Northern Oak Memories

s our photographer, and he did an amazing job capturing a beautiful day. We only did photos for our event. A special thank you to Kyle for editing and Rackel for managing. Thanks to your teamwork and collaboration, we have memories that we can cherish forever. Thank you all so much!

ht the most significant ones. Our wedding was in October 2024. We communicated exclusively with Ethan, who was also our primary shooter. Kyle was the second shooter and handled most editing. Positives: Ethan was responsive to our emails, and both he and Kyle captured some footage that we were happy with. We received our raw files as promised. One major issue involved the father-daughter dance. In the first draft, half of it was one continuous wide shot, almost entirely from behind my dad, with me barely visible. When we asked about it, Ethan insisted that much of the close-up footage couldn’t be used because guests had bumped the camera. It turns out my brother recorded the full dance on his phone; his video and the raw files clearly showed that no one ever bumped the camera. The only movement came when Kyle picked it up to get a better angle. The upsetting part was that our guests were blamed for something they didn't do, and the final version repeated the same clip twice since there wasn’t enough usable footage. We were given a link to our draft to add annotations requesting changes. Upon reviewing, we saw this internal comment Ethan left for Kyle: "Since we've already wasted so much time with this Wedding, I figured I'd double-down on my standards for the client's sake, as a solid crash-course on what I believe and what I expect to see in all of our work.." When addressed, Ethan said he could see it read as rude but his intent was “to highlight the positives of [his and Kyle’s] collective effort” and “teach [his] new COO (Kyle) about the importance of standards, showcase the snowball effect that occurs when they aren't met, and demonstrate the impact it has on the company.” He said he found our project valuable because of the teaching opportunity and growth it inspired. Framing that comment positively felt undermining and dismissive. I can’t imagine how it could've been meant in any way other than how it sounded. It's nice that this was a valuable learning experience for them, but we hired them believing they had more experience and upheld the “industry standards” they advertised. We also paid for a Well Wishes segment that was never filmed. Ethan said the oversight was due to a former team member we never even interacted with. Throughout the entire process, we only worked directly with Ethan. His proposed solution was to conduct Zoom interviews with “a handful” of guests afterward and create what he described as a “Surprise Tribute Film.” In his words, he explained that many clients “retrospectively find Well Wishes boring” and implied this alternative would be better (which made us question why it’s offered). The other option was to be refunded for the cost of Well Wishes, plus an extra $75. We opted for the latter. Ultimately, we felt there was a pattern of disorganization, deflection, and presenting an impression of a polished business that didn't align with our experience. While Ethan apologized for how we felt, those apologies felt minimizing. After everything, we still spent over $4,000, which, in our opinion, should've come with a much higher level of professionalism.

le to work within our budget. On the day of the wedding, the two shooters were very professional and stayed out of the way, which, as promised, the goal was to not notice they were there! The frustrations with Northern Oak came after the wedding, as the communication and timeliness of delivery were really strained, as another bride mentioned in her review. After a few rounds of revisions, which required a few follow ups from our end, we received our final montage in early January, which in our minds was a fairly acceptable turnaround. Part of our package was to receive a hard drive with all of the additional footage from the day, which we expected to be in the mail after the montage was finalized, yet we didn't receive the hard drive until May of 2024. I had to follow up with Northern Oak's project manager 5 different times between January and May to see when our hard drive would ship, and I ultimately reached out to Ethan, the owner, to hopefully get a response with some urgency. While we did eventually get our hard drive, Ethan never replied to my email, which was disappointing given how helpful he was early in our process. Ultimately, we're happy with the footage we got, but buyer beware that the professionalism and communication could use improvement from this vendor.

ter saying we would hear within 5 months to which I never did so I had to reach out) because we hadn’t paid them. Then they sent a video (rushed because they then realized we HAD paid) and it was terrible. You see all of these amazing clips online and the one we got was so disheartening. They even agreed it was not up to standards. In January they said it was at the top of their priority list and that when we heard from them it would be much better news. It’s May and I had to reach out AGAIN because it’s been crickets… this is a big expense and I would hate for someone to have the same experience I did. Please keep looking!!!

t out of the planning process. They arrived on time and made sure to capture every part of the big day. I am so excited to see the final product! Definitely set aside some space in your budget for a videographer you wont regret it!

t to kick off. This period usually can be chaotic but Ethan and team jumped right in. They were set up and started filming before I even got the chance to say hello. My guests loved them - I asked them to ask guests for words of advice and everyone said they were GREAT at getting fun footage. Thanks guys!!!

y fashion manner. Half the time I forgot that they were even around :) I highly recommend them to capture your next adventures in life! Amanda

ed our video multiple times and this was by far the best decision we made when planning our big day. If you are looking for a wedding videographer you are definitely in the right direction going with Ethan!! Emily + Tyler Norton

ought to ask to include that I'm so happy they thought of. I was so comfortable being filmed I didnt even notice they were there and they were professional about every aspect possible, but also very fun! They even respond to you in a timely fashion and keep your mind at ease.      We opted for a few package extras and were SO happy we did; the well wishes are SO worth it and are a nice surprise to look forward to. We also had drone footage which was done beautifully and guests loved it. We are 100% pleased with our final product and are so happy we chose this company. We will have this footage to cherish forever. Autumn & Nick