It’s time to focus on weddings at home – and by that I don’t just mean UK weddings …

For the third in our series of real weddings, we’re looking at couples who choose to have their wedding either in their home or a family or friend’s home.

Photos above from L to R by: Honeybunn Photography, Matt Badenoch, Nichola Morton Photography & James Rouse

I love these weddings. There’s something very special about them and we seem to film a lot of them too and so rather than focus on just one of them, I’m going to feature a round-up of my recent favourites.

First of all, and one of the highlights of 2017, was Laura and Peter’s wedding in Osmotherley in Yorkshire. When I first heard from this unassuming couple and they talked me through their plans, I had no idea it was actually their home they were planning on having as their wedding venue. They even had a small church for the service on the outskirts of their grounds.

Photos by Matt Badenoch

For the couple themselves it means they have so much more freedom to plan and prepare as well as having the day exactly how they wanted it.

For example, in the morning Peter went clay pigeon shooting with his groomsmen in the grounds before having a few beers in their very local pub. Meanwhile, Laura was able to chill out with her friends knowing that she only had a short journey to the church, down their long drive, and so there wasn’t much chance she’d be late!

They set up a marquee in the back garden and there were no time limits on what they could do… meaning late-night fireworks to music was also an option. The fact that they invited their friend, the lead singer from Bastille, to sing for them was just an added bonus.

The key to capturing this story was to make sure the film was as accurate a reflection as possible… this meant detailed meetings with Laura and Peter to ensure my team didn’t miss anything on the day that was important to them.

I know that some videographers just turn up on the day and shoot what they see but for me it’s important that before the wedding I know the story and I am prepared for what will happen so there’s no surprises.

This meant that on our part, and from the perspective of Laura and Peter, it was a totally relaxed day from start to finish with a gorgeous and happy couple, confident they could get on with enjoying their day, so we could enjoy filming it.

Laura + Peter // The One from Story of Your Day .

Another home wedding I filmed last year, was in Henley on Thames. It was logistically more complicated because the wedding ceremony was going to be held at the Town Hall, while the groom – Leighton – was getting ready in a hotel about 20 minutes away and the bride – Chrystianne – was getting ready at home. It was one of those cases where I needed to be in three places at once!

In the end, with careful planning, I started very early with Leighton and then went on to the bride’s parents house to film preparations. I sent my second-shooter to film beautiful shots of Henley and then we both met back up at the Town Hall for the ceremony.

Taking into account the time lost in the day by travelling between venues is a very important consideration, for everyone involved. I always allow plenty of time and consider for a Sat Nav mix-up – in this instance the family had put a one-way system in place to reach their house down small lanes but during the ceremony it was reversed!!! So, when we went back to the house for the celebrations, it took much longer than expected with a detour…

But we take all these ‘complications’ in our stride and it was a fab wedding with great guests and brilliant speeches.

The reception was in the back garden as was the marquee. No nearby neighbours to complain about the noise when Chrystianne’s Dad’s band partied on into the early hours…. It was the perfect setting for a wedding at home.

Chrystianne + Leighton // I will be there from Story of Your Day.

In 2016 I had the privilege of filming the Olympic show jumper, William Whitaker’s, wedding to Elisabeth.

Although the couple had a wedding planner, deciding to have a videographer was a last-minute decision by Elisabeth. In order to capture the beauty of their land they also required a drone – we commissioned The Drone Man to cover the aerials for the day ( you can read my previous blog post on why we don’t film drone footage ourselves…).

Their ceremony was in a church nearby by and William’s Grandfather was to give the sermon. It was a very emotional and poignant sermon and featured in the trailer because both bride and groom had explained what an important family figure he was.

It was a gorgeous sunny day, which leant itself to a wonderful outdoor wedding set in their beautiful grounds. The trailer was shared by Elisabeth and within 24 hours had thousands of views, just incredible.

“This video is just an absolute dream. To all you out there that are getting married, Emma Wilson is the woman to contact, she has made this for us and it has made me feel so blessed that we can watch this for the rest of our life. It makes me cry every time. This is the story of our day, that really makes me feel like it’s the story of our life.”

Elisabeth + William // An Uncommon Love from Story of Your Day

To have a look at some of our other UK ‘home’ weddings follow these links to their wedding page:

MARQUEE IN GARDEN – Hannah and Hampus – Love is a temporary madness
TIPI IN A WALLED GARDEN – Sophie and Jan-Willem – Midsummer lover
A STATELY HOME – Siobhan and Adrian – A lifetime together

We love ‘home’ weddings and would love to hear from you if you’re planning a similar wedding.