Claridges Hotel, one of London’s best hotels, is such a magical place. Full of so much history, charm and sophistication – it was a suitable choice for the civil wedding celebration of Jehan and Guillaume. The white-walled reception room was filled with white blooms and pulsed with the energy and excitement of the gathered families. Jehan was breath-taking in her traditional sari. We like the little ‘hi’ she mouths to him as she arrives at the altar.
The reception was similarly elegant, with tables laden with fine crystal and china place settings. Meanwhile in the kitchen the chefs were creating spectacular plates of cuisine. Each course that came out of the kitchen was even more spectacular than the previous one, but the pièce-de-résistance was the architectural wonder which was their wedding cake complete with sparklers! It’s no wonder everyone lined up to take pictures of it.
As the couple took to the dance floor for their first dance together as husband and wife they were grinning from ear-to-ear. It’s lovely to see a couple so happy and in love. That’s one of the great things about filming weddings – we see people enjoying one of the greatest days of their lives. We consider it a privilege to share in those special days.
It takes a lot of trust for a bride to allow us to film her as she makes her wedding preparations. With butterflies in her stomach, it might make her feel a bit vulnerable to have the proceedings filmed, so we always tread carefully and only film when appropriate to do so. With Natalie, it really wasn’t a problem at all. She welcomed us with open arms and we got on with the job of documenting all the laughter and joy as she and her bridesmaids got themselves ready for her Catholic Church Wedding. At the same time groom Andrew and his mates were doing their own preparations. The funny thing is that sometimes the grooms are even more nervous than the brides – but not Andrew, he took everything in his stride. In fact it was Andrew and his groomsmen striding forward all together that made one of the really great shots of the video as we followed their feet moving collectively forward to the church.
St Mary’s School Chapel in Berkshire was beautifully decorated with flowers and the guests looked on with misty eyes as the couple took their vows. A classic Rolls Royce was idling and waiting to drive the newlyweds off to their joyous reception were everyone ate, drank and danced well into the evening!
Anyone who has done an MBA knows the sense of relief/satisfaction that comes with completing the journey. So it was at the graduation ceremony for the University of Chicago Graduate Business School in February.
Our videographers are experienced in corporate events – particularly Awards Ceremonies – so when we were planning our day’s shooting we knew we wanted to capture ALL of the day – not just the handing out of the diplomas. We got there early in order to film London’s Ironmongers Hall before the guests started to arrive, but also to catch all the guests and graduates as they arrived. Of course we didn’t miss out on them receiving their diplomas – that piece of paper is important – and we wanted to record the smiling faces all around as people received their just rewards.
And then the real fun started. The champagne corks popped and the cheers, congratulations, hugs and kisses began to flow around the room. We wanted to know how the Graduates were feeling, so we pulled them each aside for a brief chat. We feel these interviews add so much to the final video. But the day didn’t end there. There was the masked reception/dinner with all of the guests donning elegant face masks. After a civilised dinner, the real party began. Coaches took the guests to the Proud Galleries where a DJ was ready to help them rock out into the wee hours of the morning.
Many clients visiting our website and YouTube channel find it useful to watch clips featuring a venue they are planning to hire for their event. Over the years we’ve filmed at hundreds of venues around the country so now have an enormous resource which we can offer people access to. Consequently, we have just launched a weddings & event venues section on website which lists all these in an easy to use way. Over the coming weeks we shall be adding more and more videos. We are excited that this will provide a fabulous opportunity for people planning their weddings & events to visualise how they might look in these locations.
For 2010 Bloomsbury Films has already been booked for dozens of new and interesting venues both in the UK and overseas. We therefore hope that we shall be able to continue adding to this resource in the future and look forward to helping our clients plan the perfect day. To visit our new wedding & event venues page click here.
