Elmore Court is still, to this day, one of my favourite wedding venues I've had the chance to film at. This was actually my second time there, although my first had been shooting as an associate videographer, so Bethany and Joel's wedding was the first time I'd been there filming one of my own.
It's one of those venues that just works incredibly well for wedding films. The house has so much character, the rooms are spacious, there's loads of natural light and then you've got the grounds surrounding it all. I'd wanted to get back there for a while, so I was really looking forward to this one.
It helped that Bethany and Joel were both so friendly and welcoming from the moment we arrived. The whole morning felt relaxed, which always makes such a difference when I'm filming. Being so close to the Cotswolds, Elmore Court is one of those venues that works beautifully for my natural, story-led style of wedding filmmaking.
One of the things I really like about Elmore Court is how good the preparation spaces are.
Joel and the guys got ready around the bar area, which has a darker, more masculine feel to it but still has beautiful natural light coming through the windows. Joel went for a really smart look with a black jacket, yellow waistcoat and striped trousers.
Upstairs, we were lucky enough to have plenty of time with Bethany before the ceremony.
Bethany had previously worked as a model, which made my job ridiculously easy. She barely needed any direction at all — she just understood where to put her hands, how to move and where to look. We actually managed to spend around 15 minutes getting some bridal portraits in the bedroom, which is a luxury on a wedding morning!
Her veil was probably one of my favourite details of the day. It had tiny pearls throughout it and the words "To Pluto and back" sewn into the back — something Bethany and Joel say to each other as their own way of saying just how much they love one another.
We got some beautiful shots with the veil over Bethany's face and filmed through the fabric and pearls. They're still some of my favourite bridal preparation shots from the wedding.
There was also a really lovely moment when Bethany's dad came into the room and saw her in her dress for the first time. He was visibly emotional, and moments like that are exactly why I try not to interfere too much on a wedding morning. You just let them happen.
The ceremony room looked incredible, with soft pastel florals and a really elegant, relaxed summer feel.
One of the loveliest little moments came from their young ring bearer. The rings had been attached to a custom cushion which he carried down the aisle to the front of the ceremony.
There was actually a little extra pressure for me with this wedding too — Bethany's dad and brother both work in the wedding industry as videographers themselves!
Knowing that people who understand filmmaking would eventually be watching the finished film definitely added a few nerves, but thankfully they absolutely loved it.
We couldn't really have asked for better weather. It was a beautiful summer's day, so after the ceremony everyone headed outside for drinks on the lawn.
The sunlight was gorgeous and I managed to get the drone up for some aerial shots of Elmore Court and the surrounding countryside.
We also had a really good amount of time for Bethany and Joel's couple portraits. I'm always conscious that couples don't want to disappear from their wedding for hours, so having enough time without feeling rushed meant we could explore different areas and get loads of variety while still keeping everything relaxed.
And again, having a former model in front of the camera didn't exactly make things difficult!
Before everyone came in for the wedding breakfast, Brother From Another performed for Bethany and Joel as they saw the room for the first time. Guitar, saxophone and vocals — and at one point Bethany grabbed the microphone and joined in herself. She has an incredible voice, so it became this completely spontaneous little performance between them all.
I've watched Brother From Another grow massively since this wedding, performing around the world, so I feel pretty lucky that I got to work alongside them here. Hopefully our paths cross again someday.
Then came Bethany and Joel's entrance to the wedding breakfast.
Flo Rida – Low.
The room absolutely erupted.
They came in dancing, everyone was on their feet and the energy completely changed. From that point onwards, you could tell exactly what sort of evening it was going to be.
The speeches brought the emotion straight back into the day.
Joel's speech to Bethany particularly stood out. He's incredibly good with words and spoke about Bethany with so much thought and emotion. Those kinds of speeches are invaluable to me as a wedding filmmaker because the words become part of the story I can build the finished film around.
And then the party started properly.
The drinks were flowing, everyone was dancing and the dance floor just never seemed to empty. Bethany and Joel were right in the middle of it too, which always makes such a difference. Some weddings take a little while to get going in the evening.
This wasn't one of them.
There are some venues you leave thinking you'd happily be back there the following weekend, and Elmore Court is definitely one of those for me.
From a wedding videographer's perspective, it has pretty much everything I look for — beautiful preparation spaces, loads of character inside the house, incredible grounds, natural light and plenty of different locations to create a film without having to leave the venue.
But more than anything, Bethany and Joel made this wedding memorable.
From the quiet moments during bridal prep and Bethany's dad seeing her in her dress, through to the speeches, live music and one of the busiest dance floors I've filmed, there was something happening throughout the entire day.
It's a wedding I'll always remember, and I'd absolutely love to be back filming at Elmore Court again.
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