Press Rewind

Photo & Motion

Two brides share why they hired a videographer

By Emily Pack

Courtney Whaley knew she wanted a videographer and a photographer to capture precious moments during her wedding in September 2020. She wanted to hire a videographer who would notice all the small details as they happened. She says she loved seeing the Snapchat videos her friends took at the wedding, but she will forever hold onto the professional video created by Thomas Whited of

Thomas Blake Films, who she met at a Forever & Company Wedding Show in Raleigh.

“From our very first conversation, everything just seemed so genuine,” Courtney says. “Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect video,” she says of the final product. “From the voice-overs to capturing all of the emotion to the pivotal moments in the day – toasts, speeches, celebration – everything was pure magic!”

Older family members who were not able to attend due to risks from COVID-19 were able to experience and relive the special day through the wedding video. One of Courtney’s favorite parts of the video is an aerial view of her dad walking her down the aisle. “I am a daddy’s girl and have always hoped and dreamed my daddy would still be alive to give me away,” she says. “That clip will always be so special to me, and it shows just how much thought [Thomas] put into creating the video.”

Kathryn Zoutewelle reflected on how Thomas caught every special scene throughout her and Shep Zoutewelle’s wedding

Groom Shep Zoutewelle sheds a tear at the sight of his bride,

Kathryn Thacker, at their wedding on Nov. 21, 2020. Photo by Brett Seay Photography in November 2020, some of which she was not able to witness herself. From when Shep’s twin brother, J.P. Zoutewelle, helped Shep put on his tuxedo to seeing Shep cry when she walked down the aisle. Thomas also captured some of the smaller parts of Kathryn and Shep’s big day that proved to have a lot of meaning to the couple: As Kathryn and Shep sat on the back of a pickup truck and drove away from a crowd of family and friends waving sparklers in the air, Kathryn yelled “bye” to everyone and says that “it truly captured all of the giddiness, craziness and lovely chaos I was feeling!”