Amit & Onima’s civil wedding was a family affair through and through. The groom’s family were in attendance at the family home in order to send him off with their blessings (and make sure he was in tip-top form, including placing the turban on his head). They also had a spectacularly decorated car ready to whisk him off to Syon House, in the suburbs of London, for his wedding service. The honey-coloured stone building was a great choice for their celebration and the guests all remarked on how lovely it was as they arrived. We were able to get out in the sunshine and film the guests as they arrived and made their way into the venue – but not before participating in the welcoming of the groom with drums and dancing! The groom met his bride at the altar in time to take their wedding vows. Smiling throughout, they make a gorgeous couple.

The reception took place in the stunning glass house (conservatory) behind Syon House. Flooded with daylight, it was simply brilliant. We don’t recall another wedding banquet where the guests wore sunglasses throughout! The next day, at the Chancery Court Hotel, they had a second celebration. Amit & Onima made a fantastic entrance, dressed in beautiful clothes, and once again celebrated their union. We wish them a long and happy marriage.

Shahida & Asif celebrated their Muslim wedding at the Hilton Hotel in Warwickshire where they were able to surround themselves with their nearest and dearest to celebrate their union as man and wife. Shahida was upstairs in the hotel getting dressed for her wedding with a few helpers to aid her with some of the trickier bits. She was in great spirits and was clearly enjoying it all. It wasn’t long before their guests started to arrive to the hotel with their children in tow. Their theme of red and white even extended to a beautiful stack of decorated cakes – white with red ribbon. Asif had a drummer and dancers to escort him into the building with all the guests trailing behind him. With everyone gathered for the Nikah, they received the wedding sermon.

After, it was time for the Walima – the celebratory feast and the Hilton staff did a great job of laying on a lovely meal. Before eating, there was a chance for us to get around with our video camera to capture all the guests. Soon enough though the food started to arrive and people were ready to tuck in. We put our camera away while people were eating. Later in the evening, when it came time for Shahida & Asif to say goodbye, there were a few tears from family members bidding the couple off to begin their married life! We wish them all the best.

Nighat and Naveed had an Asian civil wedding ceremony at the Dunkenhalgh Hotel in Lancashire on a lovely July day. But there was no time to enjoy the sun for our bride – she was busy with makeup, hair and getting dressed in her elaborate dress. Even in black & white her radiance shines through and you get a sense of her enjoyment of the process – especially with some of her girlfriends on hand. Meanwhile in room 708 the groom was busy with his own preparations with his mates there to lend moral support. The guests began to arrive and take their places in the chairs (wrapped in white and tied up with ribbons). With all the beautiful saris there was plenty of colour about the room. When the civil ceremony was completed the flash bulbs started going as all the guests made their way up to take photographs with their cameras.

There was a complete change of dress for the reception with our newly married couple making quite a grand entrance for their reception. Our newlyweds took to the dance floor and gave a very polished showing for their first married dance – our camera was able to follow them around and capture all the angles. Thank you to Nighat and Naveed for letting us be a part of their big day.

Talk about making a spectacular entrance! With the red draped staircase and an army of drummers it looked like the Oscars. It certainly made for a very grand entrance for this Sikh wedding video hosted by the Grosvenor House Hotel in London. Coming just a few days after Christmas, they needed to really offer something with the ‘wow factor’ and they sure pulled that rabbit out of the hat. Try not one, but ten Dhol drummers from Ministry of Dhol. Viewed against the star cloth in the background (with all the twinkling  lights of the night time sky) these drummers started to work  their magic. The group beat their beguiling rhythm while our couple walked across the room, showered in confetti the entire time. The drummers kept the beat steady – never rushing, never lagging, which is a mean feat. When the bride and groom reached the very centre of the room, they were greeted with a glass of champagne so they could drink a toast to their matrimony. All their assembled guests raised their glasses high in salute to their nuptials. Next up was cutting into the cake. The cake was actually quite small since they had cupcakes for all the guests, but it still made for a nice image as they had more confetti pouting onto them! There was a whole lot of confetti going on. They took it all in their stride and seemed to thoroughly enjoy the proceedings. We wish them all the very best.

When the announcement was made that ‘the next 15 minutes are going to blow your mind,’ did anyone really have a sense of what they were in for?  ‘Signature’ – the group which first came to nation’s attention on Britain’s Got Talent – were making an appearance at an Indian wedding reception at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London. The guests quickly crowded around the floor to get a better view. What they saw was a single man, dressed like Michael Jackson in his black suit. Then he started to dance! From his moonwalk to his arm ripples, it was like watching Michael himself! The camera phones quickly came out and people tried to capture footage of what they were seeing. The bride and groom clapped along looking delighted with the events.

Signature, made up of performers Suleman Mirza and Madhu Singh, are a great double act. Turns out the announcer at the beginning soon wanted to take his turn on the dance floor! Turns out he is just as talented! The music switched from Michael Jackson to Bollywood and Madhu Singh showed how adept he is at Bollywood style of dance. The two work really well off each other and their mock competition to see who could dominate was very entertaining! If you get a chance to see Signature perform, we highly recommend them.

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!

Rouba & Samer’s Muslim Walima, or wedding reception, took place at the lovely London hotel, the Dorchester. The Dorchester is a classy hotel and was a fitting location for Rouba & Samer’s classy celebration. From the candles, to the beautifully adorned wedding cake, it was an affair with style. Our bride and groom made quite an entrance and their guests stopped everything they were doing to applaud the couple. Later, while the guests were seated for dinner, it was a good time for us to make our way around the room ensuring that we captured footage of all of Rouba and Samer’s wedding guests – we know it will be nice for them in years to come to look back and remember who was there for their big celebration. The hotel staff had prepared an exemplary meal which was well enjoyed (although we generally avoid filming people while they are eating – it makes them uncomfortable!).

When our newlyweds took to the floor for their first dance, they swayed to the live music and looked deeply in each other’s eyes. We filmed this part in black & white to give it some old Hollywood glamour! Afterwards, they cut the wedding cake to the accompanying flash of cameras. Rouba and Samer were radiant throughout the event and we hope they enjoy reliving the memories of their Walima for years to come.

Perminder & Gurpeet had loads of family support for their Sikh Civil Wedding. Whether it was in helping them out in preparation, or being there on the day to partake in the ceremony, there was a very strong family presence for their wedding. Our bride had a lovely warm smile, and she showed it often throughout the day – clearly it was living up to her expectations. We thank the family and staff at Eltham Palace for letting us get around to film all the preparations and proceedings. This not only makes our job easier, it also results in a much better wedding video with lots of unique perspectives of the events. The round Art Deco room at London’s Eltham Palace made for great filming and when our bride arrived in a classic Rolls Royce, it was like something out of an Hercule Poirot story.

The lawns and grounds of Eltham Palace were a wonderful background for photographs and gave us a chance to move about filming the wedding party. Soon it was time for the wedding banquet in the white and red marquee – beautifully decorated for the occasion. It wasn’t long before DJ Tony Patti was playing his music and the dance floor was heaving. The dancing started with Perminder & Gurpeet but they were soon joined by all their guests having a go. It was a great celebration!

An enormous amount of preparation went into the Sikh-Gujarati wedding of Bobby & Sejal. Brent Sikh Centre was decorated, as were the cars which ferried the wedding party about. Our beautiful bride arrived in her red wedding sari to be attended to by her family. The groom meanwhile arrived in a white stretch Hummer before transferring to an elaborately decorated white stallion where he rode up to the Gurdwara to the accompanying beat of a drum. It made a great spectacle for us to film! After a traditional ceremony, our couple retreated outside where, with a little encouragement, they released a pair of white doves.

The wedding party then shifted to London’s Millenium Mayfair Hotel where the banqueting room was decorated and ready for Bobby & Sejal. Their family and friends were greeted with a drink which gave us ample time to get about the room filming all the wedding guests. Our newlyweds had changed outfits and entered the room to much applause. After cutting the ceremonial wedding cake, they enjoyed a fine meal and an excellent performance from a trio of dancers. Once the meal was over, the general dancing followed and the guests seemed to enjoy their own chance to dance led by Bobby & Sejal. Our best wishes to them both!

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.