5 Mindfulness Practices to Ensure You're Fully Present on Your Wedding Day

Your wedding day is not just an event; it's a tapestry of moments and emotions meant to be experienced fully, not just lived through. As someone who has been filming weddings and elopements for over a decade, I've had the privilege of witnessing countless couples navigate their special day. Those who are truly present stand out. Their joy is palpable, their connections deeper, and their memories more vivid. My hope and goal for every couple is that they can intentionally curate a day that keeps them in the present moment, engaging all their senses, and allows them to lay aside all worries and concerns, embracing every moment of their beautiful celebration of love.

Here are five mindfulness practices to help ensure you're fully present and joyfully connected on your wedding day:

1. Start Mindfully

The tone for your day is set the moment you wake up. Carve out 15-20 minutes before the flurry of the day begins for practices that ground you and bring your mind into a state of calm alertness. Meditation, deep breathing, or a gentle yoga session can center your thoughts and emotions. Engaging all your senses from the start encourages a mindset of awareness and appreciation for all the beautiful intricacies of the day to come.

2. Engage All Your Senses

The beauty of your wedding day lies in the details—the light fragrance of your bouquet, the intricate flavors of your meal, the texture of your dress or suit, the visual beauty of your surroundings, and the sounds of your environment filling the air. Actively use all five senses. Whether it's feeling the warmth of the sun or the cool drops of rain, tasting and savoring the carefully chosen menu, or listening intently to the timbre of your partner's vows, let these sensory experiences anchor you in the now. Soak in and cherish every little detail.

3. Cultivate Gratitude

Take moments throughout your day to reflect on the journey that has brought you here. Think of the people who have supported you, those who are celebrating with you, and those who could not be with you but are there in spirit. A gratitude practice enhances your emotional connection to the day, shifting focus from the superficial to the substantial, and enriching your wedding with deeper significance.

4. Embrace the Unexpected

As you step into the celebration, let go of lingering expectations and embrace the day as it unfolds. The perfection of your wedding isn't found in flawless execution but in the genuine moments of connection and love. Your focus should reside with the person you are committing to forever and the people who have gathered to celebrate with you—live in those interactions, not in the logistics. Whether it’s unexpected rainfall, or a blemish on a dress, acknowledge your feelings about what’s happened, recognize it’s out of your control, and shift your focus from frustration to finding peace with the situation. Also, you can lean on your support system, which may include your partner, family, and wedding team, to ask for help or emotional support to navigate through these surprises.

5. Take Time for Yourself

In the whirl of activities—from photos to socializing—it's vital to steal a few moments for yourself and your partner. Take time during your portrait session or right after your ceremony to just be together, to soak in the realization of your marriage. These moments of solitude are precious, allowing you both to connect deeply and reflect on your commitment before stepping back into the celebration. At some point in most portrait sessions with just the couple, I try to encourage the couple to take a minute to themselves, no direction, no prompts. Not only does this give the couple permission to slow down and absorb the essence of the moment, but it also yields some really sweet, genuine moments for video and photo.

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Integrating these mindfulness practices into your wedding day doesn't just ensure that you're present; it elevates the day from a series of events to a deeply felt experience. As someone who captures these moments for a living, I can attest to the tangible difference mindfulness makes. It's seen in the way couples interact, in the depth of their smiles, and in the warmth of their embraces. Your wedding day is a once-in-a-lifetime experience—embrace it, savor it, and be truly present for it. It will produce a heightened appreciation for the day, as well as a deepened emotional connection enriched with lasting memories of joy and love.

My top 4 most asked questions as a wedding videographer

My top 4 most asked questions as a wedding videographer

By numerous highly successful people, I've heard that it's probably worth making a resource with that information at the ready if you get asked the same question multiple times. I'm hoping I can help prospective couples get their questions answered before they even ask them. These are in no particular order of importance, just the order that they came to me.

These answers are as of June 2021; if anything changes, I will do my best to update the answers.

1. How do you partner with photographers to make the day go smoothly?

For me, making this a good experience for everyone involved starts way before the wedding day. I usually try to connect with a new photographer to get a feeling for their vibe and style and eventually discuss specifics of the day. More than anything, I want them to know that it’s not like there is a photographer team and videographer team. We are somehow pitted against each other to get the best shots or coverage, but we are actually on the same team with the shared goal of making the day as fun and effortless as possible for the bride & groom. Even if we don’t see perfectly eye to eye stylistically or aesthetically, I try to find where our styles and artistic desires overlap and focus on those things during shooting to make sure we use the couple’s time wisely throughout the day. At the end of many weddings, I’ve often heard one of the best compliments I could get, which is a Bride asking, “So how long have you and the photographer been shooting together?” to which I usually sheepishly respond, “Well, technically, just today.”

2. What will I receive once all is said and done?

Whether you book me for one hour or twelve, every wedding I film will at the very least receive two separate online deliverables. The first being the short cinematic wedding film that varies in length depending on the coverage and events of the day. Our home page shows some great examples of this ranging from two-person elopements to larger wedding celebrations. The second deliverable is a longer format raw footage edit that includes all the watchable footage from the day with natural audio and minimal color correction. This also includes the full real-time ceremony with audio and full speeches and toasts if they happen. Of course, I also have add-ons such as an Instagram film or a rehearsal dinner film, but at the very least, every wedding day package will include the cinematic wedding film and the raw footage edit.

3. What audio do you capture throughout the day, and how will it be incorporated Into the film?

With the advent of shorter highlight films and even some that don’t feature any audio from the day, people often wonder what they will actually hear in the final products. I almost always capture the entirety of the ceremony audio and toasts with a combination of lapel mics and audio recorders. If there is some particular audio byte that fits perfectly into the film or supports the story and vibe of the film, I will often utilize it in the short film, but I have even had a handful of purely music-driven films. I try not to force audio from the day if it doesn’t seem to fit. At the very least, the entirety of the audio ceremony and toast audio is usually featured in the footage edit so that you can hear all those moments in their entirety.

4. How does the music selection process usually go?

This may be my most asked question, so I almost have a memorized answer for it. I always say you can be as involved or uninvolved as you like. I pride myself on being very skilled at choosing the right music to accompany the film, but if a bride or groom wants to have a say, I am more than happy to oblige. Although I can’t use popular music, I am always more than happy to have some songs to reference, or even some descriptive words such as moody and ethereal, possibly for Big Sur elopement or bright and airy for a Napa wine country wedding. My big thing is that I receive this input before the wedding day so I can best serve the couple, keeping these notes in mind if they do want to be involved in that process.

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Josh Harney Productions Custom LUT (2020 Update)

We are happy to present an updated 2020 custom LUT created by Josh and used as a stylistic starting point for color correction in almost every Josh Harney Productions wedding film.

A LUT or "Lookup Table" is a great way to expedite the color grading process after shooting in a LOG format. Although it may be necessary to do some tweaking for each clip or environment, it's a great way to unify your film through color. 

The downloadable file found at Joshharney.com/store/lut is in a .cube format that can be used in all major editing software such as Final Cut Pro X, Adobe Premiere, and DaVinci Resolve.

LUT Download, Download LUTS, Luts for Premiere, Luts for FCPX

A Creative/Wedding Professional’s Guide to Surviving The Virus That Must Not Be Named 😷 | aka 7 things that are keeping me sane as of late

I’m no doctor, therapist, or self-help guru, but I do know what has helped me personally keep a level head these past few weeks and strengthen my physical, and emotional well-being. Below are just a few bits of info that I wanted to pass along, and hopefully at least one of these can help you as well during these strange, and trying times. Godspeed!

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1. Stick To A Schedule And Create Routines 📅

For most people, including myself, we are more effective, purposeful, happy, and healthy when we have more structure and routine in our lives. Now is a perfect time to re-enforce some stability when things may seem so chaotic and unstable.

What this looks like for me:

Sticking to a normal work/sleep schedule (even though I don’t have to), walking the dogs before and after work at similar times, playing a game with my wife before going to bed.

2. Practice Gratitude 🙏

It’s so easy to think about all of the things we’ve lost, are losing, or may not have in the future right now, but the truth is, for most Americans, we still have a ton to be grateful for. Personally, thinking about what I’m thankful for snaps me right out of a despondent mindset.

What this looks like for me:

Writing down three things I’m thankful for every morning. Yesterday It was our three sweet dogs, clean running water, and popcorn! Idea Inspired by Jeff Manion’s devotion found here: https://www.adabible.org/resources/november-25-26-2017-power-thankful-heart/

3. Don’t Watch So Much News 📰

It’s really easy to get updates on what’s going on through YouTube, news websites, and watch live coverage of what’s going on in the world and locally, but for me it is usually paired with a little extra dose of paranoia, fear, and panic. Personally, I prefer to get informed through more fact-driven, objective sites such as cdc.gov (Center For Disease Control) and who.int (World Health Organization). Also, I’d limit yourself to checking only twice a day, maybe once in the morning and once at night.

What this looks like for me:

Here are the two main homepages that I frequent for the current news:

CDC: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Cases & Latest Updates and

WHO: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak

4. Research Passive Income Ideas 💵

A general definition of passive Income is “money you earn in a way that requires little to no daily effort to maintain". Although researching and starting a passive income stream might not bring in much initially, it’s a great idea to set something into place now when most of us have such a high supply of time on our hands. This will still benefit our future, and could possibly set us up to help in any lean times to come.

What this looks like for me:

Throughout the years, I’ve had the honor of filming in some of the most beautiful locations around the world, and with most of these locations I’ve been able to shoot 4k aerial drone footage for their respective wedding locations. One thing I have been doing this past week is slowly sifting through some of the best clips from my aerial footage library, and uploading them to stock footage websites that can later be purchased or licensed from other filmmakers for a fee.

5. Help Others 🤝

Sometimes when we are so caught up in our own problems (*ahem* me), the best way to get out of our own way is to reach out and help someone else. It becomes a win-win when you help someone else and get some perspective on what you are going through.

What this looks like for me:

Mainly writing this post to hopefully encourage and help others, but I’m currently thinking of other ways to reach out.

6. Exercise Even Without The Gym🎽

One of my favorite ways to de-stress or clear my head is to get my heart rate up and do something physical. I know that many people may feel stranded without a gym to go to, but there are still a ton of viable ways to stay physically fit during these times. Even through Shelter-In-Place orders we can can hike, jog, run, walk, bike, do yoga, or dance!🕺💃

What this looks like for me:

Between daily walks with our three pups, a stationary bike and a yoga mat in my office, and an electronic drum-kit at home, I’m able to still get my heart rate up, and break a sweat every day.

7. Finally Tackle That Project That You Have Been Putting Off 🔨

I feel like everyone has at least one daunting project in their life that always elicits that response of “yeah… I’ll get that done when I have more time.” Well, now we all have more time. Everyone’s project is probably different, but if something popped in your head while reading this, that’s probably the one to tackle!

What this looks like for me:

This is not necessarily a project I’ve been putting off, but one that I sought out knowing I had the extra time. I reached out to my parents and asked if there is anything I could do for them as I now have a bit more time on my hands, and my mom told me about something that I never knew until now. My Grandma & Grandpa passed along a box of almost 60 Super 8mm film reels that they captured through the 60s, 70s, and 80s and has sat in a box under their bed for almost 4 decades. So, I researched what it would take to digitize and upload all the film reels and I am currently going through the tedious process of digitizing all the film so they can re-watch and cherish those memories forever.

If you found this helpful in any way, feel free to share it with other creative/wedding professionals, or anyone else that might benefit from it. Stay safe out there! 👍