Smiling Toad Productions

My eyes water every time I watch the videos, the videographers were so friendly, and John was super accommodating to our needs! Thank you!

We used Smiling Toad Productions for our wedding in January and we’re so impressed with them! John, the owner, came over to our house for the initial consultation and we knew right away that we wanted to work with him and his team!
John was great to work with prior to the day and his team was great the day of. Looking back, I barely even remember them being around, they blended in really nicely but were also willing to do any specific shots that I asked for.
The turn around time was really quick and they were even willing to make a few edits to our video and change the song after the final product which I thought was really great.
Their pricing was very reasonable and I couldn’t imagine not having the 3 videos (4 minute trailer, 13 minute highlight video — with 3 songs, and video of our entire ceremony). The day goes by so quickly so having the videos is just amazing to look back at all the things we missed.
I highly, highly recommend John and his team for your wedding videographers, I wish I could get married all over again so I can use them again!
Here is the link to our trailer video:

My husband and I chose Smiling Toad to film our wedding day this past November at Holy Name Cathedral and the Sofitel. At first, we weren’t even sure we wanted to have a videographer — we thought pictures would be enough. A friend recommended we check out Smiling Toad, and we decided to go with them. Best decision ever. I can’t believe I even entertained the thought of not having a videographer!
We were in contact with John, mostly through email. He explained the packages thoroughly and helped us pick the right one for our needs and budget. He made it all so simple for us. Our videographers, Sam and Fernando, were fantastic to work with too. They were prompt, professional, and amazing at what they do. They gave us great suggestions while taking photos, and during the ceremony and reception we barely noticed they were there!
Our video turned out better than we could have imagined. They captured everything we hoped for and more. You won’t be disappointed with Smiling Toad!

Nothing I can say about Smiling Toad (positively) that hasn’t already been said. I wasn’t sold on the idea of a videographer at first, but my wife insisted she’d found a great company to work with. After dealing with STP, I think she chose well. They’re great, they’re professional, they’re worth paying for. Our contact, John, catered to our tastes — more documentary style… you know, Werner Herzog but without the existential doom — and made us feel really heard when we told him what we were sure would and wouldn’t work for our preparation time, ceremony and huge wedding reception. He customized a great package for us, and was very flexible with pricing/​payment options. He rolled with last-​minute changes like the superstar he is. We had a few «no-no’s,» and he and his team respected them, and took control of the evening like a champ! The company itself was very easy to work with and had great customer service.
The material they shot was excellent. Do I wish they had gotten some shots they didn’t? Sure. They missed a few things… but then again, they got some shots I never would have imagined. I also wish I would have asked them to stay for longer (our wedding toasts ran long, etc.) and they ended up having to pack up before they got enough of the dancing filmed for my wife’s liking. But they were spot-​on for so many other things that I guess it all balances out.
On a personal note, my father-​in-​law had a stroke the week after the wedding. During the six weeks he spent in ICU/​hospital it was wonderfully comforting for my wife to have that video of her father. The wedding goes by so fast. Trust us: Spend the cash and you’ll have the best memory of the best day of your life.

My wife and I could not have been happier with Smiling Toad’s wedding coverage. We were interested in having the ceremony covered and also wanted the beginning of the reception filmed, but not necessarily the late night dancing and all of that. John was extremely flexible in working out a package that worked for exactly what we wanted.
I was also impressed with the final product on DVD. My wife and I loved the «highlights,» which was a good way to condense a day-​long event into just a few minutes.

Smiling Toad Production recently videotaped my wedding in September at the Trump International Chicago. Although i did not have anything to do with scheduling them my wife did i am really glad she did. They where so good and captured every special moment of our wedding. What i liked best is i really didnt even realize they where there.
The quality and editing was outstanding. Somehow they managed to capture every perfect moment. They even included a very unexpected but amazing surprise in our video. I was shocked when i saw it and immediately email John to thank him. (lets just say i am a huge football fan and John didnt even miss that).
I would recommend them to anyone.

My husband and I weren’t really sure that we needed a videographer for our wedding — all the videos that we’d seen before always looked so cheesy and we hated the way other videographers would follow the guests around the whole day (we’ve even seen one with a huge blinding light on the dance floor before). Anyways, we finally decided that maybe it would be a good idea to capture the day and came across Smiling Toad online. Their sample videos were great, so we decided to hire them.
Wow — I really couldn’t have asked for a better experience. John was really great — very responsive to emails and really skilled with a camera. Actually, one great part was that we really didn’t see the videographers (there were two that came) at all during the whole day, but the footage looks like they were right there the entire time! We got the videos back in a reasonable amount of time (~3 weeks) and couldn’t be happier with the results. The trailer/​highlight videos are really outstanding — we couldn’t wait to show them to all of our friends and family.
If you’re torn about whether to hire a videographer, these guys are definitely well worth it! Thanks so much!

I was not convinced (like the previous reviewer) that we really needed to have a videographer at our wedding. After my fiancé at the time brought it up too many times, I told him if he wanted a videographer, then he could find one. So he found John and Smiling Toad Prductions, and we ended up sign a contract about 1 – 2 weeks before our wedding. Now I am very happy that my husband pushed so much for the videographer, because I really do not remember large portions of our wedding day. John and Fernando shot our wedding, and they were perfectly professional the entire time (sometimes we forgot they were even there). And the video quality is great, and so is the editing. I don’t think there is much more than what is in the highlight videos that I would say I really wanted to see. Overall, a wonderful experience, and I would recommend Smiling Toad to anyone looking for professional staff and high quality product!

A videographer was one of those things that i didn’t think i wanted for my wedding. Perhaps it was years of big cameras blocking the aisle and bright lights shining in my eyes at receptions that made me cringe at the thought. I was against video until a co-​worker mentioned that she couldn’t wait to see hers, b/​c she couldn’t remember a thing from her wedding day. i heard this and panicked — and immediately began the hunt for a videographer.
I stumbled upon John and Smiling Toad Productions online, and choosing to work with him definitely was the right decision. Here are some pros:
— John was great to work with and the price was right for us. His package prices were reasonable and included two cameras at our wedding and reception (many vendors offer just one for the same price)
— the cameras they used were basically Nikon cameras with HD video. Nothing like a typical video camera with giant bright lights which was a relief
— The cameraman who traveled around with the bridal party for pictures (his name escapes me — Fernando i think??) was great. He was soft-​spoken and kept to himself, but was willing to get adventurous with us for our «around the city» pics (onto the L platform, running across Michigan Ave, etc.). I didn’t even notice him or John at the wedding or the reception.
— John was very responsive during email correspondence
— The best part was the end result. We absolutely love our video and have watched it at least 50 times already. We were able to provide songs of our choice, and John did a great job of editing everything together along with photos from our photographer.
Overall, we were very pleased with our decision and would recommend Smiling Toad Productions. And if you are on the fence about whether or not to have video, do it. you won’t regret it!

Our wedding DVD was truly a work of Art! We had a destination wedding and Mr. Severson coordinated with our wedding planner to find a skilled local videographer to handle the filming and Smiling Toad did all the editing to prepare the DVD. The footage is priceless as we now have every word of our vows in our own voices, every word said by our officiant who happened to be my Uncle, plus all the speeches from our parents and siblings saved forever. In addition Mr. Severson took all the photos from our photographer and integrated the best still shot into the video! It looked amazing to have video and sound interspersed with the best of our still photos in one seamless story. I would highly recommend the services of Smiling Toad Productions. They are true experts, hardworking, and good people to have at your wedding!