a letter to lovers
Call me cliche, but the day I got married was the happiest day of my life. Being at the epicenter of our mob of misfit family and friends felt like a moment I didn’t know I’d been waiting for my whole life. The experience of seeing college roommates and religious relatives with rowdy Canadian cowboys and dirtbag climbers, all elbow to elbow doctoring up their best dishes for the potluck and getting down on the same dance floor makes me teary-eyed just thinking about it. There was something unforgettable about how authentically random yet entirely right it all felt to watch our worlds collide.
There was something unforgettable about how authentically random and entirely right it all felt to watch our worlds collide.
No matter how blinded by the love light we were on our wedding day, the months, weeks, and days leading up to it were a total junk show of emotion, fear and so much worst case scenario’ing that it took us to new heights in the meltdown department. At any given time, we were one melty away from Bonnie and Clyde’ing it out on our very own wedding. The pressure cooker of expectations set by unrealistic budgets and Instagram feeds sucked the wind out of our sails and distracted us from what was really important.
The pressure cooker of expectations set by unrealistic budgets and social media feeds distracted us from what was really important.
One especially frustrating aspect of weddings, that I’m certain most brides and grooms can attest to, is knowing you will not get an intimate moment with every guest on your big day. This realization epically bummed us out. So, we modified a StoryQ Kiosk and set up the first Video Toast (“Voast”) booth to try and capture some of the behind the scenes magic. Truth be told, the app crashed mid-party and multiple drinks were spilled on it before the night was through. But, when we finally watched the footage on our honeymoon, we were able to relive our wedding from an entirely new vantage point. After about an hour of laughing, crying, cringing and soaking up all the video love, we were overwhelmed by how much it meant to us to get some serious heartfelt, off the cuff lovin’. As we pored over the footage, we couldn’t believe just how much went on beyond our newlywed backs! We had completely missed out on so many real, randomly hilarious, and some - quite frankly - inappropriate exchanges made between all our favorite people. No amount of drone footage, glamour shots or Instagram worthy details could ever compete with that. And in that moment, the heart, soul, and driving force behind Voast was born!
No amount of drone footage, glamour shots or Instagram worthy details could ever compete with that.
The same spirit that motivated StoryQ to capture over half a million personal story reflections all over the world, is what powers Voast. We have the drive to help build up a portfolio of media that not only documents significant milestones but prioritizes the authentic moments worthy of remembering 40 years later. While we never imagined our random wedding experiment would inspire a business like this, we’re full steam ahead creating a platform dedicated to perfectly imperfect storytelling.
At Voast, we believe that authenticity is the golden ticket to making meaningful experiences. We want to give everyone at your wedding a chance to make the heart-felt toast they always wish they could without the need to orchestrate yet another speech into the itinerary. We want to help you capture what they have to say because, as luck would have it, we randomly caught ours on camera and it added an entirely new dimension of joy and love to our wedding that we still tap into years later! Give your people a little spotlight with some good prompts and watch how they show up on your big day. These are the moments you might have missed, but now will never forget.
September 7th, 2013- The first ever Voast Video Booth!
Give your people a little spotlight with some good prompts and watch how they show up on your big day.
So here’s my word to you, lovers:
Whether or not you choose Voast, don’t get lost in the production of the day. This day is for you, not your followers. Look your partner in the eye and soak up the magic of the moment. Embrace the inevitable and beautiful imperfections of it. Sit back and enjoy the view as your worlds wonderfully collide. Lean in and listen to what the people who love you most are trying to say to you. Stop. And. Smell. Those. Wedding. Flowers.
As I think back to my pre-wedding anxiety, I had questions of my own… questions like will we make it? Who will we become, together? and 40 years from now, how will we remember our day?
Cheers,
Maximilian Losee
Co-Founder, Voast