Your typical Asian bride goes through a very lengthy preparation for her wedding celebration. From the application of the intricate henna designs on her hands, to the many individual pieces of jewellery, to the wrapping of the sari – there is a slow and steady build up of excitement as each piece of the final picture falls into place. With one final blast of hairspray, she is good to go. When we filmed behind the scenes at Sahar and Jamal’s Muslim wedding, we saw all the care which went into this preparation. The groom is not without his own process and our camera crew was split between the two locations in order to film both proceedings.
After the ceremony, we retreated to the gardens of the Shendish Manor in Hertfordshire where the clear, bright sun of a February day gave us great filming conditions. As Sahar & Jamal enjoyed the landscaped gardens we were able to track them with the camera catching all of their reactions. Once they were back inside, they ceremonially cut the wedding cake before taking to the dance floor for their traditional first dance together. As they swayed to the slow music, we all watched on in pleasure. Best wishes to Sahar & Jamal.
Sara had her beautiful wedding clothes all laid out for her Pakistani Muslim wedding to Muneer. The family home was buzzing with activity as she went about her wedding preparations. When Muneer arrived, he was showered in flower petals to welcome him. After a ceremony in the home the family enjoyed a lovely spread of food. The Mendhi – once again Sara had a helping hand for her preparations before a Rolls Royce arrived to take her to the VIP Lounge in Edgware Hertfordshire. The Lounge was decorated beautifully for their celebration where they received many blessings from family members. It’s never a true celebration without a fine meal and this was no exception to the rule with excellent catering on hand for the wedding guests. After eating, the guests enjoyed taking a spin on the dance floor.
The Walima was held at Watford’s The Grove with its splendid landscaped gardens. Once again there were some remarkable cars to convey the wedding guests to the Walima. When Muneer arrived, he was again showered in flowers and garlanded with flowers. Taking his place inside with Sara they enjoyed another feast. The Grove’s gardens were a wonderful setting for wedding photographs with Sara & Muneer looking at their best. We wish them both much wedded joy together.
For their Muslim wedding reception (Walima) Farha & Hamad chose the beautiful surroundings of their father’s house in Hampton-in-Arden in the heart of the West Midlands. Taking advantage of the summer weather, much of the reception was planned for outside with a large marquee set up in case the weather took a turn. Everything was beautifully decorated with flowers and draped cloths in the colour scheme of red & white. Our camera crew got to the site early in order to film the hustle and bustle of preparations. Meanwhile another camera was at the family home to capture lovely statements from the family for Farha & Hamad. We think they will enjoy reviewing these sentiments for years to come.
When the guests began to arrive at Hampton-in-Arden everything was set up and ready to greet them with platters of fresh fruit, small plates of food to nibble on, and a ready drink. As they milled about in the summer sun we got about with our video camera to capture footage of all the guests. We’ve seen some spectacular entrances over the years; however Hamad arriving by helicopter is definitely one that will stand out! When bride and groom were united, the wedding feast began. The guests enjoyed a wonderful dinner to celebrate Farha & Hamad’s union. Congratulations to you both!
Sarah and Afzal’s Nikah and Walima were held at Guisborough Hall Hotel in North Yorkshire. The Pakistani Muslim wedding celebration was blessed with incredible October weather which meant they were able to fully appreciate Guisborough Hall in all its glory – including its remarkable gardens and fountains. Our camera crew got about to film footage of the spectacular hall before all the guests arrived. Sarah was glad to have a friend on hand to help her get prepared and put on all of her beautiful wedding jewellery. Soon the guests were arriving and filling up the glassed-in conservatory. As night fell our groom arrived and he was carried into the celebration on the shoulders of his mates – with a drummer to announce his coming. They gathered together for the Muslim ceremony and the signing of the register. Afzal and Sarah were now married as husband and wife.
The large banquet room was set (complete with a many-tiered wedding cake) and soon it was time for the guests to file in and take their seats ready for a sumptuous banquet of food. The hall had a great gallery level which allowed us to film the throng from above without making anyone feel self-conscious. After dining, we went back outside to get some very dramatic evening shots of the couple. We wish Sarah and Afzal much joy and happiness in married life together!
Haleema and Humza chose The Fennes, in Essex as their venue for their Muslim wedding reception. With a talented make-up and hair person on hand to assist, the girls were soon ready to present themselves (and looking beautiful). Meanwhile The Fennes staff were hustling around doing the final preparations and ensuring that the marquee was all set-up and ready for their reception. Before long the guests started to pour in, eager to see Haleema and Humza. We sent a camera operator about to capture some of the venue sights, taking in the fountains and green lawns and some of the fine architectural details of The Fennes. It makes for some nice detail which we can cut into the final video. Our lovely bride made an entrance trailed by many family members all carrying red roses. She met the groom and they posed for many photographs as a family unit. With the photos complete, it was time to eat. The kitchen had been working double-time to prepare all the food and soon it was served up to the appreciative guests. The dinner conversation bubbled throughout the room and we made our way about with the camera to capture suitable footage. After dinner, it was time for Haleema and Humza to cut the wedding cake – and once again the cameras came out. They posed like pros. When the time came for them to leave, their families followed them out to the car to wish them well. Let us join in their good wishes!
Shahida & Asif celebrated their Muslim wedding at the Hilton Hotel in Warwick 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.
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.
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.
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!
