Meet Nikki of Mae B Films, a fabulous New York, New Jersey wedding videographer!
We met this summer, and I instantly loved her and knew we would be friends long after our initial coffee meeting. She’s an entrepreneur, wife, mother and a good friend of mine.
She’s now one of the top wedding videographers I recommend to all my brides and couples in the New Jersey – New York area because her work is as gorgeous as she is.
Check out our interview together .
Find her here: Website / Vimeo / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Your Cultural Heritage
I prefer “Black,” because it’s ALL INCLUSIVE, but my mother is African American and my father is Trinidadian
How did you start your business?
I’m a wedding cinematographer, my theory is “no 2 weddings are alike,” so every wedding film should be a reflection of each individual couple.
For me, the most important work is done BEFORE the wedding. This is when I learn about all the unique intricacies of the couple I will be filming. It’s from these special conversions and moments that I discover the best and most meaningful way to shoot your wedding day.
Mae B. Films is a dream 4 years in the making. I graduated with my BA in media studies from Hunter College in 2009, and in the same month of graduating, I became a new mother. My husband and I agreed that I would stay home with our daughter for the first few years of her life. During that time, I still had the passion to pursue my dreams of working in television and film, but was unsure of how to balance that and motherhood. I happened to stumble upon a very beautifully shot, cinematically edited wedding film and in that moment I felt that I had discovered my calling. It took many years of planning and hard work before I was ready to launch my wedding film company, but January of last year, Mae. B. Films was born.
The name “Mae B.” is in honor of my great-grandmother emaMa janE, whom passed away August 6, 2013. She played a TREMENDOUS role in my upbringing and I was very close to her. She would often tell me amazing stories about her life and experiences and it’s from her I learned the foundation of great storytelling. Some of the stories she liked to share with me the most were about her mother “Belle,” or “B.,” and how I reminded her of her mother because of my independent nature.
Advice to newly engaged couples *
My advice for newly engaged couples is, although you’re planning a wedding, stay true to your everyday selves. There will be so many friend, family members, the media, and well wishers, telling you the “MUST-HAVES,” and “HAVE-TO’s” for weddings, but if it doesn’t feel authentic to you guys as a couple, don’t do it!
In the end your wedding is about embarking on the rest of your lives together as a unit, it should be meaningful to you and reflect the future you plan to build together.
Best thing a client has done for you *
Every time I receive an email or call, telling me my work brought tears of joy, I know I’ve done my job.
How do you incorporate a client’s culture into what you do?
I incorporate my CLIENTS into what I do. I see all to often, wedding films that seem to follow a “template.” I work really hard at making sure my clients’ wedding film is truly THEIRS.
Be it their culture, activities, hobbies, etc. if it’s important to them I make sure it shines through in their wedding film.
NOW go check out Nikki’s wedding videos!
