Featured! Industrial Glamour on Love My Dress

We've been published on Love My Dress, and what a beautiful feature they have done! It is thanks to Love My Dress that Cheryl, the bride, found us in their handpicked directory, Little Book for Brides. Who can resist a piano piece composed by the groom for his bride's entrance, personalised vows in a derelict chapel, a boat trip down the river Thames and kissing in a lighthouse? Below is a 2 minute taster of what an incredible wedding this was! If that floats your boat, pardon the pun, then grab yourself a cuppa, or wine if you prefer and enjoy the full wedding video (further down). Don't forget to read the full article on Love My Dress for the stylish photography by Ed Godden and a list of talented suppliers involved.

We start in east London at Alec and Cheryl's cottage on the lock. It's uncharacteristically idyllic for city living, with water both sides of their house and chickens in the yard. When I arrive for their pre-wedding catch up, they tell me they considered using their canoe to get to the ceremony and I held in a little squeal of excitement. Although this option has sensibly been vetoed, I know at this point this will be a love story easy to tell.

All images are film stills from the video

We connect over a dislike for over soppy wedding videos with sweeping shots of the dress hanging in a tree. Despite this mutual dislike for over done 'romance' and Alec's hesitation about being filmed altogether, there is no lack of sentiment. I get a sense that Alec doesn't consider himself a romantic, by any means, but his cover is blown when they start chatting about how they met. Non-romantics simply do not own a tandem and propose at home by the fire.

Cheryl is an immediately warm person, and seeing them together reveals more about the mysterious Alec. I realise going forward that I will have to put Alec at ease, like most grooms, and in all honesty I quite like the challenge. I've been told by people that I have a "calming affect" on them, making them confess all sorts and pour their heart out. I confess myself, that I rather enjoy this compliment. Reading Cheryl's testimonial (see below), it seems I was successful in winning Alec over on the value of having a wedding film.

Filming people as they declare their emotions in front of their friends and family, as they most probably have never done before, is normalised. However, I always feel such privilege when couples let me be there for the big moments and the quiet ones too.

Cheryl says “Having the day filmed was something that I’d always hoped we’d be able to do. Initially Alec was less fussed, but when he saw the video that Ayla of Wagtail Productions had created, he confessed that I’d been right (testament to Ayla’s skills!). I hunted for ages to find someone whose style I resonated with. I knew that a formulaic approach or long lingering shots of my shoes wouldn’t be right for us, so I was super happy when I found Ayla and Wagtail Productions. I loved her eye and her way of bringing romance and heart to a film but without it being conventional or too soppy. It felt authentic.

The finished result gave exactly that. I know that some people worry about a videographer being too intrusive, especially with a photographer too, but that wasn’t the case for us. It was discreet and lovely. I don’t think our guests even noticed the day being filmed, but they certainly loved the results too.”

Documentary film making is not all smoke and mirrors, but it's chipping away and showing people the beauty that's already there. Take a look at the behind the scenes shot of myself and Ed bouncing about on the boat with our cameras, so much so, that Alec decides to turn the tables and film us. Thank goodness for my Gimbal.