Live music always makes such a great contribution to any wedding festivities – whether it’s string players, brass instruments, harpists or singers, each one adds a really nice, jolly touch to the festivities. What a big surprise this Greek violinist was at a recent Greek wedding banquet at The Grove in Watford (Hertfordshire). First off, his instrument was incredible – it was just the ouline of a violin with the strings more or less floating – it looked amazing and the sounds he coaxed out of it were even better. He started slow, just to warm the crowd up and soon the men, in particular, began to clap along with the music (it was really useful having a two-camera set-up so we could follow the violinist and the audience reaction at the same time). He wandered up close to the tables to include everyone in his performance.

Meanwhile, the bride and groom were on their feet enjoying every moment and egging the audience on. The frenzy was starting to build. Interestingly the reaction was as great from the younger members at the wedding as the older (more traditional?) Greeks – something about his mesmerising and winding tune got under everyone’s skin. It was great fun to watch him work his magic on the crowd and we hope it brings pleasure in the future to the bride and groom.

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.

Lalani and Rupert pulled out all the stops for their wedding in London. The day began with a lovely church wedding at St Mary’s Church, a really pretty little stone church which was soon filled with all their closest friends and family. Lalani arrived at the door in a chauffeur driven vintage Rolls Royce – emerging from the car like Cinderella from her carriage. The choir was singing inside to herald her arrival. Lalani beamed as she walked up the aisle to meet Rupert and exchange wedding vows.

The reception was at the Hurlingham Club and its well-tended lawns were the ideal setting for photographs. We enjoyed filming all the laughter and horsing-around which accompanied the wedding photography – this is a clearly a group of friends who enjoy themselves. As the photos were taking place, the remaining wedding guests had a chance to admire the sculptures in the Hurlingham grounds and enjoy a glass of champagne in the sun. Soon it was time to retreat inside for the wedding breakfast where tables were well-laden with beautiful floral arrangements. Lalani and Rupert made a splash on the dance floor executing a very elegant first dance – no shuffling feet here! The live band soon had all the guests up on their feet enjoying a boogie. All-in-all a fantastic wedding day for Lalani and Rupert.

St Mary Brookfield Church, an imposing red-brick London church, was the setting for Lucy & Nick’s church wedding. The high vaulted ceiling of the church drew the eye upwards past the stained glass windows and allowed bountiful daylight to stream in which were optimal conditions for filming. The elegant groomsmen in their morning suits made sure that everyone was seated, comfortably ready for Lucy’s grand arrival to the church (in a gorgeous vintage Rolls Royce). Lucy was a beautiful bride and all eyes were on her as she walked down the aisle where Nick stood ready to give her a quick kiss.

When the ceremony was complete, our beaming happy couple walked hand in hand out of the church where they were showered with confetti and posed for photographs. Throughout, they kissed each other and glowed with happiness. The reception took place at Kenwood House where the champagne stood ready to greet the wedding party. To the music of the fiddle and guitar duo, they enjoyed some time to visit with all of their guests. The bucolic lawns of Kenwood House made a suitable backdrop for wedding photos and the August sunshine meant that guests lingered outside as long as they could. They were drawn inside by the promise of a wonderful meal – a promise which was definitely fulfilled. Lucy & Nick, we wish you all the best!

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!

Four Seasons Hampshire offers all kinds of country hotel pursuits for a wedding party. Recent clients Samantha and James, and their entire group of family & friends, took full advantage of these offerings! James and his mates relaxed before the wedding by doing a little shooting! Meanwhile Samantha and her bridesmaids were having a full-on beauty boutique service in their room getting glammed up for the wedding.

Suited & booted guests enjoyed the sunny June weather as they arrived in eager anticipation for the wedding. All the hours of preparation were soon over and as they walked up the path leading to the charming church. Decorated with flowers and bordered by hurricane lanterns, it was clear that a lot of thought went into their Church Wedding. Samantha & James had considered everything which would make their day special.

The bride was radiant as her proud father escorted her up the aisle. Their traditional ceremony was heartfelt and after their anticipated kiss the couple drove off in a convertible sports car. Arriving back at the Four Seasons, they were greeted with a well-earned glass of champers and a harp to serenade them as they took full advantage of the sunshine to explore the gardens. When the time came to move inside, the banquet room was lit with candles for a romantic dinner. After dark brought the real romance when the lawn was covered in a sea of candles and the guests gathered for a fireworks display. It was enough to bring out the romantic in anyone! Well done Samantha and James!

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.

Every year we produce a small number of wedding films known as the ‘Director’s Cut Package‘. These are higher budget productions filmed with three videographers, plus myself attending in person on the day to direct. I like to make each of my Director’s Cut films different, both to satisfy the specific needs of our clients, but also to provide ourselves with a new and interesting challenge. In April this year we filmed the first of these special films for Yasamin & Bilal who held their wedding on the top floor of the London landmark The Gherkin (30 St Mary Axe).

It was clear to me that the couple, who hail from Lebanese and Iraqi parentage, really wanted to make the most of London in their wedding film. With family back in the Middle East, it was no doubt a source of great pride to be able to show off the city and their impressive wedding plans. Luckily for them, their wedding was on a splendidly bright and sunny day which enabled our crew to present the city in the best possible light.

After conducting my production research, I divided our team into two units. One videographer (Paul) was charged with the task of capturing lots of different external perspectives of The Gherkin as well as key London landmarks. This meant spending nearly half the day running around London, jumping out the car and filming! The other two (Eva & Rich) focussed more on the event, with Eva filming the bride preps and the sequence en route to the Gherkin with the aid of a support vehicle. Rich had a steadicam rig for part of the day as I wanted to make the most of the spiral staircase that led up to the top floor. I particularly wanted to capture the sunlight breaking through as the bride ascended the stairs to the ceremony. This rig, and the use of fisheye lenses, made it more possible to capture the feel of the location in a more visually exciting way.

As a film-maker, another big thing of mine is sunset shots – a passion shared by our clients. It was therefore a point of focus for us to make sure we did our best to make the most of the once-in-a-lifetime experience of being on the top floor of the Gherkin by capturing this. After the shoot, we had about 12 hours of footage to work with and from this produced a 90 minute film. It incorporates a lot of Arabic music, not all to my taste, but certainly it gave it an interesting cross-cultural feel!

To round off the production we bought some aerial stock footage of the Gherkin from Getty Images (I could spend all day on their site!). This afforded me the opportunity to give the film an extra ‘wow factor’ and I am pleased to say that the final result is very satisfying. You can see highlights of this film below:

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