Why We Are the Original Storytellers in Wedding Filmmaking

Over the past decade, iconic fashion houses like Chanel, Dior, and Gucci have redefined the way they connect with audiences – by embracing the power of storytelling. From Chanel’s Inside Chanel video series launched in 2012, to Dior’s cinematic Secret Garden campaigns beginning in 2014, and Gucci’s bold narrative reinvention under Alessandro Michele from 2015 onward, storytelling became more than a marketing tool. It became the heartbeat of luxury branding.

It was only recently that I learned just how deeply these brands leaned into storytelling – and how closely that mirrored what I’d already built. Because while they were just beginning to explore storytelling as strategy, I had already made it my foundation.

I founded Story Of Your Day in 2011. Back then, ‘storytelling’ wasn’t a buzzword in wedding filmmaking. It wasn’t a marketing trend or aesthetic style. For me, it was instinct – drawn from over two decades working as a BBC journalist and filmmaker. It became the very heart of everything I created.

A woman with a camera, telling your story.

What I started out of purpose and passion has since become a movement. But I wasn’t following the movement – I was already living it.

And if storytelling became my philosophy, it was for one simple reason – it’s also my purpose. My why. My Ikigai.

Storytelling Trends in Marketing: A Brief Timeline

• 1988: Nike – Just Do It
  Nike’s Just Do It campaign used storytelling to inspire athletes worldwide, connecting deeply with its audience by focusing on the personal journey behind sports and achievement. It’s a classic example of how storytelling can transcend products to build an emotional connection.
• 2004: Dove – Real Beauty Campaign. ( a new line here) Dove’s Real Beauty campaign challenged traditional beauty standards, using storytelling to empower real women and embrace diverse body types. This was one of the earliest campaigns to use authentic storytelling to connect with audiences on a deeper, more human level, and it revolutionised how beauty products were marketed.
  
• 2012: Chanel – Inside Chanel
  Chanel’s Inside Chanel series used cinematic storytelling to immerse audiences in the brand’s rich history. This was one of the early examples of how luxury brands began leveraging storytelling to connect with their audiences on a deeper, more personal level.
  
• 2014: Dior – Secret Garden Campaign
  Dior’s Secret Garden campaign fused luxury fashion with storytelling in a way that evoked emotions, making the product part of a larger, cinematic narrative.
• 2015: Gucci – Alessandro Michele’s Narrative Reinvention
  Under Alessandro Michele, Gucci moved from traditional luxury branding to a more narrative-driven approach, telling bold, engaging stories that captured the essence of their brand in new and unexpected ways.

Storytelling in Wedding Filmmaking: The Pioneer Approach

While global brands were just beginning to embrace storytelling, I had already made it the core of my wedding filmmaking philosophy. In an industry still focused on highlight reels and montage-style films, I was crafting deeply personal, narrative-driven films that went beyond trends.

At the time, wedding films were largely defined by cinematic visuals paired with music, often leaving out the richness of real emotion, personal connection, and the unique journey of each couple. But my approach at Story Of Your Day changed that.

So let’s go back to where it all began…

How It All Began

I’ve spent over 30 years immersed in storytelling – including two decades at the BBC, where I worked both in front of the camera as a newsreader and behind it as a Video Journalist. That experience taught me how to observe, listen, and craft stories with clarity, empathy, and purpose.

I began filming weddings while I was still at the BBC. A friend – and also a former BBC journalist who had become a wedding photographer – asked if I’d consider filming one of her weddings. She thought I could bring something new to the industry. A different perspective.

I hadn’t planned to go down that path, but as soon as I did, something clicked. I realised this kind of filmmaking – personal, honest, emotionally led – was closer to my purpose and passion than anything I’d done before.

Eventually, I had to choose between two careers. That choice led me further into wedding filmmaking – and ultimately to Story Of Your Day.

“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

When I left the BBC, my colleagues gave me this framed quote as a gift, and it’s a principle that has guided me throughout my career. Storytelling was never a trend to me; it was a calling. I didn’t follow the paths others had already paved – I created my own. While many wedding filmmakers were still focused on highlight reel, I had already begun pioneering a new, story-driven approach to wedding films.

So Story Of Your Day is not a brand I built with strategy in mind, but a name that came from a place of purpose – what I believed in then, and still stand by now.

When Purpose Became a Brand

Because storytelling isn’t just something I do. It’s who I am. It’s my instinct. The place where my experience, creativity, and purpose come together.

I don’t create films simply to document a day. I tell stories to preserve something deeper—emotion, connection, presence. I’m not inspired by perfume-advert-style wedding films. I’m drawn to what’s real. What’s felt. What lasts.

That’s the heart of my work. Storytelling is how I connect – with people, with place, and with purpose. It’s not just a way of working. It’s the reason I do what I do.

It’s also what led to the philosophy that now defines my work: Purveyors of Time Travel through Cinematic Storytelling

What We Believe Storytelling Really Is

We don’t follow trends. We tell stories.
We’re not influenced by what’s fashionable on social media or what wedding directories are promoting.
Because we’ve never been driven by trends – we’re driven by truth.
And we’re still doing what we’ve always done: crafting immersive, emotional, story-led films that reflect the essence of each couple, not the aesthetic of the moment.

This is how our philosophy takes shape – story by story, film by film

We don’t create montages. We craft meaning.

Storytelling is not a montage of beautiful shots set to music.
While stunning cinematic imagery matters, true storytelling goes beyond pairing visuals with a soundtrack. It’s not a music video or a highlight reel. It’s about narrative. Emotion. Meaning.

Kat and Dmetrey’s elopement film combines both professional footage and user-generated content – videos they filmed themselves after their elopement as they continued their European adventure. By blending these personal clips with the professional shots, we tell the full story of their love and journey, showing that every piece of footage, whether filmed by them or me, holds meaning, not just beauty.

We don’t follow a formula. We write the narrative.

Storytelling is not formulaic or templated. There’s no shortcut to something meaningful.
You can’t drag and drop moments into a structure and expect it to feel true.
Our films are built from the ground up – with intuition, curiosity, and care.
Each story shapes the film. Not the other way around.

Shweta and Rahul’s wedding film opens with aerial shots of Glacier 3000, a rare choice for me. Drone footage often starts wedding films, but I use it only when it serves the story. For this wedding, the sweeping landscapes set the tone and scale of their celebration.

But the film quickly transitions into something more intimate. The aerial shots are just the beginning—what follows is a deeply personal story, focused on their love and connection, without relying on trends or formulas.

“We loved Emma’s work because it was so different from others. Our wedding film was outstanding. It wasn’t just a curated collection of events and people but a story – a narration of what brought us together and why they are meant to be.” Shweta + Rahul

We don’t manufacture emotion. We capture what’s real.

Storytelling isn’t about pulling heartstrings for effect.
We’re not here to stage tears or script sentiment.
Emotion, when it’s real, doesn’t need directing.
We listen. We observe. We wait.

We Don’t Replicate. We Redefine.

The language of film is at the forefront of our work – arranged, framed, and edited with intention.
Each frame is a choice. Each cut is deliberate.
We craft a visual language that reflects the emotion and narrative, allowing every shot to serve the story.
This is where our films come to life – through carefully constructed moments and a narrative built frame by frame.

For Michèle and Collin’s wedding in Montreux, their love of music took centre stage. During their evening celebration, they DJed to their favourite tunes, and I matched the music frame by frame to their performance. It was a perfect example of how we craft every shot with intention, letting the music and their connection shape the story.

Sound is not an afterthought. It’s where we begin.

We don’t just capture what’s seen. We capture what’s felt – and that lives in the sound.
In the vows, the silences, the atmosphere, the words unsaid.
We compose with audio the same way we frame a shot – intentionally.
Because without sound, you’re only hearing part of the story.
And we never tell half the story.

In this film, John speaks directly about his love for Brooke in a way that’s rarely seen in wedding films today. While many filmmakers may shy away from such an intimate, interview-style format, I believe that sometimes, breaking the mold is the best way to capture the true essence of a couple’s love.

“Emma’s unique way of capturing the story is what sets her apart.  We will always have this beautiful memory of our day to look back on and could not be more thankful.” Brooke + John

We don’t stage stories. We witness them.

A popular trend in wedding films today mimics perfume adverts – visually polished, highly produced, and emotionally empty.
But that’s not storytelling. It’s performance. It’s production.
We don’t choreograph the day or curate moments for the camera.
We let the story unfold, unscripted and real, because the most meaningful films aren’t manufactured.  They’re discovered.

(You can read more in our blog: Fake vs Real – The Difference That Matters

STORYTELLER FILMMAKER VISIONARY

At Story Of Your Day, our vision is clear: to redefine wedding films through cinematic storytelling, allowing our clients to relive the emotion and essence of their day. Our clients are drawn to our unique approach, seeking films that are timeless, authentic, and story-driven – capturing a genuine narrative that feels personal, evocative, and full of soul.

Bringing a Love Story to Life: Brittany + Ryan, Love Intertwined

I tell stories about people, places, and love, and they just so happen to be getting married. This wedding encapsulates everything I believe in as a filmmaker.

So when it came time to choose which wedding to film, I had two options. One was at a stunning venue in Lausanne – a breathtaking location, but one that focused more on spectacle than substance. The other was Brittany and Ryan’s wedding, set in a small church in the Sertig Valley, surrounded by their closest family and friends. It wasn’t a large wedding, but it held a depth and significance that spoke to me. It was a story I wanted to tell.

A modern love story of a bride from Texas following in the footsteps of her grandmother, who married her true love in a beautiful church in Davos, Switzerland, in 1946.

Brittany and Ryan’s wedding wasn’t just about exchanging vows – it was about preserving a legacy. Brittany dreamed of getting married in the very church where her grandparents had wed after their own remarkable wartime romance. A place where family history met new beginnings. The church, the mountains, and Brittany’s grandmother’s transformed wedding dress weren’t just beautiful details – they were a reflection of something much deeper: love, family, and tradition.

Their wedding, held in August 2018, was intimate and personal, with every aspect of the day carrying meaning. For me, this wasn’t about capturing a visually perfect wedding – it was about telling their story. I wasn’t interested in creating a typical wedding film; I wanted to capture something real. From their heartfelt vows to the quiet moments shared between them, every detail of the day was woven into a narrative that felt as personal and meaningful as the love it celebrated.

Images by Wit Photography

Sharing the Craft: Teaching The Art of Storytelling Through Cinematic Videography

Since 2016, I’ve been sharing my approach to cinematic storytelling with fellow filmmakers through Evolve Videography Training. I teach The Art of Storytelling Through Cinematic Videography in my workshops and retreats, where I guide filmmakers to break away from the formulaic and embrace authentic storytelling.

In addition to these workshops, I’ve been invited as a speaker at prestigious events like The Video Show in the UK and, more recently, the Global Filmmakers Festival in Athens.

Storytelling is not just a practice for me – it’s a philosophy that I’m passionate about sharing with others. Through these workshops, I guide filmmakers to move beyond the formulaic approaches that dominate the industry and embrace a more authentic, narrative-driven style of filmmaking. I believe that when we understand storytelling at its core, we can create work that resonates deeply with audiences and stands the test of time.

By teaching others how to connect with their subjects and craft compelling stories, I’m not just shaping my own films – I’m helping to shape the future of wedding filmmaking.

Let’s Tell Your Story

At Story Of Your Day, we believe your wedding film should be more than just a keepsake. It should be a cinematic time capsule, capturing the essence of your day – the emotions, the connections, and the real moments that tell your story. Not only for you to relive, but for future generations to experience.

We don’t follow trends. We create stories. And those stories are what will stay with you forever.

Ready to see your story come to life?
Let’s create something unforgettable together.