Rich is one of my closest friends, and was a groomsman at my own wedding. Filming his wedding to Hayley at Naas Court Farm, near Lydney, carried the same mixture of joy and responsibility I've felt each time someone close to me has got married.
Knowing the people involved changes the experience of filming a wedding. You're not arriving as a stranger and learning the relationships as the day unfolds. You already understand some of the history in the room, and why certain interactions matter more than they might look from behind a camera.
That familiarity doesn't make the filmmaking casual, though. If anything it makes the finished film matter more. A late-summer wedding gives a Highlights edit plenty of natural light to work with, from arrival through to a first dance that doesn't need anything artificial to look right, and I wanted the pace of the edit to carry that same warmth rather than just document it.
I wanted to be present with my friends on the day while still giving Rich and Hayley something they could return to properly. It requires a different kind of attention from a wedding where I'm meeting everyone for the first time. The filming setup stays deliberately small, one filmmaker and two cameras, but I begin with a clearer understanding of the relationships in front of me.
This is an example of a Highlights Film: a concise edit shaped around the people, atmosphere and movement of the day.
Explore the Highlights Film packageShown here as an example of the format; packages and inclusions may have changed since this wedding. Check availability for your date.