Coastline Studios

All the staff at Coastline was great to work with. It ended up raining on our wedding day, and they were very flexible with the change in locations (it was supposed to be outside). I would highly recommend them!

Hiring Coastline Studios was the absolute best unexpected decision we made about our wedding. Until a few months before the big day, we wrote off the idea of videography all together. We didn’t think we could fit video into our budget, and we didn’t think anyone would watch it after the wedding anyway. But then I discovered Coastline and everything changed…

John’s friendly, caring personality and obvious passion for videography absolutely won me over. The sample films he showed me also swayed the decision -- His finished films are MAGICAL! We ended up booking his Cinematic package, which included a jib, long trailer, and longer finished film.

Having Coastline with us on our wedding day was wonderful. A few things you should to know about what it’s like:
• The entire Coastline crew is FUN. These guys totally fit in with our family and friends and were friendly without being intrusive.
• The amount of equipment Coastline utilizes is ASTOUNDING. Yes, their services can seem pricey, but you should see the lighting, microphones, cameras, tripods, and other crazy stuff they bring to make your video look like a serious Hollywood movie. Your budget videographers definitely will not offer all this.
• ALL of the crew are PROFESSIONALS. The whole team discusses lighting, color balance, the best angles, and where to hide so you can’t see them (which I only know because John told me afterward, not because I noticed it on the day of). They also dress very professionally, including wearing khaki pants and black logoed polos on our 90+ degree July day (yikes!).
• They are COMMITTED. Mother Nature made our wedding day a little crazy. Coastline was flexible and kept rolling through it all to ensure our film reflected our whole day.

As for the finished product, I am almost speechless. Our trailer and wedding film are authentic, beautiful, emotional, and unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The colors are vibrant. The music is perfect. Our families and friends absolutely loved watching it and have asked to watch multiple times.

To sum it up, here are a few words from the email I sent John after it all: “I feel as though you read my mind as to what I hoped to share about the day… I know our wedding and its videography presented some unusual challenges, but you all seized them and were not at all put off by the extra effort required to present our story. You are each truly special and we appreciate your obvious dedication to your craft.”\

Hire John and his amazing team. You won’t regret it!

They were awesome! I love our video and they were our easiest vendor to work with. They had all the info they needed ahead of time and didn't ask me any questions the day of which is a huge thing for a bride when every person is full of questions!!

Coastline Studios did an amazing job with our wedding video...words can't describe how impressed and happy we are with the work John and his staff did for us. The video John created for us perfectly reflected us as a couple. The detail captured is unbelievable. The quality of work and technology at Coastline Studios puts them in a league of their own...step aside boring wedding videos and make room for the wedding "movie". Thank you John!
~ Joe and Michelle

Hiring a videographer was a last minute decision for us and I am so thankful John was able to shoot our wedding. He was great to work with and I would recommend him and his team to anyone and everyone. If I had to go back and re-plan everything, this is definitely something I would not go without! Thank you SO much John - I can't wait to see our video!

Ladies and Gentlemen…meet John Pottenger from Coastline Studios, out of Grand Rapids, MI. Simply the best videographer…period!!!! If you are looking for a videographer for your upcoming wedding, this is the guy to hire. If you’re already married, and have no need for such services…stay with me and keep reading, the story gets better.

John Pottenger and Coastline Studios is not your typical video guy with the tripod and the shaky camera. This is first class, true Cinematic movies of your wedding day. I’m talking Steven Spielberg or James Cameron type of quality….that good! We know this personally …because he did our wedding back in September of 2009. If you still do not believe me, go to his website, www.coastline-studios.com and click on his VIMEO link, and you will see exactly what I mean. Better yet, I suggest you “LIKE” them on Facebook and you’ll see some even cooler stuff, plus you will be kept in the loop with all his new video releases. You might even see our video or trailer in there :-)

If you can think of it, John is probably already doing it. Your wedding movie will have a sneak peak teaser that will be sent to you within weeks after your wedding. It will be followed by a movie trailer, which will really get you excited for your upcoming wedding video and movie.

He also does save the date videos, engagement videos and even has a package where he can rent out a movie theater with Popcorn to show your debut wedding movie to your friends and family. Pretty cool…huh?

So what if you’re already married…what good is coastline studios to you? Great question…his services do not end there. He has new packages where he films family events. If you’re going Vegas and would like to create your own personal “HANGOVER” movie moment, or create your own personal Kardashian like reality TV …I’m sure he can arrange it….LOL! For corporate events….he’s the guy! Bottom line….you need to talk to John and Coastline Studios first before making any decisions. He’s extremely professional and a very nice person! He will take the time to get to know you…which is extremely important.

He has all the best equipment, from the big Jib, to the train tracks, and everything in between…everything is Top Notch and professional looking! And they will travel just about anywhere…he’s doing a wedding in Brazil next year.

Okay…I know what you’re thinking; he’s got to be super expensive. To be honest, when you see the quality of work and what is entailed, it is quite reasonable. However, I’m warning you, once you see his work, there is no going back. That's what happened to us :-)

Oh…and one more thing, if you do decide to watch some of his trailers and videos, you might want to have some tissue by your side…most of them will make you shed a tear or two, or three….you get my point.

John does offer the standard, Non-Cinematic Tri-Pod service (As I call it). If you’re going hire anyone, it might as well be the best guy and his team!

Bottom line...this is your Wedding Day, a day you will never forget for the rest of your life. We watch and share our wedding movie video all the time with our friends and family. It was the best decision we ever made. I highly recommend the Cinematic Package....you will not regret it!

Enjoy the Show!

We were told by many people that their only regret from their wedding day was not having captured it on video. Once we decided to make the investment, we sought a story-teller who would not only be able to capture the moments between the still photos, but someone who could truly let us re-live our special day for years to come. Thankfully for us, the incomparable John Pottenger, at Coastline Studios, was able to join us and share in the celebration. John is quite the talent and did an outstanding job! We couldn’t be happier.

Ladies, Gents,

Let me be perfectly honest with you. Video was something we added in the final hours of our planning. We had originally planned on doubling down on our photographer and nixing the video. That was, until we saw some of Coastline's work. Jaw-droppingly good. We worked with John Pottenger, who cold not have been any more patient, accommodating, or just a pleasure to be around. He and his team showed up like ninjas on our wedding day and we didn't even notice they were there. Once or twice, my husband caught them peering out from behind a tree to catch him chatting with his boys. Insane.

I could keep writing this review all night, but I'll stop here and simply say: For a top-notch, cinematic (not cheesy) quality, high-def, beautiful shot, edited, and directed feature film of your special day, Coastline Studios would get our business again and again. I'm currently thinking of throwing a big party later this year, just so I can hire John and the gang to come on out and film us again! :)

Very, very, happy.

John did an AMAZING job on my pictures. I thought mine were awesome, but if you check out coastlinestudios.com you can see all the other work that they do. He was very flexible considering we did a very different kind of wedding and he was more than happy to be accommodating.

John and Holly did an absolutely wonderful job! They captured everything, and did it beautifully! They were so easy to work with, and offered wonderful suggestions. We are recommending them to all of our friends who are getting married!

Coastline Studios was the perfect choice for our wedding photography. The pictures turned out amazing and John has been wonderful to work with. I recommend his services to everyone!

My husband and I had an outstanding experience working with John Pottenger of Coastline Studios. As we considered the vision/details for our wedding, John was prompt in responding to our questions and was extremely flexible. His work is professional, creative, and most importantly, it captures the precious candid moments that most couples can only hope for. There were several photos that were taken without us even knowing it, and these are some of our favorites because they exude the joy of our wedding day in such a natural way. John and his assistant, Ryan, had an excellent way of making everyone feel at ease during our photo sessions. We honestly could not have chosen a better photographer. The friends and family who have viewed our wedding photos have responded with rave reviews--so many of them have told us our pictures look like they belong in a bridal magazine. In all, John's work truly speaks for itself, once you view it, nothing else compares.

My wife and I just received our wedding video from Coastline Studios in the mail. We had already spent many hours reviewing our wonderful picture proofs (by Darrin Wassom), so we weren't sure what more the video could offer. The video began with several scenic shots of various decorations while catching glimpses of guests arriving. As the church filled up, the camera was able to catch most of our friends and family as they anticipated the big event. Upon seeing just this portion, I turned to my wife and exclaimed, "Getting a videographer was totally worth it!" The rest of the ceremony was absolutely gorgeous and the video allowed us the opportunity to relive it--but this time without the nerves!

We were very cautious to hire a videographer because of our limited budget and certain logistical concerns. I decided to contact John Pottenger to discuss our options. He was very friendly and accommodating to us and our situation. When it came time for the wedding, the video crew arrived promptly, did not disturb anyone (not even the photographer), and was supremely professional. In the end, our video arrived on time and we look forward to watching it again with friends and family.

I knew after meeting John that he had the journalistic style that we wanted for our wedding pictures. Ultimately, my husband and I were thrilled with John and his work. He did an amazing job at capturing who Josh and I are as a couple without being obtrusive. He helped create a natural and comfortable environment, which made it easy for us to enjoy the day and not focus on posing (especially my husband who doesn�t like pictures). Everything felt so natural and the pictures turned out absolutely amazing to say the least. People are still talking about them and how they should be in bridal and golf magazines. We can hardly wait to see our video!

Coastline Studios was an excellent choice for our photographer. John was very flexible and professional. He was always prompt to answer our questions and he even dealt with my stressed out mom expertly (which was impressive). Whenever I wanted him to take a picture at the reception, he was always within ear shot and ready to do what I asked. The pictures turned out amazing and I have had MANY compliments on them. He was dedicated to helping us pick the pictures for our wedding album as well by sitting with us for 4 hours in his studio going through every single photo. I would definetly recommend Coastline!

Coastline Studios is an excellent photography company to go with. You won' be disappointed with the pictures after the wedding. I had one of the associate shooters shoot my wedding. The pictures turned out amazing but now I am wondering what they would have looked like if the head photographer shot them. I would highly recommend them though.

We were very please with our final photography product. John was very easy to work with and gave us the most beautiful pictures we could ask for. We still receive comments from friends and family about how our pictures look as though they belong in a magazine. We were most pleased with the fact that we did not have to constantly pose for pictures all day long. We hardly noticed John being there for moments of our day, but he still managed to capture everything. We would definitely use John again if the budget allows.

John was great the day of our wedding. The video and photography was journalistic and turned out great. It did take longer than we wanted to received our DVD for the video, but our photos came fairly quickly. Overall I would recommend him.

Not only do John and his staff at Coastline create beautiful imagery, but they are also easy to work with! They are professional and do a fantastic job of educating brides on videography. Videography is a great way to preserve your wedding day memories and we would highly recommend Coastline Studios to any bride for their videography needs!

Coastline Studios is a professional, personal, and modern service for today's brides & grooms. Not only do they do fantastic work but they work with you to make sure you are getting what you desire even if it means going above & beyond. That is the kind of vendors I prefer to work with, the team oriented, willing to do what it takes kind of service. You should too!

John Pottenger of Coastline studios is an amazing talent. We have worked with him on several events and it's always a pleasure. In fact he just filmed a documentary of our work on a large event and the end result was spectacular. Great talent and kind person which makes for a wonderful combination.