One of the privileges of creating wedding videos, is getting to know a couple at one of the most intimate moments in their lives. Whether the videographer on the day or the editor looking at footage in a darkened room weeks later, you can’t help but get involved in the couple’s story. At Bloomsbury we feel a huge responsibility for creating a film that captures our clients personality as well as the people and events surrounding them on their wedding day. It is no exaggeration to say a lot of heart goes into making each film – wedding videography just isn’t something you can do dispassionately! Although we run a studio style operation with many people involved in every film we make, each person is fully invested in each frame of the finished film.
Consequently when a film is completed, the response from our clients is very important to us! A recent example was Helen and Michael whose wedding at Easthampstead Park we filmed back in July. As you can tell from the wedding video, the couple are very popular with family and friends and this warmth was something we wanted to get across. When Helen saw the trailer she was thrilled and made us happy by showing her gratitude. It also made us smile when a week or so later she even commented on her own YouTube video expressing how proud she was; “This is our wedding and we were totally amazed by the fantastic job Bloomsbury did it was amazing!” Believe it or not, these few words meant a great deal to us and it is why we enjoy making really special films for our clients. Please have a look at the trailer for Helen & Michael’s wedding video for yourself below:
Autumn is lovely season and as someone getting married myself in Autumn (next week!!), I was looking back at some wedding videos we did last Autumn. One of these was Dave & Nicola’s wedding, filmed at Hampton Court Golf Club in Surrey. What I liked about their wedding video was the footage of photos taken outdoors amid the autumn trees. In this video we used a mixture of de-saturated and black and white effects to enhance the imagery. I always feel that the outdoors provides a more interesting backdrop to any filming and photography and they were lucky the weather allowed them to make full use of this.
The thing I like about Autumn is the light can be more interesting – longer shadows, touch more orangey, It also tends to be more even than the sharp angles you sometimes get with summer sun. People often make the mistake of thinking that sunlight equals good filming conditions, but what you really need is just consistent and even light. Another favourite video of mine is Davina & Kaysen’sIndian wedding video. As you can see from the opening shots they had a lovely crisp day and being next to Kensington Park Gardens were lucky enough to have a fabulous location for photography.
We filmed this wedding with our friends from Pixcellence Photography and we both agreed the colours were just wonderful! We weren’t the only ones to think so as Davina & Kaysen’s wedding was subsequently featured in The London Paper as an example of Autumn weddings! I’m looking forward to my wedding next week, I just hope we get that special Autumn light too!
Davina & Kaysen's Autumn wedding in The London Paper
Another Muslim wedding we filmed this year was Shazma & Omar’s Nikkah, held at the Dorchester Hotel, London in May. Attended by 500 guests, the couple booked our Premiere package which I supervised personally with our videographers Dan & Tunji. Dan began the day in Berkshire filming Shazma leaving her family home, whilst Tunji and I went over to Chigwell to film Omar and his family getting ready and conducting the Sehra Bandi. Its quite rare for us to film grooms getting ready, (usually this is domain of brides!), but Omar’s outfit and preparations were considerably more elaborate than most grooms. Indeed it tends to only be Sikh & Muslim grooms that really warrant the filming treatment, for example see this Sikh wedding video and this Muslim wedding video. Omar’s family were very welcoming and I had a particularly pleasant chat with Omar’s father.
After departing from their respective homes the two families descended upon the Dorchester Hotel in central London. From a filming perspective, the highlight of the day was the Baraat. Behind the hotel in a small street the groom pulled up in a Rolls Royce Phantom and mounted a beautifully decorated horse. 200 guests and a large professional band then proceeded behind the groom into Park Lane to the astonishment of many bystanders. Buses full with commuters were temporarily held up for the jaw dropping spectacle as the band and guests danced their way down Park Lane to hotel’s ballroom entrance. Here the families met and greeted one another, before two Scottish bag pipers took over and led the whole gathering into the hotel ballroom. It was a fabulous setting and after the Nikkah was completed an evening of food, speeches and entertainment provided a treat for all. You can see highlights from Shazma & Omar’s Muslim wedding celebrations below
On a warm Spring day towards the end of May two of our wedding videographers made their way down to one of our favourite venues the Four Seasons Hampshire to film the wedding of Deborah and Mark. It was a very tasteful and intimate wedding that provided a nice opportunity to create yet another very personal film. The couple were very open and I am sure soon forgot we were filming at all. I remember the best man’s speech as being particularly entertaining, surpassed only by the touching tribute from Deborah’s father. As with many weddings filmed at the Four Seasons the outdoor terraces provided a great backdrop for the drinks reception and the field of flames which laid out in the evening. I was happy when I first saw the footage and the video makes a good addition to our growing collection of weddings at the Four Seasons. We are currently editing two more weddings filmed at the Four Seasons Hampshire this Summer which will be uploaded in due course.
The first Jewish wedding video we filmed this year was on a cold wintry day in March. It was for Michel & Michael a couple whose special day was hosted at the Millennium Hotel Gloucester Road. The couple booked our Director’s Cut™ package at a time when it was only two cameras (now three). We used Sony Z1 cameras and our jib arm, we also hired a Steadicam Merlin for the occasion to see if it was something we might buy. I must say I was very pleased with the Steadicam and would have no hesitation buying one if it wasn’t for the fact that we ditched our Z1 cameras for the new heavier Z7 cameras. Creating a Jewish wedding video is always interesting, especially filming the ceremony, dancing and blessings. This particular Jewish wedding was a bit more orthodox than those we’ve previously filmed as the men and women were divided during the reception banquet. Despite the very dark time of year (and being two levels below ground for the reception), the wedding presented enough spectacle to create a fabulous Jewish wedding video. One thing that stuck in my mind was the Talbis which took place before the ceremony and involved the males of the family each singing in turn before being joined in chorus. You can see highlights of this wedding video below:
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:
