A different perspective on a wedding

Last weekend I was privileged to be a bridesmaid for two of my closest friends, Claire and Stu who got married at St Augustines Priory in the Bilsington Priory Estate. I arranged for one of our cameramen to film to day and I was a bit apprehensive about the lack on involvement in the filming and warned Martin and the photographers that I might not be able to resist interfering. I was tempted on many occasions to pick up a camera and join in with capturing the day but had to hold back as I obviously wasn't needed! However, I embraced my bridesmaids duties and helped organising and drinking (ooops) lots of champagne!

Walking down the aisle

Last minute snack!

Having my hair done

I had Sunday to recover then I was soon ready to film Nigel & Tina's beautiful and intimate wedding at Boreham House, Chelmsford. It flowed perfectly and the rain didn't effect them in the the slightest.

A very pink wedding at Wotton House

When I met Dan and Laura and talked about their plans for their wedding at Wotton House in Dorking, Surrey I realised how special and personal this day was going to be to them. You could immediately see how much they cared for each other and how much they were enjoying planning their day, especially how much Laura loved PINK and sparkles!!
On arrival at Wotton House, I was not surprised to see the pink theme running thoroughout. Decorated carefully by Bows Hire, the sparkles, pink and white colours stood out in a tasteful way.

Their day flowed perfectly, bucks fizz flowed, the sun was shining and everybody was having a fantastic time. Looking forward to starting the edit (highlights video to come), but in the meantime, have a lovely honeymoon Dan & Laura!

No Cowboy is safe

In December 2011 we were contacted by a researcher at Channel 5 asking us if we were able to help out. They explained that a growing number of couples planning their wedding over the last few years had been ripped off by a supplier in the wedding industry and that one couple in particular had to cancel their whole wedding due to the disappearance of the supplier weeks before the wedding leaving them without a dress, photographer and videographer just to name a few, and no sign of their money. The couple, Lucy & Dan were devastated and couldn't see any other option but to cancel their wedding.
However, Channel 5 had agreed to re-plan their wedding and brought together some suppliers to help Lucy and Dan have their special day. We agreed to film their wedding  even though the venue was at secret location. A week before the big day we were informed that their ceremony would be held at a church in Ashford and the venue would be discreetly mentioned to us on the day. We started filming the bridal preparations capturing the anticipation and excitement from the bride and bridesmaids onto the church and covering the whole ceremony.
The venue was unveiled and was at the spectacular Hever Castle. At this point nobody but the suppliers knew the venue and were transported there totally unaware. On arrival everybody was surprised and overwhelmed, but took the opportunity to have a look around the Castle whilst enjoying drinks and canapés. Finally, Lucy and Dan arrived and couldn't hide their emotions, they said it was 'like a dream come true'.
We continued to film the day covering the guest mingling and interacting with the bride and groom, then onto the speeches, cake cutting and first dance.
It was an emotional but fantastic day and I felt privileged to be part of making what was a bad memory into an amazing, memorable day. Lucy & Dan sent us an email shortly after receiving their preview wedding DVD expressing how grateful they were for their wedding video as the day went so fast they couldn't possibly take in everything that had happened. Check out the photographers work, Sue Kwiatkowska to see her beautiful images.
You can watch their highlights by clicking on this link

Bobby & Pam's fantastic Indian Wedding

Wow this weekend was a non-stop energetic fun filled of events and celebrations! It started off well, we went to the Sangeet on friday which involved singing from the family, mehndi and of course lots of food and dancing. Then on saturday we filmed Bobby being cleansed with turmeric paste by his family then the Chura ceremony which was intimate and emotional and Pam was adorned with red and gold bracelets.
Sunday was the main day, we had two camera operators, one filming Pam's preparations at Wokefield Park Hotel  and myself with Bobby filming his morning ceremony and leaving the house. We worked alongside Prince Singh and his two assistants, and Moni from Indian Odyssey was the DJ who kept the party going all day!
Bobby then arrived at the hotel with dhol drummers leading him, then straight into the Milni. The ceremony continued and it wasn't long before the party kicked off! As Pam's family had traveled over from Ireland, the DJ took the opportunity to hold a dancing competition between both families which was fun. We covered all of this in their wedding video and finished off with some quirky guest messages. Now to the edit!!!

Wedding Videos – how do you know if you’re being overcharged?

Ok, so you’ve decided that it might be a good idea to have your wedding filmed. Considering that the day will fly by, having a wedding video to capture every moment makes perfect sense.  There are so many wedding video professionals out there, how do you pick one? They vary in styles and rates, but how can you justify if it’s worth the money?

The hard work of the wedding videographer is often overlooked; we’re usually in the background, being unobtrusive capturing the day as it happens. Our camera and editing suite is costly, and we have to make sure we have spares for the cameras when we’re out filming just in case. If you choose to have a second camera operator, we have to pay them their day rate too. Even though this extra coverage enhances the video, it does double the post production time.

Whether we’re filming your day for 6 or 12 hours, the editing time is still complex and time-consuming. After the video is carefully cut, colour-graded, rendered and compressed, we then have to design your DVD covers, supply the cases, package and ship the finished wedding films.

When we set our prices, we considered what was fair for the work we put into each wedding film, alongside our equipment costs. Even though we agree that ‘you get what you pay for’, put time into reading testimonials, watching samples and reading reviews before you make a firm decision. So when faced with choosing a videographer, have a look around to check out their work and styles of filming. Remember its an investment for the future so if you have a £500 budget for video, it would be cheaper to buy a camcorder and get Uncle Ted to film it for you. Contact us to see how we can document your day in a professional and future-proof way.

Matt & Sam's Wedding

We filmed Matt & Sam’s wedding back in September. They had their ceremony at St. James Church in Tunbridge Wells then their reception at The Spa Hotel. 

I arrived at The Spa Hotel in the morning to greet Sam and get some shots of her preparations along with her bridesmaids. The weather was fantastic, beautifully sunny but fresh and Sam was surprisingly relaxed about the day ahead! After spending an hour or so with Sam I headed to the church to greet our second videographer, Ben who was already checking out the layout of the church and getting some nice shots. From there, Matt arrived who was in a great mood and up for anything that their photographer, Rachel Luckhurst threw his way! It wasn’t long before the big red buses arrived full of guests and the ceremony was in full swing. St James Church is a fantastic building with lots of space, but still feeling intimate. I filmed from the front static on my tripod and Ben was at the back on the balcony. This really worked well for the editing of their wedding film and we could alternate shots.

Outside, Matt and Sam had some photographs outside whilst their guests made their way back to the Hotel. This time gave us a good opportunity to get some great shots on our DSLR’s and really push our cinematic techniques. 

The rest of the day unfolded perfectly and we were more excited to start the editing of Matt and Sam’s wedding video. We stayed to cover the humourous speeches and the first dance. Click here to see their highlights.

The last wedding we filmed for 2011

We filmed Stephanie & Jonathan's wedding at the beautiful Shendish Manor, Hemel Hempstead on friday and it was a great wedding to end 2011. Their theme was 1920's art deco style and they'd spent alot of time making personal touches, whether it was from hiring a 15 piece band to making their own 'bird cage' cake. They also had a couple of requests in terms of their wedding video too, so keep an eye out for the highlights!

Gosh, I just love my job!