Ok, WOW! I honestly don't even know where to begin with this review about how amazing Leap Wedding's is! (The video speaks for itself http://vimeo.com/45679154) However, I still need to put in my two cents ;) My Husband and I were engaged for a total of 18 months and planned on NOT having a videographer. Honestly, we were trying to cut back on cost since everything adds up so quickly! About 6 months before the wedding we had a change of heart. We talked to a lot of people who had wished they would have gotten videographers since their wedding day flew by so fast. We thought what the heck, we'll schedule a time to meet them and if it clicks and works done deal, if not - no worries. We walked into Leap Weddings' studio and were blown away. We met with Stephanie and Ben who showed us some wedding footage along with Meg who was editing at the time (which was neat to see). We explained to them that we wanted something fun and upbeat. We wanted something that a random person, who didn't know us, would enjoy watching. SO many wedding videos out there are nice, but really only GREAT if you know the people in them. We also expressed to them how important the highlights video was to us, and that was truly the main reason we decided to look into videographers. We wanted something that friends and family could see if they weren't able to make it to the wedding, something that could sum up the day! We actually opted for the raw footage so that we could we could do our own highlights if it didn't turn out quite the way we had envisioned (we had very specific ideas in mind). The entire time we were there Stephanie took notes (which looking back, it's obvious she's a great note taker, because she nailed getting our message across to the rest of the team)! Ben had already been booked for our wedding day, but both Stephanie and Ben had both agreed that Jack and Cesar would be a great fit for us. We left the studio feeling extremely confident that we had made the right decision, and that this would be money well spent! Stephanie IS AWESOME! Whenever I had a question, I would send her an e-mail and it wouldn't be long before I got a response back. We even hit a pretty large bump in the road days before the wedding and Stephanie was GREAT! She was extremely understanding and patient. Jack and Cesar arrived on our wedding day and from the minute they arrived started filming. They are both extremely personable, and a lot of fun. While I was getting ready we started talking about 'the first look' and how we wanted it to happen. I had wanted to surprise Mike, but wanted to see what everyone had thought about the idea. Jack immediately voiced his opinion and basically set it all up from there, I was SO thankful that he took charge since I had only thought of the idea and not so much of how it would be executed. My Dad to this day still talks about how much he liked Jack! Cesar got a TON of great detail shots. I am so glad we have the raw footage, between the two videographers there is so much great video! They obviously love what they do and are amazing at it! When we saw our highlights video we were AMAZED (and still are!!!!) Lizi nailed our vision of the highlights video. It was EVERYTHING we wanted AND MORE! I cannot begin to express how happy we are with our finished product! We've had multiple people inform us that they've watched the video multiple times and have shared the video with numerous people that we don't personally know. I am truly grateful for Leap Weddings and their ability to preserve such great memories. This is truly an investment worth making! I would HIGHLY recommend them to anyone looking for a videographer and strongly encourage you to hire them if you're on the fence about a wedding videographer like we were. The day flies by, and you don't realize how much you have already forgotten or missed in the moment of it all. - Alix & Mike read more

When we first started researching and interviewing videographers, we weren't all that thrilled with the sample DVDs and clips we were seeing, so we were just going through the motions, knowing that we 'should' because we'd been told plenty of times from other couples that their biggest regret was not having a videographer. We even had an interview with one guy who told us that he doesn't really "work well" with other photographers, but he would "try" not to get in their way. Um, great attitude buddy. Then, my fiance found Ben's ad on Craigslist. We watched so many of his samples on Vimeo, and finally, we were REALLY excited about what our wedding video footage might become. We saw no cheesy transitions, no fade-ins/fade-outs, no bad lighting, and most importantly no bad music! We met with Ben and signed the contract that same night. Ben is great. He's funny, personable, upbeat, talented, and extremely creative. He's open to using any music that you like, and he'll pick great songs that match your style if you're low on ideas. He works really well with other vendors and photographers (even if he hasn't met them before), and doesn't disrupt the flow of the day or get in anyone's way. It's really fun having him around, too. Somehow he manages to capture every little moment without you even knowing it. I'll cut to the chase. Our final DVD from Ben is AMAZING. It's not just music videos edited in the most incredible way, it's also a journey through our big day, from start to finish, with sound clips of the funniest and most endearing moments that we can't believe were caught on tape. It's the way wedding videos should be. It made us laugh and it made us cry (happpy tears, of course), and it's something we will watch over and over again and never get bored with it. I think we see something new every time we watch it! It was so fun finally hearing the songs that Ben picked to cover the footage from different moments in the day. We were thrilled with his song choices! He found a way to use our picks from Sublime, Umphrey's McGee, Talking Heads, Tribe Called Quest, Marky Mark ...the list goes on...and he turned the footage with these songs into something that even our parents love. We will cherish it forever. I'd also like to mention that Ben offers the option of buying the raw footage once your DVD is done. We took him up on this, and it is worth every penny. We now have a hard drive filled with the raw footage, which is so much fun to watch! You see and hear things that maybe didn't make the final cut, but are still great memories of other moments during your day. For me, it was fun hearing some of our conversations from getting ready that morning and seeing other people at the cocktail hour and on the dance floor. It's definitely worth the investment. If you're one of those couples who isn't totally sold on wedding videos because you don't think you'll ever watch yours, visit Ben's Vimeo site and then meet with him. You won't regret it! read more

I have a feeling this will be a long review. If you don't read beyond this paragraph, at least read this. Many choices go into making a wedding possible, especially in Chicago, but Leap Weddings was by far the best decision we made. Here's our main video: http://vimeo.com/leapweddings/katandjoey My wife and I first learned about Leap Weddings when our photographers at Gerber and Scarpelli (also a great pick!) recommended them. We were blown away by the wedding videos on their website, but it seemed like we couldn't afford it at the time. So we looked into several cheaper options, and none of them compared, so we initially decided to just forego a videographer all together. After seeing some friends' wedding videos and how much the videos meant to them, however, we had a change of heart and decided to give Leap Weddings a call. We worked with Steph throughout the entire planning process, and she was so great to work with. She was super friendly, really quick to respond, and she didn't get upset when it took us a while to get back to her. As a recently wedded lady, she gets how hectic wedding planning is and clearly communicated our options and next steps. Jack and Josh were our videographers for the big day. I know Ben is the top guy at Leap, but these two were absolutely incredible. Not only did they do an awesome job capturing our wedding, but they were so much fun to hang out with. Since they filmed us all day, they spent more time with us than did our best men and matrons of honor. Jack and Josh are also super creative. There were a few unique things about our wedding--from a 24-member bridal party to home-made decorations to a Chewbacca cameo. The guys not only captured it all, but they were so excited to experiment with footage and try different things. It made our video feel that much more unique to know that Leap wasn't just doing cookie-cutter shots all day. Does a wedding videographer cost a lot? Yep. Is it a necessary part of a wedding? Nope. But you get much more than what you pay for with Leap Weddings, and you'll cherish the final product and the relationships you made with these cool and friendly people. One of our guests liked our videos so much she is considering using Leap Weddings for her wedding in OHIO! The only issue we had was that it was difficult to rip the videos off the DVDs so we could post everything online for our family and friends to enjoy. But I hear that they have transitioned from DVDs to flash drives, so it seems like they've since fixed this. To Steph, Jack, and Josh--again, thank you so much, and hopefully we can stop by and catch up next time we're in Chicago. Sorry this took so long for me to post--it's my first Yelp review! read more

ATTENTION: If you are reading these reviews because you can't decide if you need a videographer, you do. You need a videographer and it needs to be Leap Weddings. Anyone else would be a waste of money. The last thing you want is regret and a "wish we would've" situation, so cut costs where you can, but not when it comes to the video. Having majored in film in college, our wedding video was a top priority. I have known Leap Weddings is the best in the business for years, so upon getting engaged my first step was to ensure Leap would be available. I live in Colorado so there was a little more coordination and cost and people suggested I should consider a local company. NOT. AN. OPTION. No matter where you get married, you need Leap there. I have literally watched every video that Leap Weddings has done. I am a huge fan. So there was no doubt the video would be great but I will say there was a little fear that it wouldn't be the same when it was me or that I would be embarrassed or something. Not the case. To see myself as a bride, to see my husband the morning of our wedding day, to relive the emotion on that day is immeasurable. Every time we watch the video with people everyone cries and hugs when it is over because you feel the love and emotion of the day all over again. People who were unable to make it are able to experience the event. Our children and grandchildren will be able to watch and share in our wedding day for years to come. Besides the superior quality of the video is the experience of working with the Leap crew. Each and every one of them is fun, sincere, and amazingly talented. I wrote individual thank you letters to the Leap team far before seeing the video just to thank them for being such a special part of our day. Think about this: these people are with you and your friends and family on a very important day, in some extremely intimate moments. That could get weird. I have seen wedding videographers makes things uncomfortable or take control of the moment in order to "get the right shot". That dampers the mood and is not what you want. Ben and Josh will forever hold a special place in my heart because they were by our side on such an important day and then they gave us the most priceless gift of being able to relive it over and over in the most extraordinary way. Leap Weddings exceeded my obscenely high expectations in every way. read more

My husband and I just got our video back from Leap Weddings. At this point, with 20/20 hindsight, if I had to ask my guests to bring their own sack lunch to the wedding so that I could still book Leap, I would do it. If you are planning a wedding, and you are thinking perhaps just maybe you might like to have the incomparable team at Leap document your big day, this is no time for indecision. Your married self will call you a hero. Sign the contract this very minute. Everything about the Leap (AND the Epoch Studio Salon) team makes you wish you had been best buds since kindergarten. They are incredibly fun and easy to work with, from the first moment you step into their perfectly decorated studio. Their artistic taste and attention to detail goes far beyond their beards and awesome hairdos-- it's all over the walls, in their logos and refrigerator choices, and of course, in every part of their videos. I can't speak highly enough about Ben and Jack and Stephanie. They are friendly-awesome, not haughty-awesome, but they sorta deserve to be haughty-awesome. Anyhow, they ask all the right questions to get to know you and find out what story you want to tell alongside your wedding footage. Robert and Evan videoed the wedding, and Jack was there to give them some tips. All three of those guys made us feel so comfortable the entire day, with their huge smiles, their ability to blend in during the big moments, and their stellar personalities. I seriously wanted to re-do my seating chart and tell them to put down their cameras and hang out with my friends. Not only that, Ben recommended a suit place (Formally Modern) to my groom, a florist for our flowers (Field and Florist), obviously the best salon in Chicago (Epoch) to make our big day complete, and all of those vendors performed perfectly. We were so pleased with every part-- Leap really knows the wedding industry. I could go on and on-- the final video is still making me tear up, and I am dying to watch it again. DO NOT MISS OUT ON THIS TEAM. George Street? Oh please, no. For the love of all that is good and holy, call Leap. And have a blast. read more

I work for a nonprofit in West Town and initially contacted Ben about doing a promotional video for our agency (www.onwardhouse.org). He was very willing to work with us with our nonexistent (nonprofit) budget, and we sacrificed nothing in terms of quality of the final product. Creating this video, to be posted on our website and shown at fundraising events, was a project we were unable to find someone willing to work with us to complete for many years. Lizi and Aaron from BMP met with us and helped to create a vision and production schedule before filming. We filmed two whole days worth for our 10 minute video! Needless to say, their editing was superb in selecting the best parts to include in the final video. The turn around time was so quick and they kept in contact with us the entire time. Lizi even took the time to drop off the DVD copies herself! Both Lizi and Aaron were very professional and passionate about their careers in film, which definitely came across in the final edit! They even helped us interview, coming up with very insightful ideas to draw out the best possible material. Both of them worked very hard for us, even knowing that we were getting the video for a steal! Everyone who has seen the video loves it and feels it conveys our agency's mission, legacy and community extremely well. This video will be an invaluable fundraising tool for the organization for years to come! Thank you so much Lizi, Aaron and Ben for helping us create an amazing promotional video and for sharing the feelings of our agency that really come through in the entire video!! This project means a lot to us and we can't thank you enough! read more

When my wife and I initially started looking for potential wedding videographers, our planner sent us a link to LEAP Weddings. Even after we looked at other companies, we knew LEAP was who we wanted for our big day. Months later, after seeing the finished product, we can both say with 100% certainty that we made the best choice. LEAP was absolutely fantastic from start to finish. Our briefing meeting with them was very thorough, as they ensured we knew what to expect down to the last detail. On our wedding day, they were able to take in so much without feeling the least bit intrusive. At times certain points during their filming, it seemed as though they weren't even there. Their inclusion of interviews with the wedding party is an incredible feature we loved about them. As the day came to an end, we knew we could safely anticipate a great finished product, which we received earlier this week. There's no other endorsement we could give better than the fact we've watched the featurette they made for our wedding over and over for the past few days. It's fantastic from start to finish, and was filmed and produced at a breathtakingly professional level. From the soundtrack, to the interviews, to the use of multiple angles to capture the most important moments, everything was done perfectly. Our friends and family cannot stop raving about it. In addition to the featurette, we also received the entire ceremony and reception, which were just as perfectly filmed. If you're looking for the best wedding videographer available, you need look no further than LEAP Weddings. We can't recommend them enough. read more

Holy freaking crap guys. If there is one thing I learned from my experience with Leap Weddings, it's that videography is a must have, and most importantly, it must be Leap Weddings videography. From the very first meeting with Ben and Steph, we felt welcomed, appreciated, listened to, and understood. Their interest in us and our story truly made us feel special and definitely erased any "but do we really NEED a film crew following us around all day?" worries. (Not that there were many of those worries, but we definitely had the conversation prior to meeting them). Over the next year, our trust in them grew, and we actually felt like we had formed a true friendship with them. It's extremely rare to meet with people one time and walk out the door knowing they were going to be some of the most important people we had met in years! Jack, Cesar, and Carl showed up the morning of our wedding and I felt like a movie star. They filmed every single inch of detail (which is great because I kind of think of my wedding day as a complete blur). We had such a good time with them that I forgot they were actually there to work. When we finally saw the short form version of our video, my husband and I both ended up in a sea of tears on the couch. The music they chose perfectly captured the feel of the day, the steady cam shots took our breaths away, and the kindness of Jack, Cesar, and Carl made us so visibly calm on a day that was anything but. If you've gotten this far, congratulations! Now go meet the team and prepare for the coolest, most necessary part of your wedding day. read more

Let me start by saying that I created a yelp account solely so I could agree with fellow reviewers and rave about Leap Weddings. I am simply in awe by the incredible talents of these people. After our one year anniversary I realized I was missing a way to live back in our wedding day for just a moment-pictures weren't enough. I wanted something we could watch and make a tradition every anniversary. Enter Ben Mahoney, Leap Weddings and some amazing work. I supplied them with 3.5 hours of home video footage (through the mail as we live in CA!) not knowing at all what they would be able to create out of it. Low and behold they produced this perfect depiction of our phenomenal day-using videos filmed by a friend!! Every important moment complimented by the perfect song, various times when friends and family were speaking became the backdrop to other meaningful moments captured on video...We really couldn't believe it. It was creative and entertaining...it held the perfect pace and was artistically beautiful. Leap Weddings wasn't even there yet they somehow managed to take 3.5 hours of a wedding video they didn't even film and turn it into a magical 6 minute capsule of a perfect day. How fortunate are those who were smart enough to book Leap Weddings AS the film crew for their big day; however, if you are sitting on some footage that you've always wanted to do something with but you just aren't sure where to start...start with Leap Weddings. You will not be disappointed. read more

When you're looking for a wedding videographer, there's only one place to go: LEAP Weddings. I met the owner years ago while working on a corporate project together. I instantly knew that someday his company would film my wedding day. Four years later, they did. We were married in December 2017, but this late review is not by any means a reflection of LEAP's services. I'm just a procrastinator. From the consultation to the wedding day to the edited ceremony/reception footage and creative highlight film, LEAP gave 110% the whole way. We couldn't afford "The Bearded Experience," so we worked with the "awesome associates." And they truly are awesome. Part of the process includes filling out a questionnaire so the videographers and editor learn more about you as individuals and a couple, especially your love story. You then meet with the crew in person to further discuss your story and the details of the big day. There was a slight miscommunication during the ceremony, and somehow the video didn't include my husband's parents walking down the aisle. But every other bit of footage more than made up for the snafu, especially the creative highlight film. The creative highlight included interviews from so many of our loved ones and parts of the toasts. We were blown away by the way everything was so beautifully put together. Both my husband and I highly recommend LEAP Weddings. You can't go wrong with this company. The investment is absolutely worth it. read more

Honestly I don't know where to even begin! My husband and I originally had our entire wedding planned and ready to go for May down in Florida but due to Covid we had to cancel as many others did as well! We then pushed our date to October but cancelled for a 2nd time. At that point we had only 3.5 weeks to prepare a Backyard summer wedding of our dreams and video/photos were our top priority, as it was so important to me to capture our special day. As soon as I reached out to LEAP and told them our situation they BLEW me away with not only how quick they were to respond to my panicked email lol but also how understanding and willing they were to help us out last minute!! They were able to set up a meeting with us over the phone to discuss details and went above and beyond to even help out with guiding me threw a timeline of the day/night. They were so easy to work with and on the day of our wedding they literally just felt like friends at the wedding. So laid back. No pressure and made things so natural and effortless on our end when taking photos & video. They were able to capture absolutely stunning shots and video and my husband and I will forever be grateful for them! Two months later and we still watch our highlight reel and obsessively look through our pictures. We are so in love and appreciate all their talent! We will recommend them to everyone we know for years to come. 10/10 do yourselves a favor and hire this amazing team! read more

Oh man, where do I start?! First of all, this team is beyond special! Besides being extremely professional, they keep it REAL- they are salt of the earth people who LOVE what they do and who want nothing more than to make you feel like your own trueself on you wedding day! They have a knack for becoming a part of your family throughout the process too, from first meeting to post wedding. By the last dance even your Grandparents will know the shooters' names and probably even "busted a rug" with at least one member of the team. It doesn't get any better than that, right?! Actually, it does because they got it all on video! My husband and I could not be happier with our final video. It captured every moment of the day, ones we kind of remembered and a lot we didn't even witness first hand. Better yet, they told OUR story! IT had all the emotions, laughter, tears of joy and a whole lot of dancing! I'm obviously being bias here, I mean our wedding video was the best of all time, but I have cried watching so many of their couples get married that I have never met in my life! I truly can't think why you would look anywhere else. Hire these people and experience the same magic we did! Ps. My husband and I recorded ourselves watching our video for the first time and sent it to the crew. They were so grateful to see our real-time reactions! If you do hire them try to do the same, they'll love it! Thank you Leap Weddings! read more

Ok, let me start off by saying yes, this IS my first time yelping, BUT I truly felt compelled to after being beyond ridiculously thrilled with the amazing video Ben Mahoney and Aaron Preusch did for my wedding. These guys are not only insanely talented, but they are also some of the coolest guys you could ask to work with; they were a blast! Stephanie Ostby is one hip, hip lady as well...always responsive, always pleasant. And although we didn't meet the video-editor, Elizabeth Schoell, I am certain that she must be awesome as well, considering our video is flawless. These are the kind of people you want to be working with on your wedding day, bc they make it easy and they make it FUN. You will not regret having them do your video; on the contrary, you may actually be utterly grateful you ever did. Hell, if I could have Ben video my opening up a can of beans, I would. Because those beans, (dark red kidney beans, to be precise,) would be captured as the most epic of all beans, putting all others to shame. Tugging on heartstrings, it would. But honestly, this video is something my husband and I are going to treasure forever, and they perfectly captured the beauty and fun of our big day. TLDR - these guys are brilliant, they wont disappoint, they're funny and laid-back, so sit back and let them work their magic on your big day. read more

LEAP is absolutely the best videographer in the business. They captured every moment of our wedding day and compiled the footage into an amazing video that tells a perfect story of the day from start to finish. The video is a perfect mix of fun and emotional. We can't stop watching it... If you are on the fence about getting a videographer, do it. The day goes by in a blur so having the video footage to play back is huge. It lets you reminisce with family/friends on all the things that happen throughout the day. And don't just use any videographer. Use LEAP! I promise they will be the best vendor you work with. Stephanie did an amazing job walking us through the different packages and made sure we were comfortable with all of their services throughout the entire process. On the wedding day, we worked with Jack and Josh. They couldn't have been better. Both are crazy talented/creative. They had us do some really fun shots that turned out great in the final product. They made sure our group had fun while shooting and kept everyone loose. We can't thank them enough for their amazing work. They truly are professionals. This review doesn't do the LEAP team justice. They deserve more than 5 stars for giving us something that we will be able to share with our family and friends forever. They rock!!! read more