The Ashes Barns Wedding Videographer

It was a super warm day when we arrived. I was lucky to work with Pete on this one. We have been to The Ashes Barns many times before and were really looking forward to this one despite the hot weather forecast. Upon arrival, nobody was there yet except Francesca, the venue manager on the day. She was making sure everything ran smoothly, things were on time and guests had their glasses full.

We went to the bridal prep room to meet Ashlee and realised straight away how laid back and chilled she was. Makeup started, prosecco was popped open, kids were having fun, and the day kicked off for us and for the main characters — Ashlee and Scott. Since we arrived early, we took Ashlee's dress, shoes and jewellery outside for some detail shots while Scott was not around. The prep room is cozy but not very picturesque — not much natural light and not much space for a nice shot of the dress. If we can get natural light, we always will.

After we finished, Pete went his own way to do more details and bridal prep shots, and I started doing interviews. I quickly found out I was dealing with party animals. The maid of honour told me the bride is such a party girl that her nickname is "Smashlee." I started looking forward to the evening then.

After a few chats with the bride, bridesmaids and mum, we went to see the boys. They were getting ready in the stables at the back of the venue, a three-minute walk. All were wearing classy black tuxes, with the groom looking smart as hell. He seemed a little more nervous than Ashlee, but I managed to chat with him, the best man, did some prep shots and some stylised shots. Job done.

Before we went back to the bride, there were shots of the rooms to get — the ceremony and wedding breakfast areas were done and ready to be presented. Both are very rustic and give you a proper barn feel. During the day there is plenty of good light. Closer to the evening, light would be needed, but it was May, so plenty of light for a very long time.

During the ceremony, Ashlee really made the entrance. But before that, one of the groomsmen — a flower groomsman — entered the crowd and threw petals for the bride and bridesmaids to walk on. The ceremony was beautiful but swift. Quick I dos, quick sign and off we go.

Portraits were taken at the back garden, next to the lake. Pete is very efficient with those, so it took maybe fifteen minutes. Then a few portraits with the couple, confetti on the way back and drinks reception. Everybody stayed outside in the shade next to the highland cows — iconic for this venue, and they stay very close sometimes.

Next were the speeches, the wedding breakfast, and right before the dessert, a surprise in the form of secret singing waiters. They really made the crowd going and prepped them for the party afterwards. There was table dancing, a conga line, a rehearsed first dance. Classic. We managed to get some great shots from this. I always like filming this bit, especially in venues like The Ashes Barns where everything is so close together that people must eventually interact with the camera, which is what we want.

After a short break and a few more drinking rounds, it was time for the first dance. Ashlee and Scott cut the cake and then very gracefully headed to perform the last official bit of the day. Halfway through, they invited their kids to join. It was a truly personal and heartwarming moment. But once the guests joined, the dance floor exploded. We stayed for some more time to capture this. It is fantastic that people are so into the music they do not even realise the camera is there, but once they notice, there is straight away an interaction. Beautiful.

It was time to go. We gathered our gear, said goodbye to Ashlee and Scott, said goodbye to Francesca, waved The Ashes Barns goodbye and looked back on our way out. We will be back there for sure.