A Stagger Films Story

Jess & David

The Bellevue · Philadelphia

A grand ballroom reception inside one of Philadelphia's most iconic hotels, filmed for sound as much as for picture.

The Bellevue is a hotel that has hosted weddings for over a century. The ballroom is grand in a way that pulls focus, but Jess and David didn't want a film about the room. They wanted a film about the people in it, the family who flew in from across the country, the friends who knew them before they knew each other, the toasts that ran long because nobody wanted them to end.

So we built the coverage around audio first. Vows captured cleanly on two lavs and the venue's house sound. Speeches recorded from the soundboard and a backup mic at the head table. The room's acoustics worked with us instead of against us because we accounted for the marble and the height of the ceiling before the doors opened.

The Venue

The Bellevue, Philadelphia.


The Bellevue's ballroom holds 350 people comfortably and looks the way a Philadelphia wedding is supposed to look: tall windows, ornate ceilings, a balcony that runs the full length of one wall. The balcony is the underused asset most filmmakers miss.

We shot the entrance and most of the toasts from up there, which gave the film a sense of scale that ground-level coverage can't match. You feel the size of the room, the warmth of the lighting, the way the night opens up. It's one of the few venues in the city where the geography of the building actually becomes part of the story.

This is INCREDIBLE!!! We're obsessed. You truly captured all of the special moments from the day. We're so grateful that we got the chance to work with you and your team and we'll absolutely be recommending you to all of our friends and family.
Jess & David
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