Videographer’s wedding gift to injured state trooper: ‘Thanks for your service’
By Cristina DC Pastor
Retired New Jersey State trooper Brian Malast and school teacher Julie Herb wed on October 20 at a historic town in South Jersey.
The tavern where the ceremony was held was beautifully adorned with white tulips and roses. Brian was wheeled into the farmhouse by his brother and groomsmen. His beaming bride would join him as she walked with a dreamy smile on her face.
Brian’s accident has been well chronicled in the press because it happened to a courageous state trooper, a person his brother described as a “fighter” and an “inspiration,” and an all-around nice Jersey guy. According to a Gofundme campaign, Brian was doing his patrol rounds on October 23, 2005 when his clearly marked police vehicle was involved in a serious motor vehicle accident.
Wedding professional Glenn Maningas was moved by Brian’s story. When he read that Brian proposed in November to Julie at a Giants-Eagles game at the Met Life Stadium, he wasted no time reaching out. Making the connection came easy. He knew Billy and Morgan (Brian’s brother and sister-in-law), a couple who were at one time his clients at MPW Media Group.
“We wanted to give him free coverage as a celebration for MPW’s 10 years in the industry” said Glenn, MPW founder and CEO, when interviewed by The FilAm. “As immigrants, it is our way of saying thank you to our men in uniform, to our dedicated men in service.”
On October 20, Glenn and his team motored to Smithville in South Jersey and began to chronicle, through photos and videos, the wedding against the backdrop of the town’s colonial past. Smithville is one of the oldest and smallest Jersey communities since the American Revolutionary War.
The wedding was a ceremony in reverse, which made it fascinating to Glenn. The couple and their immediate families met in the morning at a location outside of the venue and did a “Reveal” where the couple would meet prior to the ceremony. This enabled his team to take ample photos of the couple.
He thought, “This makes sense, it’s less stressful for the couple than taking their pictures after the ceremony.” Later in the day, the guests numbering about 120, began to file into the venue for the formal nuptials.
For the first dance, Julie sat on Brian’s lap their radiant faces wreathed in smiles. The room was full of joy for the couple. There was a slide show of Brian’s life as a state trooper before the accident.
“It was our first time to cover a special wedding like this, so it was somewhat of a challenge, but very unique,” Glenn said.
There was not a dry eye in the room when the video montage was played, with Brian and his mother seated side by side watching it together.
MPW’s “gift” to the newlyweds is a complete coverage from beginning to end.
“I just wanted to give them a record of their special story,” said Glenn. “It is a beautiful story.”
© 2017 The FilAm
More photos from the wedding