Hampton Castle Wedding Videographer

Driving into Hampton Castle for the first time is quite an experience.

The long approach, gates and sheer scale of the building make it feel much bigger in person than it does in photographs.

The venue is now branded as Hampton Castle, although many people will still recognise its former name, Hampton Court Castle.

That morning the ceremony was being prepared in the central courtyard.

From a filming point of view it was a very useful setup too. I could pull up close enough to unload the cameras, stands and audio equipment directly beside the ceremony area before moving the car back to the parking area.

With a slightly questionable calf that day, I appreciated that more than I normally would.

The first person I went to see was Rui.

When I arrived she was sitting beside the window writing her vows.

Behind her was a large wardrobe with a mirror, and from the angle I was standing I could see Rui writing in front of me while her reflection appeared perfectly behind her.

It was one of those shots you don't really manufacture. You notice the light, notice the reflection and realise everything has lined up.

I still use that shot in my portfolio because it remains one of my favourites from that season.

The rest of the room was surprisingly calm. Rui and the bridesmaids were relaxed, drinking champagne and getting ready without that frantic feeling you sometimes get during preparations.

I spent some time filming the dress, details and the final stages of everyone getting ready.

This was also where I met photographer Scott Stockwell for the first time. We\'d never worked together before, but within a fairly short time it was obvious we were going to work well around each other.

One of my favourite decisions Rui and Josh made was having a first look with each other before the ceremony.

Most first looks I film are with bridesmaids or parents. This one was actually between the couple.

Scott and I positioned Josh first. Rui approached him from behind, tapped him on the shoulder and we captured the moment he turned around and saw her properly for the first time.

It was quiet, intimate and emotional.

After filming so many weddings where the broad order of the day naturally becomes familiar, moments like this are always refreshing because they change the rhythm completely.

The ceremony itself took place in the courtyard.

There was plenty of space, plenty of daylight and a setting that already did most of the visual work for us.

The only thing I was watching carefully was the wind. Outdoor ceremonies always make audio slightly more complicated, so the microphones needed proper wind protection while still being kept discreet.

Everything worked exactly as intended and the recordings came through cleanly.

After the ceremony Rui and Josh walked back through their guests under the confetti and everyone moved through towards the rear of the castle for drinks.

One of my favourite parts of a wedding often happens immediately after the ceremony.

Everybody wants to get to the congratulations, family pictures and couple photographs. I usually want the opposite for a few minutes.

This is when people are walking up to the couple for the first time as husband and wife. There are hugs, congratulations, little jokes, voices, reactions and people who might not be standing anywhere near the camera again for the rest of the day.

I get close enough to capture those moments but try not to become part of them. I'm there more as another set of eyes.

People know I'm around, but I'm not stopping them or asking them to repeat anything.

That unscripted material is often what makes the finished film feel like the actual wedding rather than a sequence of beautiful shots.

Guests had drinks outside and made use of the lawn games, including giant Jenga and chess.

Later we moved into the family photographs. I tried a few group ideas I'd been experimenting with around that time — group hugs, parents kissing the couple and things designed to create a real reaction rather than another completely static lineup.

Before everyone sat down, I went back into the wedding breakfast room.

It looked beautiful. The tables were classically dressed, candles were lit and the room had a real sense of occasion.

From a videographer's perspective, though, I could already see one potential challenge.

Rui and Josh's table was positioned close to one of the large windows. That meant anyone standing nearby for a speech was likely to be strongly backlit.

A camera has to decide what to prioritise in that situation. Expose for the person and the bright window can become very bright. Protect the background too much and the speaker's face becomes too dark.

There's no reason to interfere with a wedding setup because of that. You simply position the cameras carefully and work with the room you're given.

There was a fairly substantial set of speeches that day.

A couple happened before the meal and the remainder came afterwards, which actually made the timeline much easier than having one very long uninterrupted speech section.

Just as I'd expected, the windows played a big part in the exposure. But with the cameras positioned carefully everything came together well.

During dinner Scott and I finally had time to sit down, eat and talk properly.

By that point we'd spent enough of the day working together to know the combination was working. He'd help me where useful, I'd help him, and neither of us was fighting for the same space or trying to drag Rui and Josh in different directions.

After dinner and the final speeches, Scott and I took Rui and Josh outside.

This ended up being one of my favourite couple sessions I've filmed.

Hampton Castle gives you an almost ridiculous number of options. There are formal gardens, huge trees, open lawns, water, long pathways, hanging greenery, the castle itself, woodland and views that stretch far beyond the couple.

Then we got the sunset as well.

It was one of those situations where the difficulty isn't finding somewhere to film. It's knowing when to stop.

Scott had ideas. I had ideas. One idea would lead to another and Rui and Josh were completely happy to keep going.

They were relaxed, cooperative and clearly enjoying the session rather than waiting for it to finish.

Some of the footage we made during that part of the evening remains among my favourite couple imagery I've captured.

If I'd had the choice, I probably could have stayed in those gardens until the light disappeared completely.

When we came back inside, the room had started transitioning into the evening.

The band was setting up, evening guests were arriving and the light outside was beginning to fall.

Then I noticed the sword beside the wedding cake.

I'd never filmed anyone cut a wedding cake with a sword before.

Rui and Josh re-entered the room in different outfits, including traditional Chinese clothing connected to Rui's heritage.

Josh's dad handed him the sword and the two of them made the ceremonial cake cut together.

Josh looked particularly pleased about being trusted with a sword beside a wedding cake.

It was one of those wonderfully unexpected wedding moments that doesn't need improving for camera. You just make sure you're ready when it happens.

The evening music came from The Jacks.

I'd never heard them live before, but once they started playing the room changed immediately.

Before the first dance I added a small amount of my own lighting because the room had become considerably darker and I wanted to keep Rui and Josh cleanly lit without making the dance floor feel artificially bright.

They didn't have a heavily choreographed routine, but they could clearly dance and looked completely comfortable together.

Then the guests joined them and the party really started.

Later Rui and Josh were lifted into chairs while their guests held them above the dance floor.

The band had lights, guitars, drums, percussion and enough energy to keep the whole room moving.

For a wedding that had started so calmly upstairs with Rui quietly writing her vows, it was a very different ending.