up – Jeannie Jones, Bridal Hair, Bridesmaid Hair and Make-up – Design Visage
DJ: DJ Nahchey 
Live music: Ceremony – Pat Maki Players, Reception – John Reynolds & Friends
Dance instruction: Christina Haggerty
Favors: Party Booths 
Rings: Tiffany, Pinnacle Gems
Rustic Wedding Sign: GoJumpInTheLake on Etsy 
Vintage Wood Letters: sERINasCustomShop on Etsy 
Ringbearer Book Stack: thedaintywoods on Etsy 
Wedding Card Holder Birdbox: CleggFarmCreations on Etsy

Thank you so mcuh for sharing your day and your hilarious music video with us Joya and Emre! And kudos to the whole wedding team who worked hard to bring this day to life!

To find more inspiration for your our personal wedding style, don’t miss our all new and gorgeous wedding image gallery! To plan your own Southern California or Seattle area wedding, browse our Plan Your Wedding Hotlists! And to find a dream wedding photographer for your wedding anywhere in the world, be sure to check out Junebug’s World’s Best Wedding Photographers Hotlist!

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76 Comments

  1. Seriously love the wedding and video, the pictures are incredible and the color palette is too die for.

  2. These invitations are exactly like what I’m looking for and the video made me smile. Thank you!

  3. Great wedding and I love the handpainted sign!

  4. This wedding is beautiful. I like it.

  5. It seems the wedding was incredible. Unfortunately we could not attend. We wist the best to the couple. Drs. Gulsen and Ziya; you must be proud parents with Emre

  6. caught this on huffington post-and I had to comment how Gorgeous everything was-colors,setting and of course the video.What a beautiful couple as well!

  7. Fantastic! Wish you all the best!,

  8. That looked like a blast of a wedding. Have a wonderful — and FUN — life together!

  9. SOOooooooooo beautiful! Congrats!

  10. *** beautiful ***

  11. Joya you have great talent, I hope NBC is taking good care of you.

  12. Unreal! Best wishes for Joya and Emre from Ltihuania!

  13. I caught this on Huffington Post and I’ve since seen this explode. I love it. This was an awesome job and sets the bar so high for future videos. It’s gotten me into motion to pickup some film making skills. Have a great life together Joya & Emre.

  14. Such a gorgeous idea and unique to have the whole guest list involved. I have blogged about this video and linked back to your website. You have some stunning ideas.

  15. Oh man! I love this so much! HAHAHAHA

  16. Awesome work!

  17. There really aren’t words for the creative planning and flawless execution that THIS is! I wish I had been there to photograph those wonderful moments but it actually felt like I WAS. What a beautiful couple and those “dirty bit” out takes are my favorite parts! First we had JK Wedding Dance and now I can’t tell which one I like better! If this is the direction of wedding cinema I’m on board and hope to work with some fun couples in the near future. I’ve already been working in some personal elements in engagement sessions and weddings but this is SO inspirational! BRAVO!

  18. I simply found you on the internet but  Wow! Well done! I might have avoided a white s.uit for the groom, but his tie & buttonaire  really pulled the couple look together. Good choice, and everyone really got into the video.

    Best choice of all though was probably the person(s) selected to record and produce the video. Congratulations on a job well done.

    I don’t even want to think how many other people will try to duplicate this idea themselves now, and will totally FAIL!

    Best wishes for a long joyous life, from a stranger in California.

  19. Awesome!!! Really great, looks like a fun wedding!

  20. Congratulations! You both look amazing! Thank you for letting us be part of your day! Thank you for sharing these with us! All the best, Suzanne

  21. This is the bestest, most unique, original, fun and a very happy video! The colors are indeed very colorful and this is I think one of the most Beautiful couple i’ve seen :) Congrats Joya and Emre!

  22. Hi, What software did you use for putting your video together? Thanks!

  23. Love the colors, flowers, ties, and basically everything! Plus the YouTube video is awesome!!

  24. My wife and I along with our two sons and daughters-in-law attended this fabulous wedding. The music video is truly a work of art, and will be a constant reminder of just how incredible a wedding it was. The real stars are Joya and Emre, who made all of the guests truly happy to be part of this great event. We have known Emre since he was a little boy, and he became part of our family since our two sons were of similar age. He is a special young man and we are convinced he married a remarkable young woman. Congratulations to you both!!

  25. I was fortunate enough to part of this wedding.Just like video,everything about this wedding was so magical.Emre and Joya were so happy.ROSE

  26. Kudos to you for thinking outside of the box and taking a risk to make this happen. I think the video turned out great and David and his crew did a slam up job. Congrats to you!

  27. OMGosh, this was the best, thank you so much for sharing,dirtybit!!!

  28. My friend posted this video through someone else’s link and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the creativity, song choice, and how you guys lip-synched this song throughout your beautiful wedding ceremony!! This is awesome guys; first class! Congratulations to you both. P.S. Love your gorgeous Nina shoes! Very very cute.

  29. You guys are awesome!!! Love your fun, love you styling, love your colour palatte. What a fun and memorable wedding:)

  30. Awesome video! Watched little clip from Today show. Had to see the whole thing and it was so very detailed!! Who are you guys? : )

  31. This is so great! Congratulations!

  32. I have watched your video a dozen times now, and will probably watch it another dozen times. Absolutely breathless amazing. Thank you for sharing it with us.

  33. Enjoyed every moment of that video!!! How creative,,and what a great rememberance you will have. Congrats!

  34. Hats off to the videographer for the great editing job. It’s creative and talent really shows through. Great idea, style and planning.

  35. Just saw your wedding video segment on Australian TV this morning and had to come and have a look. What an awesome video! great work!

  36. AMAZing! The colors, the energy and THE VIDEO. Love the originality and energy. What a fun way to entertain guests!

  37. I have just seen your video of your wedding, I see weddings week in and week out. Thankyou for demonstrating a fun wedding again. This video is absolutely awesome…….

  38. This is awesome!!! Love it! Feeling inspired!!!!

  39. This is the kind of video I want!! Have watched it over and over! Superb!!!

  40. Oh My How So Very Beautiful This Marvelous Wedding Is!! Princess Katie & Prince Charles Have Nothing On You. May Yahweh bless you and keep you; May Yahweh make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; May Yahweh turn his face toward you and give you peace. (Numbers 6: 24-26)! Yahweh Is Elohim (G-D)! Remember Most of All To Respect Each Other Always. Never Take Each Other For Granted. Always LOVE Is First In The Relationship! This Marriage Is A COvenant Between The Two of YOU, Never Take THat Covenant Lightly. We Are Never & Island Unto Our Selves. Think Now That All Will Be Watching And Waiting To Share Your Wonderful Joy! I Have Chosen To Be Single For 32 Years From My Divorce At Age 30 Years OLD. Now I Am 64 Years Young & I Am Still Waiting For Yeshau Ha’Mashaich (Jesus Messiah), To Give Me The Same Joy You Are Now Experiencing. It Makes My Heart So Happy & Alive To Be Able To Share Your JOY. Your Uncle George Forfa Shared This Beauty On Facebook With His Friends, Including Myself… Shalom Aleichem (Peace Upon You0 Mary Lynn (Hadassah47) 2

  41. i saw your interview on the breakfast show here in Australia so I looked the video up on line and found my way here… It all takes my breath away. May your life together burst at the seam with happiness and joy!!

  42. I love this wedding so much! For the creativity of everyone involved, what a beautiful and wonderful job you’ve done. I love the Craftsman influences, and that the colours are so meaningful to you. As a photographer, I would love to see more couples have FUN at their weddings like Joya and Emre. Sometimes people take them so seriously and aren’t able to relax. Bravo!

  43. WOW! Just wow! Love the song and the creativity behind this! Best of luck for the couple!

  44. I only have one word: AWESOME !!!

  45. Just would like to add my thoughts……….very well done……..really enjoyed it and even thought about redoing my wedding as it will be mine and my husbands 10 year anniversary this year……… Congratulations and enjoy the rest of your lives together………….!!

  46. I’ve been a pro wedding photographer for over 30 years – and I can honestly say its the first wedding video I’ve ever seen that I would want to watch more than once. Phenominal!

  47. Best. Wedding Video. Ever. Plus gorgeous couple, venue, dress, and details. Fabulous day!!!

  48. love that video! so fun!

  49. I don give comments on videos normally, but i must say, this is AWESOME ! Well done people ! This is the best wedding video i had ever viewed ! Keep it up!

  50. Great video!, totally a great package, senti+romance+comedy.. Thumbs up!!!

  51. Nossa!! Que lindo… Tudo tão diferente e criativo. Casei há mais de dois anos… Mas, se ainda não tivesse me casado não ía resistir… Ia tentar imitar o que vocês fizeram! Deus abençoe a união de vocês. Que seja pra sempre… Beijos

  52. wow ! i love the video great work! its a lot of people but is very well coordinated ! seriously feel really proud of your great work! i love this video! you guys rock!

  53. Marvelous …. Best regards

  54. Love the wedding video. One of the most unique. I seriously want to watch it over and over!

  55. Amazing … absolutely amazing … Congratulations for this amazing job!

  56. WOW…WOW…WOW !!! YOU BOTH LOOKED BEAUTIFUL AND THE RECEPTION !! WOW ! NEXT YEAR, PLEASE RE-NEW YOUR VOWS AND I WANT TO BE THERE ! HAPPEN TO CATCH YOU ALL ON TV LAST NIGHT AND THEN, FOUND..” THE TIME OF MY LIFE ” …JUST WOW AGAIN…. BEST….

  57. Found the site through Youtube. Wow, the concept was really amazing.

  58. Solamente BRAVO

  59. Congrats, and by the way awesome video. We added your video to our site! ViralWeddingVideos.com.

  60. It really is a beautifully done piece – congrats to all involved! At the same time, I can’t help but think a HUGE contribution to its success is the piece of music used. Which confuses me a bit. I’ve studied the issues of licensing music for uses like this, and I know that it’s extremely difficult, usually impossible to get all the various legal entities involved to even negotiate the licenses needed to do a wedding video like this – much less come to an agreement you can afford. Could you share just a little bit about how you were able to obtain the rights to use such a new and popular song from such a major artist? Thanks! Paul

  61. one of the best wedding and the video I ve ever seen . I wish Best of luck for the couple!

  62. I’m so loving this video!!! I found it online at Pinterest. I’ve already watched it a dozen times & more to come. What a hit this will be to play at your 50 year Anniversary! :)

  63. I love your wedding video. It’s the best I’ve seen! :)

  64. Very cool video I saw it long before I found it at the site. Coolest thing ever!

  65. I love the slightly vintage look of her wedding dress especially in the picture with the parasol! Everyone looked so happy in the wedding video, and the wedding photography looks fantastic as well (once again with that awesome touch of vintage!).

  66. That has to be the most adorable wedding video I have EVER seen. The fact that they were able to coordinate the shots during the wedding is incredible to me. What an absolutely priceless memory!!!

  67. Fabulous video and photographs!! I love all the things here. the colorful flowers, things on table and all are looking so attractive.

  68. The best WEDDING, colors, photos,……and VIDEO EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Awsome work. Wishing you a bissful marriage. Congrates

  69. wow what a beautifully perfect wedding congratulations and all the best of luck

  70. What a lovely wedding. Congratulations

  71. This video was a really incredible production thank to the videographer and this couples initiative to have all their family and friends sang and danced their hearts out for them.

    I’m sure Joya & Emre appreciates the out pouring of love that this video represent to them and their special day!

  72. Hi.

    I saw this vidieo ina Mexican Web page, then in youtube and now i´m here eyoing the post. Very nice wedding and an excelent site. I would like to find those kind of coples in México in order to do something like thaht.

    with gratulations.

  73. What a beautiful wedding, love the color combination . Would have loved to see a photo booth.

  74. I love to watch weddings a lot. Wedding is the bridge of live journey of two souls. Thank you for this blog. By the way a wonderful video.

  75. Found the site through Youtube. Wow, the concept was really amazing.

  76. We are glad to see this wedding video.

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