Videography for a wedding is often viewed as "optional" rather than "essential." I am definitely in the camp of "essential." Everyone knows that hiring a good photographer is---and should be---paramount, but I cannot stress the importance of having your special day videographed. Pictures are wonderful, but cannot capture your voice cracking when you say your vows. Pictures don't let you hear the toasts at the reception, or all the other wonderful stuff you didn't see, or might miss because the day is such a blur. But the most important reason to hire a videographer is simply this: People don't live forever. A beloved family member of mine recently passed away, and thanks to Shangri-La Wedding Films, he is captured forever, just as I will remember him on that day--hearing his voice, seeing him laugh, and watching him alive and happy. That is truly priceless. So I urge you to make room in your wedding budget for a videographer. It makes spending all the other money worth it, I promise. There are many packages from which to choose, or simply customize what works best for you, including music that you personally select. The only reason I'm not giving five stars is that the final product took a bit longer, and we had to "nudge" them a bit. The film itself will be cherished for years to come. Shangri-La truly did a remarkable job with the time capsule of the best day of my life, Highly recommended! read more

Shangri-La Wedding Films was one of the best investments from our wedding. If it wasn't for a hiccup, I would give them 5 stars. About a month before our wedding, I learned that Shan was not going to be available to shoot our wedding. Having already signed a contract, that did not sit well with us. Brides know how stressful it can be and the last thing you want is to have to find another vendor. We worked it out and on the day of, Matt and Burt (Shan's fill-in) were friendly and professional. Shan was extremely patient and accomodating with the editing. We are so pleased with the end product. I encourage you to view some of their work and you will see how talented they are. I would also like to note that they are on the more affordable end. =) read more

I can't express how happy I am with our wedding video!!! Everyone that sees it can't believe how beautiful it is! Everything is perfect, the song choices, the moments captured, everything!! The whole day was so magical, and I am so happy I chose Shangri-la to capture it. If you want the absolute best, look no further!!!! read more

Shan & Matt are artists and professionals. Their appreciation for film and talent is so evident in their work and I'm so happy they filmed my wedding. They took feedback like how we love Mad Men and Italian film and guided us on the wedding day to capture footage that had those aesthetics in mind. They thoughtfully put together a time-elapsed view of Chicago's skyline from our venue and seamlessly used it in our wedding trailer. They picked up on details that I wasn't able to catch as the bride and it lets you relive all the details of the day that flies by. Regarding what you get for your money, if you look at their portfolio you can see they don't have a formulaic approach. I saw that with so many other vendors I got pricing from and they aren't even comparable quality wise. They can hold their own against other wedding film companies in the area that charge five times as much as they do. That is no exaggeration, I saw the pricing sheets for some of the other vendors rated "elite" by local wedding magazines and I think this team's work is better. At the end of the day, what remains is the photography and the videography. The video lets you see the range of emotions that even photography can't fully capture. These guys make videos your family and friends actually want to watch. We describe our trailer like a romantic indie music video and it's perfect for us. Couldn't be happier that we chose them and would be happy to serve as a reference for their work. Thank you both again so much! read more

I cannot recommend these guys enough: they are professional, reasonable, understanding, reliable, responsive and possess impeccable creativity. Of all the elements that go into a wedding, picking this group as our wedding video team had been one of the best decisions we have made for our day. My then-finance, now husband had endless discussions (some of which were very emotional ones) on whether we should hire videographers. Looking back, not only would we have missed out so much not having videographers -- but the work of our wedding and all the memories would not have gone down history the way that it did had we not discovered Shangri-La Films. I call it a big fortune and one of our sweetest combined luck to have stumbled upon this team together. If I can give them 10 stars, I would have given them 11. It did not take them long to deliver the output -- they were always communicative with us throughout the process. When the result came (edited wedding videos and trailer), I realize that there was absolutely nothing I should have worried about. They have went above and beyond what we had hoped to receive. Their artistic style is modern yet "classy" (as I requested for it to look "classic") -- our wedding video has a contemporary kind of feel and vibe to it while looking more like "movies" or "films" rather than just the day captures. If you stumble upon these guys and are deciding on whether to hire them as your videographers of that day, make the decision and you will never regret it. I feel so grateful and so blessed for their work (and their humbleness) that I even considered asking to be a marketing manager for them to help their name reach a wide audience and the nationwide industry out there. I would love for them to go beyond Chicago as they are proof of the saying "Chicago got Talent" haha. If you decide on them, you will get more than videographers: they will be your movie makers / filmmakers and they will be the very people that will help produce a memory of your day in the most beautiful way possible. Good luck on the wedding planning and don't take for granted this luck of stumbling upon Shangri-La Wedding Films! read more

We had our wedding Memorial Day weekend, and I have to say that Shan and Matt are seriously talented at what they do as cinematographers. They tell a beautiful story and display great passion for their work. When I first started wedding planning I scoffed at the idea of filming the occasion. I thought it would be adding "bells and whistles" to my wedding, but as I reflect back on it-- the film and photos are my biggest gain from all my wedding planning. My food didn't last, my dresses are tucked away in my closet, and my flowers are no more--- BUT, I have the perfect memory of my wedding thanks to Shan and Matt. If you are on the fence with adding film to your wedding, carve out your budget elsewhere and spend the money on this, because I promise you that you will not regret it. We chose the ORSON WELLES package (trailer + feature film + documentary + raw) and would recommend it if you had a large wedding with lots of dynamic parts. It was great looking back at the documentary footage to see who was there, what was happening etc. We had over 450 guests so it was hard to remember all the different interactions. I would say try to get at least the trailer + feature film + documentary. You can tell that Shan and Matt really love what they do just by their work ethic. Morning of the wedding, they showed up to take pre-wedding shots, even though it wasn't a part of the itinerary. I wanted to keep within the 12 hours I was paying them, but you could tell they cared more about the story they could tell instead of how many hours they were logging. My bridal party and family members were late throughout the day for our group photos, but they kept focused and professional throughout. We are so grateful to have caught them early in their careers since it is obvious that they will go very, very far. My mom has already asked me numerous times to make sure they are willing to capture my sister's wedding in the future (despite the fact she is not engaged). Just goes to show that they definitely leave a great impression. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a high quality film of their big day, and better yet great cinematographers that tell a beautiful story. Thanks a million, Shan + Matt! read more

This was easily the least stressful part of wedding planning, so a big, huge thanks to Shangri-La Wedding Films for that! My husband and I got married in October. We initially met with Shan back in March. My husband and I really loved the passion he has for his career. He also did a friend's wedding and we loved her video. We knew right away this was the guy for us. He sent us a couple questions leading up to the event, including what footage was important to us. The day of, he showed up early and ready to go. He was super professional. Thinking back, I never really noticed him being around which is exactly what I needed from my vendors on that stressful day. The weeks following the wedding he asked our input on music selection and after piecing together the video, he asked our opinion to make sure it was just right. He got everything I wanted and made a perfect video with the footage. I watch it over, and over, and over.... and over again. All the time. read more

Shan from Shangri-La was wonderful! We met with him in the fall before our summer wedding and he was great! He offered several different packages to chose from and we were so happy we could get not only the edited video from him, but videos of the ceremony and speeches. Now, looking back, the day was nothing but a fast blur and we are so thankful to have our video to relive those moments! There were quite a few months between originally meeting with Shan and then our wedding, and he was sure to give us a call a week before the wedding to make sure we were all on the same page with timing, and what we wanted in our video. He was very courteous of our time, knowing it was just a few days before the wedding, but also made sure everything was all set! He was sure to follow up after the wedding as well, to get our opinions on music and to make sure we didn't want any changes to the edited videos. And when we were super slow to respond, he was nothing but kind and patient. In the end, we couldn't be happier! read more

Shangri-La Wedding Films were great! We worked with Shan and couldn't have been happier. From start to finish Shan was professional and a pleasure to work with. Our first meeting, Shan came out to our neighborhood to discuss our wedding day plans and what we were looking for. It was nice to develop a relationship with him which carried over to the wedding day and made us very comfortable having him with us throughout the day. He was very accommodating in creating a package that suited our needs perfectly. The documentary edit and short films are both amazing. It is wonderful to be able to watch the day unfold in such a unique and creative short film. There are so many little moments that Shan captured that we will cherish forever and are thrilled to have them on video! read more

I searched hard for a perfect videographer for our September wedding. Shortly before my wedding day the person I hired cancelled. This unfortunate event turned out to be such a blessing as it led us to the wonderful Shan Khan of ShangriLa Wedding Films. I could not have asked for better people to work with. Shan and Matthew are young, talented, and professional. Our wedding video is absolutely perfect. It captures all the highlights and beautiful moments of the day with such style. I was so excited when our "Trailer" arrived to my email inbox less than a week after our wedding. It was so nice to watch in the airport on our way home from our honeymoon. I have received so many compliments on the videos and multiple "I didn't even realize you had a videographer that day". Such a wonderful feeling that Shan was able to be everywhere and get every moment without making people feel uncomfortable. I highly recommend Shan and Matthew as I had the best experience and ended up with a timeless keepsake that I will treasure forever. read more

Shan and his team are absolutely amazing! Right from the start, Shan was dependable, punctual, and organized. He is so passionate about what he does and it absolutely showed through in the short film he made for our wedding- I still watch it every day and it still brings tears to my eyes and brings back wonderful memories of the day. Pricing was very reasonable as well. Highly recommend! read more

Shan was the first videographer that we had met that asked us how my husband and I had met. He was very personable, attentive, and really sought to find out what we were looking for in how we wanted our wedding to be presented and filmed. He has a number of different options for different price ranges as well. We decided to go with him based on our first meeting experience with him as well as previous work we saw on their website. A colleague of mine had commented that their work didn't look staged or done up. During the actual filming itself, I really liked that I never even really knew they were there; they were respectful of the ceremony itself without being intrusive at the alter and still managed to capture beautiful shots of the ceremony location and the reception. He also involved us in the process, asking us what kind of music we liked so that he could incorporate that into the final edit. Overall, we were very impressed with his service, timing of getting the footage to us (he got our trailer to us within a week and our final edit a little over 2 months), reasonable pricing, and professionalism. I highly recommend having a videographer if your budget allows for it; they do such a great job (particularly this company) of memorializing your special day to remember for the years to come. I've had one other bride and groom who wishes they had booked a videographer, so definitely think about getting one, especially Shangri-La. read more

We could not be happier with Shangri-La Wedding Films! Shan was incredibly professional and easy to work with, and on the day of our wedding the team never felt intrusive or in the way. The trailer and featurette both turned out amazing, and felt very personal since they incorporated some of our favorite music and captured all the right moments. We highly recommend Shangri-La! read more

I don't even know where to begin. Can I give them 10 stars? Shan was incredible from Day One and was so fast with all of my questions. He was organized from the beginning and kept us on track with what information we needed to get them! Then on the day of the wedding he was so nice and fun and put us at ease. Simply, he was awesome. When we finally got our video - I cried watching the whole thing. He captured moments I wanted to relive over and over and also captured moments I never got one see the first time around! You need to book his company - hands down would recommend him to anyone and everyone looking for an amazing wedding film. One of the best choices I made through the entire wedding planning process was going with Shan. read more

I'm so happy that Shan was available for our special day! No other wedding artifact has made us feel like we were reliving our day like our wedding videos! He captured many moments that we planned on such as vows and cake cutting, but he also got so many other little special moments that allowed us to experience our wedding day through the eyes of our guests. He perfectly replicated the atmosphere of our day and also let our personalities shine through. I find unique charm in each of the video lengths we received and still re-watch them weekly even 6 months later! On top of the amazing work they produce, they're extremely professional and quick to deliver. I would recommend them to anyone! See for yourself! https://vimeo.com/111605967 read more

I can not truly put into words how amazing Shan at Shangri-La Wedding Films was. I am the type of person who is very thorough and well researched in everything and anything I do, but even more so when it came to my wedding. When I came across Shangri-La Videography, I knew that I HAD to have them as my wedding day videographer. The professionalism, communication, quality, and the willingness to work with my now husband and I on the perfect package to fit our needs was over and beyond. I watch my featurette and documentary film all the time, just to relive the day that was so special to my husband and I. If you are on the fence about having a videographer or not, my recommendation would be to PLEASE get one. A picture can only tell so much of story, but the video will capture everything. When I watch them back I feel the same excitement and butterflies as I did on the actual day. My parents who were helping pay for a lot of our wedding, in all honesty were completely on the fence about the videographer since it wasn't a usual thing for their generation. So my husband and I paid for a lot of it ourselves. After the video came back all my parents ask for is to see it. Shangri-La has made a true believer out of people who were slightly skeptical of whether or not to add this to the budget. My family is now their biggest fan and would HIGHLY recommend them to everyone and anyone. Make them fit in the budget, because at the end of the day you will have the videos forever and it is something generations from now will cherish. ~Monica read more