Yasamin and Bilal chose to be married at The Gherkin – one of London’s iconic landmarks. The tower, which stands in the heart of the City (also known as 30 St Mary Axe) is one of architect Norman Foster’s crowning achievements. It proved to be a spectacular venue for Yasamin and Bilal’s Arabic wedding. However the day actually kicked off at the Lanesborough Hotel where Yasamin and her bridesmaids went through their wedding preparations with some experts on hand to help them look their best. The girls were in great spirits and the excitement was bubbling throughout the room. When she was dressed, the only car lovely enough to transport her to the wedding was a Rolls Royce and one stood idling in front of the hotel ready to whisk her away.
The wedding venue surpassed everyone’s expectations. From its glassed-in top, the views stretched as far as the eye could see while inside rows of clear Phillipe Starck Ghost chairs were lined up ready to prop up the guests, all of whom were gobsmacked when they reached the top of the tower! During the ceremony, when Yasamin and Bilal kissed, the audience broke into applause which reverberated throughout the glassed-in space creating a thunderous effect. It was a thrilling moment. There was so much to shoot at the wedding that we didn’t know when to stop! Thank you to Yasamin and Bilal for allowing us to share in your special day and the very best wishes to you both.
Yasmin and Dean held their Arabic style wedding at Ashridge in Hertfordshire where there was ample space for everyone to go about their own wedding preparations in comfort and style. As the wedding guests arrived for the civil ceremony they took the time to greet each other warmly. Yasmin made a spectacular entrance coming down the staircase and greeted Dean warmly. The ceremony was conducted on the staircase so everyone (including our cameraman) had a good vantage point.
Wedding photographs took place outside in the lovely gardens and the light was well-suited to filming conditions. We got some great footage of the wedding party. When the photos were over, the wedding party took their place inside where white-gloved servers brought out the lovely food – which seemed to be enjoyed by all. This was a good time for us to get about the room and film all the tables of guests to ensure that we had captured everyone on film. Later, under the watchful eye of the disco ball, Yasmin and Dean took to the dance floor for their first wedded dance as husband and wife; which they performed with aplomb – even fitting in a tender kiss! Congratulations to Yasmin and Dean.
Talk about a wedding surprise! At this recent Arabic wedding, which took place at The Gherkin in London, there was an Arabic Serenade performed by the singer Elias. The guests were all mesmerised by his vocal acrobatics while he led the bride and groom, hand in hand, up the spiral staircase. When they reached the top, they were on the black polished marble tiles and the undulating music started to inhabit their bodies. Slowly and sensually our couple began to move to the music, using their arms in serpentine motions as Elias caressed the tune. As they began to circle each other they found the rhythm more and more strongly, moving slowly down into their hips.
Our lovely bride in her white dress rolled her hips to the beat of the music. The tempo started to pick up and the audience began to clap along – this spurred things on even faster and tempo continued to accelerate. It was exciting to watch! Our camera operator was following them around, tracking their movement so that the eye is able to follow their motion. This is far more effective than just staying stationary and filming as they pass. At a certain point, the audience couldn’t contain themselves and they just had to join in. Soon the rhythm found its way throughout the room and everyone was moving to the Arabic serenade. What a great way to celebrate! Thanks for including us!
Nirshanthan and Shiyamily had two separate events as part of their Sri Lankan style wedding. The first took place at Addington Palace, in Surrey, where they held a Hindu wedding. Filled with ritual, there were a series of blessings which the family & priest bestowed upon the couple. It is fascinating if you aren’t familiar with it, and we always enjoy filming all the various elements which make up an Asian wedding. Both our bride and groom were dressed in extraordinary rich outfits, covered in intricate detail and made of lovely fabrics. There were live musicians who filled the ceremony with music and entertained both before and after.
The couple then had a civil wedding service at Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire. This was a totally different affair, with the bride in a white dress and the groom in a top hat and tails – and both arriving by a horse-drawn coach up the long drive to the venue! A beautiful civil service was followed by plenty of photographs in the stunning grounds of Woburn. Meanwhile the guests were enjoying a drink out on the lawns (and taking in the July sun). One lovely moment was when they released a bunch of white doves and our camera was able to follow them as they flew up into the sky. Congratulations to Nirshanthan and Shiyamily on two very successful weddings!
A few months ago we decided to launch our own Facebook Page as a way of interacting with past, present and future clients. We now upload highlights of different jobs to the page as they are completed, so visitors can see our range of work and make comments in an easy, friendly environment. I am pleased to say it is very popular, with clients taking a keen interest in the videos and newcomers watching these as a source of inspiration. Indeed our videos seem to not only serve as an example of good videography, but provide an excellent source of ideas for planning their wedding or event!
We heartily welcome comments from prospective clients, whether they are wondering about how to achieve the best videography, which photographers we recommend or what venues to book. As film-makers we know a lot about making things look good, so our advice is sought after on many subjects. Meanwhile the ‘Discussions‘ section of our Facebook page has a number of topics that are being widely shared. We’ve also included some general tips and advice which we hope our clients enjoy.
If you haven’t already subscribed to our Facebook page or know a friend who might like to check it out, please don’t hesitate to look it up at The Bloomsbury Films’ Facebook Page
At the start of this month Bloomsbury Films was neatly packed up into boxes and moved across town to a new studio location in London’s trendy East End. Taking advantage of the hard hit property market on the periphery of London’s financial district, we were lucky to find a 1500 sqft unit in a converted warehouse that would suit our needs now and in the foreseeable future.
New Bloomsbury Films Office
A stone’s throw from Brick Lane, it is conveniently close to Aldgate & Aldgate East tube stations as well as Tower Gateway DLR. From these new offices we continue to operate our sales & administration, video kit storage and maintenance, production planning where our director’s overseeing all our projects. Over the coming months we shall also be introducing additional in-house studio facilities that will enable us to extend our range of services.
We’re very excited about the move, especially as we continue to expand the range of services provided by Bloomsbury Films. Although wedding videos are still currently our biggest market, we are beginning to attract more types of live event filming including interest from businesses for conference filming. We hope you will be able to pay us a visit sometime!
Perhaps this a reflection of being based in London, but perhaps also it shows the growing acceptance in our society for marriage based on love and like-mindedness, rather than seeking a cultural safety net. A particularly good example of this is Shahara & Christophers wedding which we filmed at York House, Richmond in early August. Shahara is from a Muslim Bengali family and Christopher from a traditional English one. In marrying Shahara, Christopher not only adopted a new family, but a new (Muslim) name. When I met them both months prior to their wedding, it was clear they were both very much in love and that whilst Christopher may not have have grown up in a Muslim/Bengali lifestyle, he was more than willing to adopt one.
I like their video very much, and the trailer shows their coming together well. They had splendid weather on the day and I am glad that there was a lot of opportunities for filming outdoors – which I always believe looks so much better than filming indoors! We have done several Bengali wedding videos of late including a stunning Bengali wedding in Newcastle, but this is the first mixed Anglo-Bengali marriage I am aware of filming. I therefore wish Christopher and Shahara all the very best in the future! Below are highlights from their day:
