Salt

Pine

Salt – To preserve.

Pine – To yearn for.

Paola Manfra

wife, filmmaker & super 8 Lead

Born and raised in Miami, I always dreamt about living in New England. I never understood the invisible pull to Boston, until I met Jesse. Something just clicked - like I had finally found what I had been chasing.

I fell in love with film photography in high school and spent most of that time and all of my college years in and out of a dark room. Eventually, I would discover the way video can make you feel. The way it transcends a still image and pulls you back into a moment in time. That might be my favorite part of wedding filmmaking – seeing our couples through the planning process and time capsuling the feeling of them being together.

Things I love

  • Our two dogs and ferret - Finn, Archie, and Bean

  • Books, plants, and coffee

  • Shooting film on my Hasselblad camera

3 Fun Facts

  • First language was Spanish

  • Has seen 30+ Broadway productions

  • Wanted to be a vet before falling in love with film

Jesse Manfra

Husband, filmmaker & lead Editor

A Boston boy through and through sans the accent. Growing up with two artsy parents I used to cut school to go museum hopping and eat popcorn in dimly lit movie theaters.

In high school I started making short films with friends. One film was about puppies, one was about coffee, and the last was a love story. I guess I’ve always had a specific brand. For me, films are magic. They make me reflect on the love I get to share with Paola, and in turn I pour that love back into each story. And in that way, this beautiful loop just keeps on going. Spreading love by feeling all the love feels like what I was always meant to do.

Things I love

  • Seeing a matinee movie midweek

  • Videogames, nature, indie/soul music

  • Eating desserts while watching Great British Bake Off

3 Fun Facts

  • 6’5’’ and often asked to reach items for strangers at the store

  • Piloted a single prop plane

  • Studied architecture before deciding to pursue film

Our “Why”

Every time we sit down with a film, we ask ourselves “why?”. Why did these two people fall in love? Why did they choose to get married? Why did they choose each other out of everyone else in this universe? Answering those questions fuels everything we do. We made this film to answer that question for ourselves. This is why we do what we do, the way we do it. For the fleeting moment, for the stolen glances, for the laughter coming deep from your soul. So that you never forget what it feels like.

This is our love letter — to you, reading this. And more importantly, to all the couples who have come before and all of those yet to come. This is for the people out there sharing their heart with others; for those who dare to love.

Our Story

Meeting each other was either an act of fate or it was being at the right place at the right time. We met on our first day of transfer student orientation at Emerson College in 2012. Paola sat down in the only remaining seat, right next to Jesse. We were instant best friends. Over the years, we always had a camera in hand – digital or analog. We spent all our time together taking photos and videos of each other, making videos for each other as gifts, and finding new places to take our cameras to. After college, we both went on to pursue careers in film - Jesse in marketing and Paola in non-profit and after six years together, we got married just outside of Tampa, FL in 2018.

We always wanted to work with people. Jesse in particular had a deep love for documentary storytelling. One thing led to another and we found ourselves filming our first few weddings for people close to us. It was then that we realized how much we truly loved being a part of this moment in time with people. To be the caretakers of capturing something that could last a lifetime.

Salt + Pine was born in 2019. Salt, a nod to Paola’s roots in Miami and representative of the preservation of something. Pine, a nod to Jesse’s Boston roots and representative of both something that is evergreen and the feeling of longing you have for the person you love. We’re a Boston based husband and wife team in love with finding what makes people’s hearts sing. We make wedding films for the crazy in love and wild at heart. For the people who throw caution to the wind and share their hearts with each other. For those who dare to love.

Let’s get started.

You have a story that’s uniquely yours - we want to tell it.

A wedding is the celebration of a love that is unique to you and you alone. We want to hear about all the romantic, quirky, gushy details that make the two of you, you. When you see your wedding day back for the first time, we want you to feel as immersed in it as the first time you experienced it.