You may kiss . . .

Ahh. Smell that? Summer. Wedding Season.

Despite the fact that I have recently been told that "you are too OLD to have a MySpace profile" I do anyway. I am not ashamed of that (anymore) because it existed first to aid in a temporary link to my Wedding Videography business profile before I got an actual website. And in a way I suppose I am too "OLD" for it because I hardly use it to communicate. (It's kind of like texting- shiver) . . . but for every wedding project I've cut I have made it a habit to post stills from the videos up on that profile so all of my "passers by" can see a quick montage of the most recent weddings I've shot over the past 2 years. Updating that montage today got me thinking about the kiss. The altar kiss. I've witnessed quite a few, and had I not had the video archives of them I probably would have instantly and forever forgotten them all. But I get to watch it over & over and you know something . . . after thinking through the various weddings I've worked, attended, or been in I realized something. It's rare to witness a great altar kiss! I suppose kissing your brand new spouse in front of all of your friends and family must allow for some social anxiety, awkwardness, nerves, excitement? I can only speculate for now. Sometimes the couple is so dang shy, it's like pulling teeth to get them to smooch.

Other times, you just have to avert your eyes after awhile because all that making out is nauseating. But once in awhile I witness it- the sweetest, precious, and even intimate kisses that remind you what kissing could and should be. I won't name names about who I think grasped the art of the kiss on their wedding day- because it's their wedding day so as long as they were happy with it I have no right to be critical . . . but let's face it, it's part of what makes my job so much fun!

I must confess that sometimes I have had to edit that kiss to make it a bit more digestible like the bride who was "directing" her groom as he came at her for the kiss to "keep it clean". Well honey, you better believe I cut that part right out, put swooney music over it and slowed it way down. Viola! Romance!

There was the couple was so over each other and un-affectionate, that I had to resort to putting in the posed snugly shots that the photographer had set up during their "picture time" just to add in a LITTLE bit of darling. (They appreciated it - trust me).

There was the traditional couple who were so opposed to kissing in public that the groom had to practically be tricked into receiving a kiss from his bride- at which time he gave her his jaw bone to land on and exclaimed "Don't worry! Tonight!" Yeah. I bet she couldn't wait. Lucky girl.

And then sometimes, the kiss is SO short, if you flinch you'd miss it. In cases like these I'll slow down the footage or repeat it several times so we can experience the full effect.

But I can't ever get over the tongue. Why do couples do this? It's always the quiet ones too. Or the "older" ones- like in their 40's-50's. The reserved. The innocent. Ha! You expect by first glance that their kiss will be rated G and then they go all Frenchy on you. It's just icky.

I don't even really notice it too much while shooting because I am (hopefully) focused on the entire composition of the shot in my view frame . . . but when I edit it, I'm watching it over & over, on a much bigger screen- and there it is, as plain as day and so blatant! Argh! My eyes, my eyes!

So I need to confess something. I edit those too. If the tongue makes an appearance pre-lip contact I do what we like to call an "artistic jump cut" and go from preparation-to-contact-really-quickly. It's so fast your regular eyes can't detect it and what's even better is I'll cut it to the beat. So it flows. Suddenly, a PG-13 French kiss becomes a "stylistic" and still incredibly dramatic, edited . . . KISS. But PG. The PG-13 comes later (if the couple insists on the groom diving under the bride's dress for the garter) another topic not worth dissecting. Yikes.

At first I felt guilty for editing things down like prayers, vows, and imposing my own interpretation on the sacred altar kiss. But then I discovered that if I listened to my guilt instead of my gut it wasn't watchable anymore. So now I cut, cut, cut.

I think that if my parents had a wedding video where they were a) ignoring each other or b) full on macking at the altar I'd probably run away screaming. So let's think of it this way- I'm doing all this for the kids.

Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of couples who get it right. In fact, more do than don't . . . but I bet it's rather boring being perfect.

I realize that this kind of commentary pre-my very own alter kiss (if/when) opens me up to a whole new expectation to "deliver" the day of . . . but I've already decided something- I'll be editing that one too.

You know, for the sake of the kids!