My First Wedding…..
I think the best place to start this blog would be my first ever wedding, my sisters back in 2021.
She got married in the North near a place called Wilmslow. It was a lovely wedding at Deans Row Chapel, the same Chapel where my parents got married. Our family links to this chapel run deep with my Grandmother being a key part of their community, including being part of the Chapel Choir.
Sarah got married on the 29th of May 2021, which sadly was during the tail end of the Covid Pandemic. Due to this, she couldn’t have all of the people there that she wanted, as the restrictions on large gatherings were still in place. As a result, she had to pick and choose carefully who would be coming to her wedding, a position no one wants to be in, but she dealt with well.
At one point in her planning we realised that suppliers would not count to your total numbers, and so an idea was born….
I would be her Videographer for her wedding!
And so I brought along my Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4k, and Panasonic GH5 and filmed her wedding. Now up until that point I had only used these cameras for short films, promotional work and music videos, so a wedding was a bit out of my wheelhouse!
I set up the Blackmagic in the back, streaming the footage via zoom to friends and family across the world who couldn’t be there. I then brought the GH5 with me to the front, to capture their reactions.
But I didn’t stop there….
Before the wedding I thought to myself, well wouldn’t it be nice to bring my drone? And my Gimbal? And tripods? And sound recorder? Just in case I need them!
The end result was me filming far more than I think anyone expected, including myself! My Sister has asked me to just film her ceremony, but instead I filmed the whole day. From the ceremony, to the reception, to the speeches, to the first dance and finally the cake cutting!
Their reaction was all the payment I needed. Having a full account of their wedding meant the world to them, and to me as well.
And from there more friends and family got in touch with me to film their weddings. Including my wife’s cousin and best friend, but those are stories for another time!
Without my sisters wedding, I wouldn’t have fallen in love with this job, to which I am grateful everyday. Thank you Sarah and Gareth, you are the best first couple I could have ever asked for.
All the best,
James
