Paper Heart Films

02/02/2022

We recently received some grant funding to put together a docu-series on sustainability in the wedding industry on Vancouver Island!

We'll be exploring the many opportunities to make weddings more sustainable in our community, the ways that wedding couples and vendors can reduce their footprint, and the good work that's going on in this amazing community.

We'll be interviewing a number of Vancouver Island-based wedding businesses to feature in the video series. We've put together a questionnaire to find out more about all the awesome work being done by local vendors!

If you're a wedding vendor, we'd love to hear what you're doing, what you'd love to do more of, and the experiences you've had. The link for the questionnaire is here:

https://forms.gle/XbtiTPXEVLR43Yb29

If you know a wedding vendor who helped make your day more sustainable and less wasteful, please tag them below or pass this along to them!

This is something we've been talking about and working towards for the past five years, and we're SO FREAKING EXCITED to be putting this out into the world.

ID: a green image that says "Paper Heart Films presents Sustainably Wed, Vancouver Island"

20/10/2021

There’s something pretty special about getting married at the same spot you had your first date, especially if that place is the Beach House! Making your wedding day meaningful to you means making a lot of small and large decisions together - and selecting a venue that compliments your personalities and helps to tell your story isn’t always easy. But in this case, I couldn’t imagine Kristie and Corey getting married anywhere else other than the very place that they had their first date. As Kristie says in her vows, getting married there brings them “full circle,” and in some ways it closes the dating chapter of their life and opens a whole new chapter in their story. These two were an amazing couple to work with, and they have just the cutest little son who joined them throughout the ceremony (minus a small break to take off his shoes) - that plus an awesome vendor team made this day such a joy! Thank you, Kristie and Corey, for inviting us to be a part of it!

Venue: The Beach House Victoria
Photographer: Tasha Cline photography
Officiant: Iain Hooey
Hair and Makeup:Artistry by Alexa
Musician: Nicholas Taylor
Florals: Kenmar Flower Farm
Cake: Schur to Please
DJ: Paul Affleck

18/10/2021

“Expect things not to go to your expectations; plan on making new plans every day.” Could these words of advice during Katie and Ryan’s ceremony last November be a better summary of planning an event during COVID? If there is a better summary, I can’t think of one. But despite the potholes in the road for this couple - including the gathering restrictions changing from 50 people to 10 people the day before their celebration - Katie and Ryan had the most incredible, love-filled, meaningful, and emotional day. I mean, their letters to each other during their first look say it all, don’t they? Coupled with the beautiful setting at , this was a day I won’t soon forget. A huge shout out to this incredible couple not only for riding the rollercoaster that has been this past year but not letting it stop them from having a lovely celebration with their closest family, but also for writing just the most awesome letters to each other. Seriously - can you two please narrate my life?

Interesting fact: We all know that Chelsea is the brains and talent behind the operation here at Paper Heart Films, but this film proves it. Due to the change in restrictions and some last-minute adaptations, we could only have 1 videographer present for most of the day. So, Bryan waited this one out in the car. Don’t worry - we cracked a window for him.

Venue: Bilston Creek Farm
Officiant: Jennifer Whitehouse
Photographer: Secret Waters Photo

14/10/2021

“You weren’t a part of my plan.” I LOVE these vows, and in particular the moment where Alyssa explains how Cam came into her life and changed everything. How many times have you found yourself wondering about the “what ifs” of life? What if I hadn’t been there to meet that person? What if I’d decided to stay home that day? There are so many possible timelines, and just one small moment can make all the difference. Or, in this, it’s less of a small moment and more of an “Australian boy who just wanted to come to Canada for Christmas” (as Alyssa puts it), or the guy who just happens to be “intelligent, caring, funny, compassionate, humble, hard-working, handsome, and charming” (as Cam puts it).

Are you writing your own vows, but aren’t sure where to start? Look no further - start here with these wonderful vows and use them as your inspiration. Don’t believe me? Check out the moment at 3:37 when literally everyone is crying - yep, and I’m crying behind that camera too!

Venue:
Photographer:
Florals:
Hair and Makeup:
Wedding Cake:
Rentals & Decor:
Signage:

06/10/2021

Planning shoots during COVID hasn’t been easy. Keeping everyone safe and healthy has been our first priority, and that means creating a robust safety plan for each shoot, choosing the models/subjects carefully, keeping numbers at each shoot to a minimum, working in a safe, flexible, outdoor or well-ventilated location, and ensuring we have all the right safety protocols in place. And so, when we did this great shoot with earlier this year, finding the right location was key - especially because the weather was also being uncooperative. Luckily, we work with lovely clients who trusted us when we said: “I think we can make our backyard work”. :) Thanks, for being awesome - and thanks for styling everything to make our backyard look magical!

Image Description:
A group of people sit around an outdoor table, sharing food, wine and laughter. As candles light their summer evening, the bottles of wine are topped with an Abeego wrap to seal them for freshness.

05/10/2021

Why create a film that showcases your personality or highlights your company’s vibe? There are a lot of different answers to that question, but for the team at Core Connection Mobile Physiotherapy, they needed a video that would not just help them connect with new team members, but also help ensure they found the right fit in a new recruit. Job descriptions can only say so much - being able to show people what a typical day at work looks like, introduce them to their co-workers, and showcase your values in action is something that can be done uniquely through video.

We loved getting to work with Laura and her team at . Not only is this an awesome team of people, they’re offering physiotherapy services in an amazing, accessible way. Core Connection’s mobile approach allows them to offer really individualized, comprehensive care and reduces the barriers many people face in getting care by enabling the care to come to you. Something we love about our job is getting to work with small, local businesses who are doing great things for our community, and this project was the perfect example of that.

20/09/2021

Another film for our Colwood series! If you’re interested in learning more about what the City of Colwood is up to, you can check out several more of our films on their Youtube channel. We love doing these short stories about Colwood because we get to learn so much with every film. In order to get a natural, conversational interview that feels comfortable and results in genuine, candid answers, we need to know enough about the topic to ask the right questions - and that means doing some homework! What is a Park Management Plan and how does it feed into the city’s Parks and Recreation Master Plan? I’ve got to know the answer before I ask the question! (Hint - the answer is in the video, and for those of you who are into strategic planning, this planning process for Colwood’s parks is super cool!)

14/09/2021

We want to take a moment here to acknowledge and thank Valerie, who’s been working with us this summer, for all their hard work making sure that ALL of our films on our Youtube channel have proper and correct captions. That’s right - ALL OF OUR FILMS HAVE CAPTIONS! We’re so pleased to say that, and can’t thank Valerie enough for the huge number of hours they put into this project.

Why is this so important to us? Well, for a start, having captions on all of our films is a key step toward making sure that our films are accessible to everyone. We’d be really disappointed if we made a family heirloom for you, only to find out that someone in your family can’t enjoy it because of a hearing impairment. So, captions are a great way to ensure that more people can enjoy our films.

But there are other benefits too - when done well, accessible design can often make the end product better for everyone, and that’s definitely the case with captions. Want to watch your wedding film on repeat at work without your boss noticing? Turn on the captions. Or maybe you want the film we created for your small business to catch the eye of someone scrolling through their feed - make sure you upload that captions file we provided you, and those scrollers won’t have to turn on audio in order to get hooked into your story.

Any way you look at it, having a captioned version of all of our films is fantastic, and we’re so grateful to Valerie for putting in the time and effort to make this milestone a reality!

Curious about the captioning process or how we create, upload, or share our captions files? Send us a DM or comment below.

04/09/2021

How cool is Colwood? We’ve been working with the to help them communicate what goes on behind the scenes. Let me tell you: there are so many talented, passionate, knowledgeable people at work at the City of Colwood - it’s so inspiring and amazing! We’re getting to learn about everything from Storm Drains to Development Permits and are just so grateful for the work that our public servants do for us in our municipalities, cities, province, and country.

We love that this behind-the-scenes series can help showcase the great work going on in the City of Colwood. We like to say that our documentary-style approach is a good way to showcase the micro-stories that might otherwise get lost in the day-to-day; stories of passion, connection, and expertise that help you feel connected to the people who answer your emails, pave your streets or, in this case, clean your drains.

02/09/2021

The best moments are the ones you can’t script or plan for - they just happen. Shooting in a documentary style means that we don’t work from shot lists or super-detailed storyboards; instead, we set up scenarios and work to capture genuine, authentic interactions - and when those moments happen, you can feel them! This shoot for was the perfect example - we knew we wanted some shots of the family wrapping up the watermelon after their picnic, but we couldn’t have planned for this lovely moment!

Thanks to the lovely and amazingly talented for styling this shoot and to the wonderful for working alongside us.

BTW - Abeego is such an amazing local company. Are you wrapping all your food in Abeego? We sure are!

Image Description:
A parent and their child sit together on a picnic eating slices of watermelon. Even their dog takes a nibble. When they're ready to pack up, the parent and child sit cross legged together to wrap up the half of a watermelon using an Abeego wrap.

10/05/2021

We’re looking for a Communications Specialist who can help us expand our reach and connect with the right clients. The Communications Specialist will help us update our online and social platforms to showcase our work, streamline our client-facing processes and communications to ensure clients know what to expect, and develop strategies and resources for reaching new clients, especially as we begin to offer new services.

This posting closes on May 24th and we’re looking for the candidate to start the week of June 7th. The position is funded by Canada Summer Jobs and runs until the end of August, 14 hours per week (flexible schedule) at $20 per hour. Candidates must be between the ages of 15 and 30 to be eligible.

Check out the listing on our website (http://paperheartfilms.ca/hiring) or contact us for more information. We can’t want to bring a new person onto the team!

24/04/2021

Model Call!!
We’re looking for a group of 3-5 people living in the same household to participate in an upcoming shoot for an incredible local, sustainable business. No acting or modelling needed, you just need to be comfortable on camera, willing to eat some good food, and ready to have a good (safe!) time. Ideally we’re looking for a group of roommates or a family who are able to be close to each other comfortably and safely. This is a paid opportunity (and you’ll get an awesome sunset picnic out of the deal too). DM us for more details. :)

Learn more about our commitment to diversity and equity in our hiring, modelling opportunities, and shoots on our website: https://www.paperheartfilms.ca/our-values

27/06/2020

Nearly a month ago, we committed to listen, learn, research, donate, and make change. What we’ve done since then is not enough, but we hope that it’s a start. We stand with the Black Lives Matter movement, we’re committed to social equity and inclusion, we support and embrace LGBTQ+ communities, and we want to be clear about that.

We know that we don’t get to simply call ourselves allies - we have to do the work to earn it. We’re trying to do better, be better, and make our community better one day at a time.

This month, we’ve been quiet on social media. We’ve be listening, learning, and working hard to make ourselves into better allies. We chose to start from a place of educating ourselves. We want to acknowledge that the ability to dedicate time and money to learn and educate ourselves is itself a privilege, and so we want to extend our thanks to everyone out there, especially BIPOC and LGBTQ+ friends, who have been sharing the resources and stories that help us on our journey.

Some of the resources we’ve been exploring include:
Learning/Listening (we’re currently taking part in the Stratagem 2020 Conference, a Virtual Conference and Digital Resource Hub on Equity, Inclusion and Justice - this is an excellent online conference that we highly recommend)

Reading/Watching/Researching (The Inconvenient Indian (Thomas King), Me and White Supremacy (Layla Saad), Chanting Denied Shores (Tariq Malik), Confederates in the Attic (Tony Horwitz), 13th (2016 documentary on Netflix), Redress (Roy Mimi), GBA+ Training (a resource for understanding intersectionality))

Donating (we’ve recently donated to: The Intercultural Association of Greater Victoria, Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society, NPR, Campaign Zero)

Our values and commitments are listed on our webpage. If you want to learn more about who we are and where we stand, feel free to check it out. In July, we’re going to start sharing on our social media channels again; please know that we’ll be continuing our work to be better allies, on our channels and behind the scenes. Have questions/recommendations for us? Please don’t hesitate to reach out.

03/06/2020

Today we’re listening, researching, donating. Acknowledging our privileges and learning from our mistakes. Most importantly, committing to do more, to do better. To move the dial from “not a racist” to actively being anti-racist.

We’ll be sharing some resources that we’ve found helpful in our stories this week.

22/05/2020

Cascadia Quartet & ensembles are playing at The Beach House Restaurant, designed by Rock Paper Square and beautifully livestreamed by Roll.Focus. Productions - right now, live!! It's so beautiful, check it out!

15/05/2020

ELOPEMENTS! MICRO-WEDDINGS! We love them all and we’ve come up with a whole new set of packages to help capture your stories this summer, whether you’re saying “I do” at the top of a mountain at sunset, having a small picnic ceremony and reception, or anything else you can imagine!

Packages range from simple ceremony coverage to highlight films, with options for virtual speeches and Instagram announcements with 24 hour turnarounds, all while keeping safety and physical distancing in mind. We can’t wait to hear about your plans, so check out the options at www.paperheartfilms.ca/contact and send us a note!

26/04/2020

Planning a wedding right now is so tough. It's hard to know what to do, how to adapt, and what to change. But, we have an INCREDIBLE community of vendors and industry professionals here on Vancouver Island who are here to support couples while they re-plan their dream day. Even if your wedding has been postponed or changed, remember: Love isn't Cancelled! And, your Vancouver Island wedding vendors are here to celebrate with you! :)

We teamed up with the Vancouver Island Wedding Industry Association & Awards and over NINETY Vancouver Island Vendors to put this video together this week. Thank you to everyone who was involved in making this happen! To ensure we were safe and distant, everyone involved filmed themselves at their home and we stitched all the footage together. We're lucky to have an incredible group of vendors here on the island who are so passionate about what they do!

A big thank you to:
Painted Sky Films
Jon-Mark Photography
Jesse Holland Photography
DJ Chris Poynter
Twist of Fate Craft Cocktails
Artistry By Alexa
Erin Bradley Artist and
Four Frames Photo Booth
who helped us put the content of the video together,

and to:
Young Hip & Married, Taylor Cunningham, Farm's Gate Foods & Catering, Coastal Cake Company Ashley and Brandon Photography, Your Kind of Wonderful Events & Services, Fort Common, Jades Photography, The Good Party - Creative Planning + Production, House of Beauty, Schur to Please boutique cakery, Rachel~Cakes, Beauty and the Beat, The Gardens at HCP, Red Cedar Photography,Middle of Love Photography, Danielle Bennett Hair Stylist, Rad Occasions, Tasha Knight Photography and Design, Brown's The Florist, Jill Cooper Music, Choice Music, French Kiss Events, Shades of White Bridal, Moments Decorating and Coordinating, Cascadia Quartet & ensembles, Wedding Lady Cecilia Penner, All Seasons Weddings, KGOODPHOTO, CoastlinelivingPhotography Weddings and Family-Laura Bryant, Island Moments Photography, Kara Wilkinson, Creations by Sonia, Tasha Cline Photography, Barbara Densmore Celebrant, Chelsea Warren Photography, Artistry By Alexa, Details, Evergreen & Bound Films, Destination Weddings Victoria, Designer Weddings Inc. Victoria BC, Nunn Other Photography, Blue Lily Event Planning, Bird's Eye Cove Farm, Willow Hair Salon, Pretty Please Makeup Artistry, The Bride's Closet, Olympic View Golf Club, Tegan McMartin Photography, Kelsey Budanov, Trend Decor, Hunt and Gather Hair Co., FLEURTACIOUS by Lynda Marie, Inn at Laurel Point, Tara McHugh Flora, McKinnon Photography, Tickle Tree Studio, DJ PTK, Mr Booth, Bella Bo***ir, Spark and Whimsy Photography, Borrowed and Blue Events, Makeup Artistry by Trish, Meaghan Harvey Photography, Little Bee Blooms, Cake by Taryn, Mesa Events, Tiger Lily Events, Moon Water Lodge, and a few others for participating!

26/04/2020

Planning a wedding right now is so tough. It's hard to know what to do, how to adapt, and what to change. But, we have an INCREDIBLE community of vendors and industry professionals here on Vancouver Island who are here to support couples while they re-plan their dream day. Even if your wedding has been postponed or changed, remember: Love isn't Cancelled! And, your Vancouver Island wedding vendors are here to celebrate with you! :)

We teamed up with the Vancouver Island Wedding Industry Association & Awards and over NINETY Vancouver Island Vendors to put this video together this week. Thank you to everyone who was involved in making this happen! To ensure we were safe and distant, everyone involved filmed themselves at their home and we stitched all the footage together. We're lucky to have an incredible group of vendors here on the island who are so passionate about what they do!

A big thank you to:
Painted Sky Films
Jon-Mark Photography
Jesse Holland Photography
DJ Chris Poynter
Twist of Fate Craft Cocktails
Artistry By Alexa
Erin Bradley Artist
Four Frames Photo Booth
and The Bubble Bus Co.
who helped us put the content of the video together,

and to:
Young, Hip & Married, Taylor Cunningham, Farm's Gate Foods and Catering, Coastal Cake Company, Ashley and Brandon Photography, Your Kind of Wonderful Events, Fort Common, Jades Photograhy, The Good Party, House of Beauty, Schur to Please Boutique Cakery, Rachel Cakes, Beauty and the Beat, The Gardens at HCP, Red Cedar Photography, Middle of Love Photography, Danielle Bennett Hair Stylist, Rad Occassions, Tasha Knight Photography, Brown's the Florist, Jill Cooper Music, Sound Choice DJs, French Kiss Events, Shades of White Bridal, Magical Moments Decorating, Cascadia Quartet, Cecilia Penner, Kgoodphoto, Coastline Living Photography, Island Moments Photography, Kara Wilkinson, Creations by Sonia, Tasha Cline Photography, Barbara Densmore Ceremonies, Chelsea Warren Photography, Artistry by Alexa, Details Planning and Event Design, Evergreen and Bound Films, Destination Weddings Victoria, Designer Weddings Inc, Nunn Other Photography, Blue Lily Event Planning, Bird's Eye Cove Farm, Willow Hair Salon, Pretty Please Makeup Artistry, The Bride's Closet, Olympic View Golf Club, Tegan McMartin Photography, Kelsey Budanov, Trend Decor, Hunt and Gather Hair Company, FLEURtacious by Lynda Marie, Inn at Laurel Point, Tara McHugh Flora, Karen McKinnon Photography, Tickle Tree Studio, DJ PTK, Mr Booth, and a few others for participating!

20/04/2020

We’re putting together a video for couples getting married on Vancouver Island, from all of us wedding vendors! We’re looking for as many wedding vendors as possible to film themselves saying “love isn’t cancelled” on your phone and send it to us at [email protected]. We’d love to include as many people as possible, so please tag any vendors you know in the comments, or share it around. Let's help our amazing couples know that we're all in this together!

06/04/2020

We had such a great time working with Mike and Sarah at the Brentwood School of Music to put this film together earlier this year. It's an incredible school, and they're just such a wonderful family!

The Brentwood School of Music is currently offering online lessons!! Have you always wanted to learn how to play that guitar you've had lying around? There couldn't be a better time! We really encourage you to check this place out!

https://www.brentwoodschoolofmusic.com/

04/04/2020

Want to send some laughter, love, or tigers to your friends and family? Look no further than Four Frames Greetings! These crazy cats and kittens have made sending hilarious photos to each other so much easier, and so much more exotic! :)

We're so proud of our most recent DIY (with help) Video Project. We worked with Derek and Lindsay to put this video together - they filmed it all themselves from the safety of their house, and we edited it from the safety of ours. Check out our DIY offerings at:
www.paperheartfilms.ca/businesses-diy

Four Frames Photo Booth, you always make us smile! Thanks for being awesome! :)

27/03/2020

We’re launching a DIY (with help!) video creation service! We’re offering a huge discount to start to help out businesses who have been effected by the pandemic. If you know someone who might benefit from this, please tag them in the comments! We can’t wait to start creating with you all!!

Check out www.paperheartfilms.ca/businesses-diy for more info!

11/03/2020

Have you ever been to a surprise wedding? We can now say from experience that they are a blast! Rad and Rob had an incredible day filled with love, cats, good food, and surprise after surprise! We were so honoured to be there, and we felt a little like secret spies. It’s hard to explain in words how this day all came together - you’ll have to watch for yourself!

Photographer: Delilah Summer Rayne
Decor: Designer Weddings Inc. Victoria BC, Bash Specialty, Scene About Town Party Rentals
Cake: La Roux Patisserie Inc.
Florals: Poppies Floral Art
Dress: Willowby by Watters
Suit: RW&CO.
Ceremony: dobosala cantina & ride thru
Reception: Fortune Gallery
Catering: Toque Catering
Reception Music: Nic Whitehouse Music

https://vimeo.com/paperheartfilms/rad-and-rob

This is "Rad + Rob" by Paper Heart Films on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

24/02/2020

Ashley and Derek’s wedding was full of meaningful details, from the bracelets to the cufflinks. It was an incredible day! Plus, is there anything that beats a well-dressed dog? I think my highlight of the day was going down to the causeway for sunset photos and walking by a harpist who suddenly started playing the wedding march - how magical is that!

Ceremony: Hatley Castle
Reception: Hotel Grand Pacific
Photographer: Veronique Gagnon Photography
Decor/Decorator/Coordinator: Blushing Ivy
Suits: INDOCHINO
Dress: Calla Blanche
Make up: Jen Clarke
Hair: Kimberly Lewis, Vibe Salon
Band: OK Charlie
Handsome Dog: Sooke Bosley’s

https://vimeo.com/paperheartfilms/derekandashley

This is "Ashley + Derek" by Paper Heart Films on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

14/02/2020

This is the perfect highlight film to share on Valentine's Day, because this one has all the feels! Jenna and Travis’ vows were beautiful, and when you add some heart-felt speeches, a great setting, and just the cutest flower girls ever, you’ve got a recipe for an awesome highlight film!

Venue: Kildara Farms
Photographer: Tasha Cline Photography
Officiant: JoAnne Reid
Florals: Kildara Farms
Makeup artist: Make up By Erica Harris
Hair stylist: EK Hair Design
Suits: Moores Clothing
Dress: Shades of White Bridal
Cake: Ooh La La Cupcakes
Catering: Food For Thought Catering
DJ: Keith Thompson
Ceremony Music: Shima Takeda: Musician

https://vimeo.com/paperheartfilms/travisandjenna

This is "Jenna + Travis" by Paper Heart Films on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

01/02/2020

I remember waking up one morning and reading that the Sea-to-Sky Gondola cable had been cut and that the venue was closed indefinitely. My first thought was: what are Mia and Connor going to do!? I shouldn’t have worried - not only did these two plan an incredible wedding from scratch in less than a month, they braved the elements and had the most perfect day. When you have an epic love story, amazing friends and family all together in one place, great food, and good music to dance to, what else matters?

Photographer: Taylor Roades Weddings
Officiant: Kadee, Young Hip & Married
Makeup Artist: Jennifer Robinson
Hair: Faye Smith Makeup & Hair
Dress: Bisou Bridal
Transportation: Whistler Connection
DJ: DJ Trax

https://vimeo.com/paperheartfilms/connorandmia

This is "Mia + Connor" by Paper Heart Films on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

21/01/2020

I like fall, and I tolerate winter, but sometimes I wish it was July again. It was a beautiful day for Crystal and Joe’s backyard wedding, and everyone was having the best time! This family property was truly transformed into an incredible wedding venue, and Young, Hip, and Married were there to tell the story!

Photographer and Photo Booth: Jon-Mark Photography
Dessert: Passion for Cakes
Catering: Island Catering
DJ: White Lotus Events - Mobile DJ, Sound and Lighting
Florals: Night Song Farm
Officiant: Brian Pankratz, Young Hip & Married

https://vimeo.com/paperheartfilms/crystalandjoe

This is "Crystal + Joe" by Paper Heart Films on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.