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Smiling Toad Films



About Smiling Toad Films

Smiling Toad Films

Owner

John Severson graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 2004 with degrees in Anthropology and Film. His passion for film has taken him all over the world, from Vietnam to Zanzibar. John is a Chicagoland native. After graduating and traveling, he returned back to Chicago’s Lakeview and South Loop neighborhoods. In 2009, he married his wife Sarah, and moved back to their native Oak Park to raise their two children, Stella and George. John is always available to chat with you about your ideas and answer any questions. He’s excited getting to know you as a couple and share your vision for your wedding day.

We’ve been filming weddings in Chicago for over 20 years. In that time, we’ve worked at many of Chicago’s most popular wedding venues. We’ve also developed a process that lets you be as involved as you want - hire us to handle everything, or customize every aspect of your film. The choice is yours. As we’ve grown, John has hand-picked a team of creatives, each with their own personality and strengths. Once we understand who you are and what you want from your wedding film, we can build the ideal team for you.


Services

Services

  • Drone Coverage
  • Engagement Reel
  • Next-day Editing
  • Same-day Editing

Deliverables

  • Highlight reel
  • Long feature
  • Raw footage
  • Short feature

Reviews

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5.0 out of 5

3 reviews

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  • Amazing Videographer

    Verified review
    Sheila W.Dec 5, 2024

    Smiling Toad was recommended to us by two different couples. Once we had our intro call with John we knew we found the right team for our day. From day one, he was responsive and professional. Then on the day of the wedding the team was on time and in the perfect spot all day to capture our special moments. We are so happy with how the finished videos turned out and we were easily able to share them with friends and family!

    Response from vendorDec 5, 2024
    Hi Sheila, thank you so much for your review! It was truly a breeze working with you and all the best to you and your wonderful family! - John
  • Wonderful Team

    Verified review
    Elizabeth S.May 6, 2024

    This team was wonderful to work with during the booking process and on the wedding day. I love their work, and I am excited to see my video once it comes back as well!

  • Smiling Toad

    Verified review
    Alexa and M.Jun 1, 2020

    We utilized them for our February 2020 wedding and they were amazing to work with. Communication was on point and they understood exactly what we were looking for which isn't the easiest coming from me :) The trailer and the feature they delivered to us (in a very timely manner) were beautiful! We've showed a lot of people who have said great things! Really great product/service for their price comparatively speaking for downtown Chicago.


Preferred vendors of Smiling Toad Films

Photographer
Ocken Photography
Oak Park, IL
Planner
Lola Event Productions
Chicago, IL

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