Smiling Toad Productions is a Chicago based film studio that makes cinematic documentary wedding films. Wedding photography is a wonderful way to remind yourself of the details and guests that witnessed your day, but video is the best way to preserve the joy and excitement as it originally occurred. Your wedding story is unique from any other; tell Smiling Toad Productions your story today!

Owner John Severson graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 2004 with degrees in Anthropology and Film. Combining his love for film and cultures, Severson completed a short and feature film titled “A Perfect Soldier” about a Cambodian making a powerful difference within his community. Building on this documentary experience, Severson wanted to create a company that would apply the same cinematic documentary techniques to films about important moments in people’s lives.

Chicago is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world with nearly 1,000 weddings happening every weekend. Severson founded Smiling Toad Productions to create films that not only capture one of the most important days in your life, but also preserve it in a way that you’ll want to relive over and over again. Your wedding is already guaranteed to be unique and personal to you; our goal is to find the best way to show that uniqueness in a cinematic documentary.

View our videos below to get a feeling for how beautifully we can tell your story!