At the start of May we filmed Toby and Bhupinders Sikh wedding celebrations over 3 days including the family’s Mendhi and Ladies Sangeet events. It was our first job with the newly released Sony Z7 camera and Dan & Dusan had the honour of christening (or should I say Sikhisming?) the new cameras. I came and supervised the filming of the ceremony on the Sunday morning which was at Hounslow Gurdwara. What is unusual about this Sikh wedding is that Toby is a non-Sikh American guy who lives and works in the UK. He and Bhupinder were a really nice couple, representing a cross cultural marriage with a real sense of openness. Both families were very warm and friendly and Toby and his father grew the customary beards for the occasion. The Sikh wedding reception was held afterwards in the secret garden at Syon Park this proved a lovely setting for enjoyable event. To see highlights from their Sikh wedding video, click on the video below:

The day after my birthday in July, I drove slightly worse for wear down to Buxted Park in Sussex with Tunji to film Laurence & Zoe’s wedding. They had booked us last minute after being let down by another wedding videographer. Being let down is a common problem because of the many amateurs in our business (6 booking last year came to us this way and 3 so far this year!) There was an element of deja vu about filming Laurence and Zoe’s wedding as we had been to Buxted Park only 3 weeks earlier for Vicky & James (currently being edited). I must say it was a nice day and despite being slightly hung-over the videography in Sussex went fine. The venue has splendid grounds with views for miles around. Perhaps the archetypal Sussex wedding video the couple married in a civil ceremony with photography by Fergus Noone based in Greenwich market. Laurence was particular keen to capture all the funny moments, which I think we did. You can see highlights from his wedding in Sussex below.

Whilst Dan & David were filming in Oxfordshire (see this post), I was accompanying Dishad and Eva filming Manjit & Anju’s wedding at Coventry Gurdwara. The day started for Eva and I in Barking, Essex capturing Manjit getting ready before the whole entourage left for Coventry. One thing I always like to do when I am on a shoot to is film the baraat en route. This can be more difficult than you imagine because you not only have to speed after them and cut through traffic, but you then need to keep the camera steady long enough to capture footage from a moving vehicle. For this particular Sikh wedding video we decided to go one step further that we did in Amrita & Benji’s Sikh wedding video and stop at a service station along the M1 and film from a foot bridge. We’d hardly been in position for more than a minute when the bus carrying all of Manjit’s family went past. Although only one shot, it gave a lift to the film which I believe makes it feel like a TV documentary. Thanks to our sat nav we arrived in Coventry just ahead of the bus and was ready to film the arrival of the baraat and milni before the ceremony commenced. The reception was a bit hectic, not helped by traffic diversions on the two centre, but I am proud of the film we managed to pull off for Manjit & Anju. You can see highlights of their Sikh wedding video below:

In May we were booked by Helen and James to film their wedding at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. It was a great location for a wedding reception, although the staff were a little obstructive when it came to filming outside the main house. However the weather held and our wedding videographers Dan and David ensured we got plenty of good material. As you would expect from an Oxfordshire wedding video it was a very elegant affair with beautiful surroundings and lovely details. The couple endeared themselves to their guests with personal touches such rowing oars outside the church and a rehearsed first dance. For their wedding DVD we experimented with the use of black and white for some scenes, which I think looks good for church weddings where the bride is wearing white. You can see a trailer from the Oxfordshire wedding video below:

One of our favourite places for wedding videos in Hampshire is the Four Seasons Hotel in Dogmersfield, where we film many weddings each year. What is nice about the venue is the unstuffy warmth and hospitality of the staff combined a wonderful rural location. Our clients, Susan and David, opted to hold their wedding ceremony in the walled garden which is wonderful feature of the hotel and makes for a beautiful wedding video. David being a Kiwi decided to add a touch of his cultural heritage by having Maori dancers entertain his guests in the evening whilst a band also provided great entertainment. Our wedding videographer Dishad did a great job as always of filming the wedding and I am pleased with the results. You can see highlights of this Hampshire wedding video below:

Towards the end of last year we were invited to film Rachel and Alexander’s wedding at the Palace of Westminster. This was a very special opportunity for me being a former arts student with an interest in Gothic Revival architecture since their wedding was conducted in AWN Pugin’s masterpiece St Mary Undercroft. The service was conducted by the Bishop of St. Albans one of nicest members of the clergy I have ever had the cause to work with and the wedding ceremony was very moving. Rachel and Alex’s wedding was attended by a number of dignitaries and familiar faces and their reception was held afterwards in the House of Lords banqueting rooms overlooking the Thames. It was nice to have a really iconic place to film and I enjoyed making this wedding video in Westminster particularly. Photography was done by Matt Link Photography who I enjoyed working with and certainly knew what he was doing. You can see highlights of their wedding video below

One of the first London wedding videos we filmed this year was for Catherine and Christian a couple who married at Farm Street Church in Mayfair with a reception afterwards at Claridges Hotel. The service was conducted by Father William Pearsall a splendidly nice chap with a great sense of humour. Catherine looked wonderful in her dress entering into this fabulous catholic church and Christian gave a witty speech at the reception. Claridges is a very nice venue for a wedding and we have been there on many occasions now. Like all our wedding videos in London, we try to combine the elegance of the occasion with a sense of what being in London is all about. Dishad and Simon filmed the wedding using the Z1 camera on one of its last outings before we upgraded to the Z7, I must say Claridges uses very low lighting so it is a struggle for the Z1 camera and I am glad we won’t have to use camera lights so often in future. Use can see highlights of this London wedding video.

Another Muslim wedding video we finished editing over the last few months was for Asif and Reshmin. Both of them are from Bengali families, so they found themselves at the centre of a fabulous wedding celebrations that went over for several days! The culmination of this was a lavish wedding reception at the Marriott Grosvenor Square attended by some 500 guests. Reshmin is the ideal bride to film as she always animated and wearing a big smile, she looked fabulous at her wedding reception. I was particularly pleased that she and Asif had a chance to do some photography in the park and it makes a big difference to the visual quality of the film. They are a lovely couple and I wish them well in the future. You can see highlights from their Muslim wedding video below

We recently finished editing an Asian wedding video for Vivek & Anneka, who got married in a civil ceremony at Ealing Town Hall in September 2007 before going to Goa for their proper Asian wedding. Afterwards they held a reception back in the UK just before Christmas at Addington Palace in Croydon. The wedding reception was well attended by over 500 guests and both the bride and grooms families were absolutely wonderful! Dan and Simon filmed the wedding with me directing, we trialled the new EX-1 camera because of its low light capabilities – very wise considering it was the shortest day of the year! The shoot went well and everybody was in great spirits, I particularly liked the speeches, bollywood dancers (with uncle joining in) and the partying! Highlights of their Asian wedding video can be seen below.

Back in April we were booked to produce a wedding video in Wiltshire for the lovely Andrew & Gemma. Dan and Dishad filmed the day which began at the church and then continued with a reception afterwards at Gemma’s family estate. Gemma’s dad is a well known BBC racing commentator, so it was no surprise they had plenty of horses in the fields. We have a thing in our company about filming animals and wildlife, you’ll see creatures appearing in many of the films we make – so with this one it is horses! Andrew & Gemma were a wonderful couple and Gemma’s father gave one of the most entertaining Father of the Bride speeches we’ve heard so far this year! Another unique feature of their wedding was a Ceilidh which not only entertained the guests but kept them warm on what was a rather cold evening! Like every film we’ve made this year, it was a pleasure to create something visual and entertaining. Highlights for their Wiltshire wedding video can be seen below.