Originally Alex and Andy booked me to film their wedding back in Spring 2020, just days before COVID-19 would start to take hold in the UK. Roll on 1 year, and it was hit or miss as to whether their wedding would be going ahead as planned. The cases in the UK had peaked high over the winter of 2020 and had only just started to come down, some restrictions were being eased but the weddings that were allowed to go ahead were almost unrecognisable.
Not long before the wedding, I received the dreaded news that they were having to reschedule and push their wedding back 12 months, luckily I was able to reschedule for their new date.
A couple of weeks before their wedding, I visited the Netherwood Hotel to have a look around get the lay of the land. Upon arriving I was greeted by a lovely member of staff who kindly showed me around and answered any questions I had. It was a great use of time as on the wedding day I knew exactly where I needed to be and how to get around.
Netherwood Hotel is a beautiful wedding venue at grange over sands in the Lake District, a grand building by the sea that looks more like a medieval castle than a hotel in places. On the wedding day I was astonished to see a couple of the staff I hadn’t previously spoken to, recognised me from my brief visit a couple of weeks earlier.
The ceremony was held in what appeared to be a ballroom, a collection of beautiful wood panelled walls and stone detailing with a huge fireplace at the end of the aisle. Although beautiful to look at, it was certainly a challenge to film in. The wood gave everything an orange cast in the source video and the low light conditions really pushed the capabilities of my cameras. With a bit of gentle caressing during the editing, I managed to balance out the colours get the footage looking great.
The biggest challenge was the intimate nature of the space, I didn’t want to crowd the front of the room, so made the decision to shoot from the side of the room, luckily almost the entire side wall to the ceremony room opened up to another function room to give me and my gear the space I needed to film the ceremony without getting in the couple’s or guest’s way. The reception room in contrast was a large, bright airy room with plenty of windows allowing beautiful natural light to flood the room, that was until it got dark.
The couple wanted to venture down to the beach for their couples portraits, the light throughout the day was very harsh and unflattering and their photographer wanted to hold off until golden hour, a wise creative choice, but with the unfortunate consequence of golden hour falling right in the middle of the wedding breakfast.
The plan to get the beach shots was to have the groom to give his speech first and allow him to relax, then after the bride and groom finished their main course, we would head down to the beach and get the shots we need. Due to a variety of factors, it was hit or miss as to whether or not we would make it to the beach before sunset. As the photographer was about to tuck into her meal, the couple arrive. They were ready for their photo / video shoot! The photographer shovelled as much food into her mouth and we rushed out the door. The couple were driven the short(ish) walk to the beach, while the photographer, her assistant and myself power walked the journey.
We had very limited time to get the shots we needed, the sun was setting very quickly, and due to the location of the sunset, the hills would block the light sooner than we had hoped. It was a very fast paced session and in the blink of an eye, the sun was gone.
While the couple were being driven back to the venue, I had the task of all but running back up hill with my camera gear, from the beach, to finish setting up my gear for the remaining speeches. Successfully I might add.
It turned out to be a beautiful day, the sun was out in force and was possibly the warmest day of the year so far. Anyone wanting to get married by the beach, or considering a Lake District Wedding, should check out the Netherwood Hotel as a possible wedding venue.
Chris was absolutely fantastic from the first meeting to delivering the finished product of our wedding film.
He worked so hard to tie in with our photographer, we couldn't be happier with the results of his work. We have been left with memories that will last a lifetime and would happily recommend him to anyone.
Feel free to contact me for more details about my availability or to talk over your wedding plans.
I offer custom quotes tailored to each couple, so sharing as much information as possible upfront will help me better understand your needs. My studio is based near Manchester, England, but I am available to film anywhere in the world.
As I only have the capacity to work with a limited number of couples each year. Get in touch as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
Please email me directly at chris@signatureweddingfilms.co.uk
