Essex Wedding Video

‘It’s so beautifully put together and brought back so many happy memories from Dom and I’s special day. Thank you again for capturing our day so beautifully - we can’t stop watching it!’ 

New hall school

Not only is New Hall School a beautiful venue for a wedding - it also holds a special place in Danielle's heart as she attended the school there! This unique setting added an extra layer of significance to the day, and making the film felt all the more special for it.

Since 1799, New Hall School has resided within the grand Tudor Palace of Beaulieu. The estate originally came under the ownership of King Henry VIII in 1517, during which extensive renovations and enhancements were made to the building. Visitors to New Hall can still behold the Royal Arms of Henry VIII within the Chapel. Following Henry VIII's era, New Hall served as the residence of Mary Tudor before being bestowed upon the Earl of Sussex by Queen Elizabeth I. Later, Oliver Cromwell acquired the estate for a mere sum of five shillings! Few wedding venues have such a rich and significant historical background, making New Hall a classically unique choice.

An Essex Wedding Video

To begin this Essex Wedding Video, I made the choice to use one of the readings from the ceremony as an intro. Danielle’s uncle had read a cute poem that I felt would make a nice start, and it allowed me to overlay some of the couple portrait session clips. I don’t often include shots of the couple together this early in the film, as it can make the chronological timeline of the film a little confusing - after all on the day itself Danielle & Dom didn’t see each other until she started walking down the aisle. However in this case, I managed to capture so much nice footage during the portrait session, that I wanted to include as much of it as possible.

I still wanted to build a little anticipation however - and showing Danielle & Dom together would probably dispel any suspense. To get around this, I only included shots where they were either walking away from the camera, not the point of focus in the frame, or just details such as rings and flowers. This gives the viewer hints of the couple, without giving away the game too early in the film.

Morning Preparations

The next section of the film is of the morning preparations - fortunately I was able to cover both sets as both Danielle & Dom got ready on site at New Hall. Danielle and her bridesmaids got ready at the lodges - some lovely cabins overlooking a lake; this made a perfect spot for the big reveal once she was in her dress. I used a snippet from the priests address at the ceremony as narrative audio for this section; his words about love, celebration and joy seemed to fit perfectly over this footage.

Dom got ready with his groomsmen on the other side of the grounds, and I managed to capture some really nice shots of him getting ready using the natural light streaming through a window. I used the beginning of the vows, where Danielle is talking directly about her new husband, as a way of transitioning from the morning footage to the ceremony itself.

The ceremony

The ceremony took place in the chapel - an exquisitely detailed part of New Hall that really shows off the history through lavish decor and scale. Danielle looked resplendent as she walked the aisle, and Dom was clearly unable to contain his excitement; he had a beaming smile on his face for the entirety of the proceedings!

After exchanging vows the newly-wed couple exited down the aisle to rapturous applause, before being covered in confetti on the steps outside.

The reception

For this Essex Wedding Video, I knew exactly how I wanted to start the reception section of the film - with Dom’s enthusiastic cry of ‘We did it!!’. This really summed up the day and Danielle & Dom for me - pure excitement and joy at finally being able to tie the knot surrounded by their nearest and dearest. This was further demonstrated by Dom’s heartfelt and sincere words of thanks and appreciation to all the guests, not only for their attendance at the wedding but also their constant support and love. I overlayed footage of the guests at this point, ensuring the visuals and audio narrative matched in a way that makes sense. I used more of Dom’s speech in the next section, as he had some lovely words about his new bride, and putting this audio over the footage from the couple portrait session adds to the emotional impact of the scene.

I rounded off this Essex Wedding Video with Danielle & Dom’s first dance, and then transitioned into the party footage, before using the audio of Danielle’s dad toasting the new couple as a final send off as the footage fades out.