Last month, Bushnell, the leading manufacturer of rangefinders in golf, invited us to film a special project for them. Over the course of two days, players from National University Golf Academy set out in a 2-round study to determine whether or not rangefinders improve the speed of play amongst golfers on the course. Golfers were tasked with having no rangefinders the first round and then using the Bushnell Laser V3 Rangefinders during the second round. Speed of play was officially recorded and the results were pretty impressive. If you follow us on Facebook, you likely saw a couple photos along the way (we put one of our favorites below) as we filmed the ins and outs of their rounds with and without rangefinders. What was the result of the study??? Well, guess you’ll have to press play below to find out…

                           Ben filming an approach shot as the sun begins to drop on the horizon

One question that naturally pops up with our couples when the conversation gets rolling is, “How did you guys meet one another?”. We can say with certainty that though we have met with hundreds of couples, this was the first time that the answer was, “Kindergarten”.

Obviously, there wasn’t a 20+ year courtship in the romantic sense, but the fact that these two weaved in and out of one another’s lives over the course of a lifetime and came back together speaks volumes for their relationship and the concept of a soulmate. The longer we do this and the more stories we share, the more often we find that when couples let fate take over, what is meant to be will be. Such a boring and tired cliché, but seriously….the strongest stories and relationships that we have seen are always forged through years and one hell of a journey. Phuong and Vu are no exception.

Icing on the cake for this story was the element of the Vietnamese culture that was infused into the morning festivities. From a Buddhist wedding ceremony to the door games that are always fun, this wedding had a little spice of everything…even hand written vows for the American ceremony in the afternoon. Oh, and huge shout out to the bridesmaids for locking down the Facetime connection so Phuong could see the madness that ensued in her driveway as Vu fought to see his bride 🙂

Enjoy…

This is part II of a two-part series. If you didn’t have a chance to check out part I, be sure to take  a peek at the post by clicking HERE. Part II of this project took us to Culver City last weekend for the the “Cirque de los Muertos” themed party hosted by Herbalife. Again, a HUGEtastic shout out to Alex from Sterling Engagements who makes these parties possible. It literally takes an ARMY to put these events together and the fact that she managed to pull off two of these parties in back to back weekends astounds us. For this edit, we stuck to the theme and found an interesting remix to a piece of music that we love. Hope you enjoy the imagery!

Also, a huge shout out to our buddy Geoff Brouillette for helping to collaborate on this shoot with us. Couldn’t have done it without you and we certainly appreciate your help.

For those who follow the Fray, you’ll recall we did a shoot like this for Herbalife last year in Long Beach. This year, we took a trip with the Alex from Sterling Engagements out to Las Vegas for a party to top all parties. This year’s theme included acrobatic elements mixed in with a sensual flare that you’ll see further into the cut. If you check the title, you might see that this is a 2 part series. Shortly, we will be filming “Cirque De La Muertos”, another Herbalife party that will play off the popular Latino theme of the Day of the Dead. Be sure to check back soon as that edit will be up once we have it ready!

                              A quick capture of the room before the party got started.

                         The ice sculptures are always incredible attention grabbers

We LOVE Lauren and Paddy because they are willing to be themselves at all times, no matter the situation. So when Paddy decided to quote Homer’s Poem about Ithaca and Odysseus….EVERYONE including Lauren (watch her face BTW) groaned at the reception. . . and what we love is not the fact that everyone groaned, but the fact that Paddy just continued on with his toast as if the groans fell on deaf ears. We LOVE that. Moral of the story??? Be yourself, always….and people will respect you for that…even if you start reciting verses from books and poems we were all forced to read in high school. Paddy never missed a stride in his step and that says a lot about who he is as a man and the husband he will make for Lauren.

These two are always themselves and it shined through from preps to the party at the reception. As Paddy recited the poem about Ithaca, we saw so many correlations from their day and as you watch this, pay close attention as you’ll likely find plenty of symbolism between the shots that are inserted and what Paddy is saying. We attributed Ithaca to being like the wedding day originally, but as the wedding day draws closer, Ithaca becomes the love that Paddy and Lauren share. Ultimately, Ithaca transforms into a marriage and as time goes along, Ithaca will become a date that Lauren and Patrick set out for long into the future. That date is 2063. So often in life, we get caught up in the destination without pausing to reflect on how important the experiences we gain along the way truly become. For Lauren and Paddy, we are confident that they take those moments to pause and reflect and realize that their journey is just beginning. The wedding day is just the first step in the long road home to Ithaca.

Upon closing his toast to his new bride, Paddy made mention of their goal to get to 2063, 50 years of marriage. We have been privileged to film many weddings over the years and share in the biggest day of many couples’ lives. We can say without a doubt that Lauren and Paddy should have set their sights far beyond 2063 because if anyone is asking our opinion, their marriage has 50 years, and then some written all over it.

A very special thank you to Jeannie Savage from Details Details for introducing us to Lauren and Patrick. Always great to work with the wonderful ladies of the Details Details team! Also a big shout out to Caroline Tran, our newest photographer friend! Pleasure to shoot along side you, Caroline!