I love to travel. Any opportunity I get to travel, I take it. That’s why I love destination weddings. Last year we were lucky enough to go to one amazing wedding in Newport, Rhode Island. When Jessica started telling us all about her wedding day, we couldn’t help but get excited. Venue overlooking the water, cheerleaders, an after party on a yacht at sunset, a polerina, …

The jam-packed day started well before sunrise for us. At 6am we arrived at the house where Jessica and her bridesmaids were getting ready. Jessica and Ben exchanged some gifts before the wedding, Jessica received a beautiful and timeless Tiffany bracelet, Benjamin became the proud owner of Patriots season tickets, not easy to get by as far as I can gather. Before the ceremony, Jessica and Benjamin had their first look at their reception venue, the Belle Mer. I like a “first look”, it’s this lovely and quiet moment just between the bride and groom (and us). It’s always so sweet and emotional. Off to the ceremony at St Josephs in the Newport trolley.

After the ceremony, the bridal party went to the gardens of one of the famous mansions Newport for a photo session while the guests made their way to the Belle Mer. While I started editing their Same Day Edit (first time I did a Same Day Edit at a destination wedding), the bridal party made their entrance accompanied by the spectacular acrobatics of high school cheerleaders. I’m still a little miffed that I didn’t get to see that in real life. The party had started! And then there was a polerina, another bit of entertainment I hadn’t seen at a wedding before. It’s in between a ballerina and a poledancer, and it is quite something to behold! The party concluded with the screening of the Same Day Edit, as usual, this brought the house down.

Jessica had changed into a bit more of party wedding dress and we were off to the Arabella, stunning 160′ tri-masted tall ship, for a sunset cruise. The entertainment was provided by Ricky Duran, a most excellent singer Jessica and Benjamin met in a bar in Worchester, MA. It was the first time Ricky performed at a wedding and he was quite the hit, rightfully so. After sailing around Newport, the ship docked and we all departed, except for Jessica and Benjamin who spent the night onboard as the only passengers.

Ceremony: St Jospeh’s Catholic Church, Newport Rhode Island www.stjosephsnewport.org
Reception Venue: Belle Mer, Newport Rhode Island www.longwoodevents.com/Venues/belle-mer.shtml
AV and DJ: Sound Choice Events
Music Entertainment: Ricky Duran
Paperie (invites): Chirp Paperie
Photographers: Bee Photography

Jessica & Ben : Highlights from a Newport Wedding Film from EverAfterVideos on Vimeo.

I’m sure the Valentine’s Day cards will have hit the shops somewhere in December, but as we’re about to hit February, the day is coming close. Niels and I love Valentine’s! Typically we spend the day in the kitchen cooking up some special treats to enjoy later that night. As it is the only relevant ‘festive day’ for our line of work, we’d like to do something special for any bride’s-to-be out there. Starting Monday we’ll offer a 5% discount on our Same Day Edit packages and a 10% discount on all our main wedding films. There’s no catch, as long as we are still available for your day, just make sure to book us by the 15th of February to receive the discount.

It’s been a while since I shared a clip on the blog, so I’ll make up for that today. The clip I’m sharing is the trailer to a wedding that is very special to us. Annie and Paul are an amazing couple and very close friends of ours. We were thrilled to be there for their wedding day and I can honestly say this is the first wedding were both Niels and I suffered from a moment of blurry vision… Yes, we both cried at this wedding, but then again, so did every single guest at this wedding! It is a great joy to watch 2 people who you hold so dear get married and declare their love to each other, especially when the vows truly are their very own words and hold so much meaning. I hope you’ll enjoy a glimpse into their day.

Annie & Paul trailer from EverAfterVideos on Vimeo.

As you might remember, a few month ago I shared the same day edit of Helen and Matt, giving you a glimpse into their big day. It’s now time to share a bit more of this fantastic day. From start to finish, their big day was pretty much picture perfect. Starting at the gorgeous setting of Helen’s parent’s home over a wonderful ceremony with brass band music and finishing in a big party at Tankersley Manor.

Although I was pretty busy all day with the Same Day Edit, it was wonderful to come across some familiar faces at the wedding. Our friend Matt Lollar took care of the photography, which resulted in some great shots as as well as a lot of fun. In the evening he even convinced us to be on the ‘other’ side of the lens and took some hilarious fancy dress pictures of the whole team in the photo booth. Just check out our Facebook page if you’d like to see this rather rare evidence of us on the wrong side of a camera.

The evening entertainment didn’t stop there, one of our favourite bands was playing: The Bootleggers! I first encountered them during way back at one of our first weddings when I had just started Ever After in 2002 and ever since they’ve proven to really get the party started. And as you’ll see below, in this case they also got the video started.

Without further ado, please enjoy Helen and Matt’s wedding film!

The Wedding of Helen & Matt from EverAfterVideos on Vimeo.

Remember that competition we ran earlier this year to celebrate 10 years of Ever After? You know, the one where we gave away a free wedding film? The competition that was so close that until the very last minute, just before midnight could have gone to any of the 2 front runners? Well, last Saturday our winners, Rebecca & Jonathan, got hitched and we were there to cover it all.

The setting was Harlaxton Manor in Lincolnshire. This is one seriously impressive venue with a long drive way leading you up to a Victorian manor house of epic proportions, there is no way anyone would not be impressed by this place. And this place is the British campus of the University of Evansville in Indiana, USA, some lucky kids actually go to school here.

A thoroughly excited bride met us at the gates and gave us an enthusiastic tour of her venue before she got ready in the bridal suite. A little later, Jonathan arrived in a vintage sports car. We were all set for the ceremony in the great hall. Rebecca’s entrance was just magical, walking up the long aisle alone definitely made quite the dramatic impact. And then they added a bit of fun to the solemn occasions by singing “Bring me sunshine” with a jazz hands finish.

After the ceremony, the weather turned out to be rather lovely and sunny, so we managed to make the most of the venue by enjoying the gardens too. Then it was time for me to start editing their wedding film. As all their guests had been drafted in to vote for them, there was already quite a bit of talk about this wedding video. So I couldn’t disappoint, and I didn’t. The Same Day Edit brought the house down. Rebecca and Jonathan were ever so lovely and sweet, I’m happy we were a part of their wedding day. They were very worthy winners.

Rebecca & Jonathan’s Wedding Film from EverAfterVideos on Vimeo.

Alice and John tied the knot back in July on what turned out to be a lovely summer’s day. The bride’s prep took place at Alice parent’s home, a beautiful farm house in a scenic countryside setting. The church, St Mary’s in Bosworth, was equally quaint and lovely.

With Alice’s creative background this wedding was planned in exquisite detail with personal touches all over. My favourite was probably the personalised hoodies Alice designed for herself and her bridesmaids, featuring all of them as Disney-esque princesses. A theme that suited Alice’s dress perfectly, a dreamy tulle wedding gown by Ronald Joyce, fit for a fairytale. And in the evening the fairytale dress theme continued when Alice adorned her dress with fairy lights!

After the ceremony, we dashed to the reception at Kelmarsh Hall, where Alice and John had provided an ice cream cart for their guests! But before the guests arrived we went for a walk around the picturesque gardens with their photographer Darren Cresswell. It was a great pleasure of working with Darren again, who met at Kelly and Niels’ wedding last year. And just like last year, it was a joy to work with him again. You can see Alice & John’s engagement shoot with Darren here.

So without further ado, I hope you enjoy Alice & John’s wedding film!

Alice & John from EverAfterVideos on Vimeo.

Ceremony Venue: St Mary’s Catholic Church, Bosworth

Reception Venue: Kelmarsh Hall, Northamptonshire

Wedding Dress: Ronald Joyce

Wedding Shoes: Rainbow Club

Photography: Darren Cresswell Photography

When Jessica got in touch with us over a year ago and we started chatting about her wedding day, it became clear very quickly that this would be one amazing wedding. 2 Days ago the wedding day was finally upon us and it was every bit as great as as we anticipated. From the stunning setting in Newport, Rhode Island, the amazing Belle Mer venue, the trolley, the wedding entertainment to the amazing after party on a yacht: this was surely a day that everyone will remember.

With 6 bridesmaids, 2 flower girls and 2 adorable page boys, it was quite a full house when everyone was getting ready early in the morning. And early it was, a 6am start! Ben and Jesscia were clearly set on making this day last as long as they could. Jessica looked amazing in her dress, so it was no wonder to see Ben getting a little emotional at the first look.

 After a beautiful ceremony at the beautiful St Joseph’s Church, where Ben’s aunt delighted all of us with the most beautiful operatic voice, it was time to navigate through Newport’s traffic for photos and cocktail hour. The bridal party introductions were quite a sight, you don’t often see this combined with amazingly acrobatic cheerleaders! During the dinner everyone was treated to some great and equally unusual entertainment, I’m sure the polerina performance was a firm favourite! After the dancing and before setting off for the yacht, we screened the Same Day Edit with the assistance of the ever so helpful DJ Peter.

So without further ado, here’s the Same Day Edit.

On Friday we were up in Scotland to film Arwen and Anthony’s wedding at Comlonglon Castle. It had been nearly 2 years since we visited Comlonglon for Donna & John’s wedding and we were happy to be back. It is such a wonderful venue, the setting is just perfect and the staff makes you feel like you really do own the castle for the day.

The weather decided to be thoroughly Scottish, but that wasn’t going to dampen anyone’s spirit. Arwen was getting ready in the honeymoon lodge, a private little cottage just to the side of the castle. Her dress by Pronovias had been altered specially and it suited her perfectly. In the morning the girls were wondering whether Tony would cry as Arwen walked down the aisle, apparently Tony told Arwen jokingly that any tears would be about the cost of the wedding. Well, as Arwen came down the aisle (and all the way through the vows) Tony did have a tear or two in his eyes, but I doubt very much it was about the cost of the wedding! It was a wonderfully emotional ceremony with hardly a dry eye in the keep of the castle.

After the ceremony, the pressure was on for me to make the Same Day Edit. This was one of our extended Same Day Edits so even though I have a bit more time, I do have to fit in a whole lot more. In the evening, while the band was taking a much deserved break, we were on. This is always a nerve-racking moment for me. Will they like it? You do feel rather exposed at a time like that. But then there are the laughs, the cries and the applause, and you breathe a sigh of relief. And 2 days later, when you’ve come down from the excitement of it all, you receive an email like this and get a bit giddy all over again:

 “Wow!!! What can I say! You blew us away with the video. It was stunning on the night of our wedding and we haven’t stopped watching it since. The music you chose was AMAZING! What you produce is just unbelievable – it made our wedding day complete,

All our thanks,

Arwen & Tony x”

Arwen & Anthony’s Extended Same Day Edit at Comlongon Castle, Scotland from EverAfterVideos on Vimeo.

A year later than originally planned, Leanne and Julian finally tied the know yesterday.

We started of the day at Leanne and Julian’s home in the tiny village of Elkesley. Plenty of bridesmaids, mums, hairdressers and a make up lady ensured a hectic and full house. One of the bridesmaids was a former bride of ours, it took me a minute for the penny to drop why she looked so familiar, it had been 9 years since we filmed her wedding.

We had the pleasure of working with Sharon and Andy from FNS Photography again, so we knew we were in for an easy going day. A slight hiccup happened when I left one of my favourite lenses on top of the car as we were rushing to pack up to get from the ceremony to the reception. It’s quite a painful sight seeing a lens you love fly of your car at 50 miles an hour in your rear view mirror. But no time to mourn the loss, I had a Same Day Edit to focus on. I had chosen a really fun and upbeat song, so asked our lovely couple if they were up for a fun short shoot with us, so off we went to the bridal suite and bounced on the bed!

We screened the Same Day Edit just before the first dance, and as usual, it was quite the success. I had a lot of fun making this one. Leanne and Julian’s easy going attitude with us and the fantastic team at Hodsock Priory (special thanks to Linda) made our day!

Same Day Edit Leanne & Julian from EverAfterVideos on Vimeo.

This is the story of what happens when a Filipino-American corporate flight attendant meets a dashing Scottish pilot. They move to Canada, set up their own business and decide to get married. Yet there is only one place on Earth that will do: a Scottish Castle!

Last month, we travelled up to Scotland to film their wedding. Getting there was a bit of an adventure, this was only a few days after heavy flooding in the north east of England and Scotland and we had to drive through a few small lakes along the way. We couldn’t help but think back to the summer of 2007, to the wedding of Charlotte and Dudley and remember to push down on the accelerator to ensure the engine wouldn’t flood. When we arrived at our hotel in Edinburgh, we were hoping for a lovely view over the city from our room, no such luck. The city was covered in mist. The following morning when we set off to Natasha and David’s wedding at Dundas Castle just north of Edinburgh, we still hadn’t managed to catch a glimpse of the city, but at least, it wasn’t raining!

Natasha and David chose for a humanist ceremony, my favourite kind of ceremony, so yours truly was quite the happy bunny! Humanist weddings are currently the 3^rd most popular ceremony in Scotland and they are getting ever more popular. Now if only England would follow suit and legalise humanist weddings…

Back to our lovely couple. Natasha was such a sweet little bride and so excited, she would just light up the room. The ceremony took place in the old Keep of the castle and I must say this couple had the BEST VOWS EVER, personal, touching and so much fun! The fun theme continued throughout the rest of the day: the “mini” cake, the ceremonial cutting of the haggis, the ceilidh performance, and their second “first” dance. Out with the formal wear and in came Natasha and David for a performance that would surprise David’s dad. David’s dad had remarked for years that Natasha looked so much like a swing dancer, so our couple had secretly taken swing dance lessons for several months and surprised everybody, not just David’s dad, with their skills!

Anyway, here are their extended highlights!

Venue: Dundas Castle
Celebrant: Tim Maguire
Photographer: Neil Horne – Eye Image Photography

Early on Saturday morning we set off from Sheffield to Boston Spa near Leeds to capture Helen getting ready at her parents’ home for her wedding to Matt.  Helen was having her hair done and was properly excited! We were soon joined by Matt Lollar, the photographer with whom we shot Helen and Matt’s engagement shoot just a few weeks earlier. The whole day went by in a breeze, not a single hiccup. Helen’s wedding dress was not at all the kind of dress she thought she’d get, but once she tried it on, she fell in love and I can totally understand why. Her dress just oozed classic elegance and grace.

Then there was the ceremony at St Mary’s church in Boston Spa. A brass band played Jeremiah Clarke’s Trumpet Voluntary as Helen made her entrance, as a trumpet player myself even I couldn’t help but get a little emotional at that point. Afterwards, a quick photo shoot back at the house and off they went to Tankersley Manor near Sheffield for the reception. Then it was time for me to retreat into the edit suite and start editing Helen and Matt’s Same Day Edit film. I had some great shots from the prep that I knew would bring the house down, thanks to Helen’s dad, so the edit was easy and fun for me.  At 8.50pm, right on the dot, about 180 guests gathered to watch it and true to form, the Same Day Edit did exactly what it was supposed to do: laughs, tears and amazement! Success!

No rest for the wicked, and we were straight back to filming the first dance and then one of our favourite bands, the Bootleggers, brought the house down! That was one good wedding!

Helen & Matt : a Same Day Edit from EverAfterVideos on Vimeo.