Zoe & Allan

Well... This day was just incredible! Zoe and Allan hired us for their London wedding quite some time ago, in fact it was before I had ever been to the "concrete jungle" to film a wedding. I refer to London as the concrete jungle because let's be honest, that's really what it's like. Such an interesting city with so much to see around every corner. I was on google maps whilst travelling though central London just looking out for landmarks nearby so I had a heads up hoping to catch a glimpse (yes I'm that person) living in the Dorset countryside my whole life it really is a change of scenery for me!

With a big portfolio of mainly weddings set in country manor houses & barns, I would say it was quite a risk for Zoe & Allan to hire us to capture their big day, because the vibe was just so much different to the usual weddings we shoot. Thank fully they still loved our work and trusted we could put our own unique touch on a big city wedding, and after a nice long chat on zoom the booking was secured and we could start running ideas past each other and get excited to create the best memories for THE best couple! and when I say the best couple, I really mean it! Zoe & Allan, along with their friends and family were just so welcoming the minute we walked through the door into prep at the incredible Kimpton Fitzroy London Hotel - which I have to say is jaw dropping, I can safely say its the swankiest hotel I have stepped foot in, walking into the foyer to be greeted with the tallest Christmas tree decorated to the nines, the most stunning hotel decor and extremely friendly staff really kicked the day off to a great start! and the funny, but great thing about Bridal & Groom prep is that it was literally right next door to each other, which was just so handy for us! but also risky haha! I remember it well.. every time the door moved an inch everyones head shot around just to make sure there was no way Allan could catch a glimpse of his future bride before they tied the knot. There were so many places in the hotel corridors we could have hung the dress for some lovely shots, but hey let's be honest.. imagine if we were strolling along the corridor with the dress and Allan brisk-fully unaware walks around the corner *grits teeth*

Anyway.. we walk into bridal prep to start the day to be greeted by Zoe, her mum, and her brother Ryan. A lovely intimate bridal prep with no Bridesmaids, which is a first for me, but also I hope it isn't the last, because not only do you have much more space and not have to worry too much about getting in the way, but you can also get to know their nearest and dearest without all the overwhelming ambience of blaring music, twenty conversations going at once, who's pet goldfish died the week previous & the classic "who's got the t*t tape" 10 times over haha! I'm actually laughing whilst writing that because it really does happen at almost every wedding lol. The bond Zoe has with her mum and brother is just second to none, and it's lovely to see everyone so calm and relaxed on quite frankly a very nerve-racking day. We head next door to say hello to Allan, again Mega chilled, pottering around in his dressing gown - probably not the best time for three of us to knock on the door each with cameras in our hand ready to go but hey ho.. we knew a gift from Zoe was arriving and we had to capture it! Allan had no idea, so after chatting away for five minutes the three of us were awkwardly standing their with our cameras ready to go despite Allan being in his dressing gown wondering what the hell we could possibly want to film at that moment in time, there was a knock on the door from Ryan with a gift from Zoe. Let me tell you now, Zoe did GOOD! She gave me a heads up a couple of months previous that she had brought Allan a watch, and being a fan of watches myself, to see she had brought him a TAG Heuer, I was jealous to say the least. But you could really feel the emotion in the room when he opened his gift and read his card and for me this was one of the highlights of the day.

As prep draws to a close we set up ready for the first look in which Zoe's Dad, Brother & Grandad sees Zoe in her dress for the first time, and I know I touched on the gift being one of the highlights of the day, but this moment was THE highlight of the day for us. We have done so many first looks but this one was extra special. Zoe's Dad sounded like and absolute legend the minute he gave us a firm handshake in the corridor and he couldn't say thank you enough for capturing their big day (bearing in mind we had literally only done like an hours work up until that moment) he really was a true gent! and when he turned around to see his daughter in her wedding dress for the first time it really solidified that legendary status! He couldn't believe his eyes and he broke down in tears, giving Zoe a huge hug telling her how beautiful she looked, there wasn't a dry eye in the room which is honestly so touching to see, and a first look I will remember for the rest of my career!

As Zoe and her Dad eagerly await their ride outside of the Kimpton Fitzroy, the vintage Bentley pulls up outside and the scene looks like something from a movie! I had so many shots running through my head at that time but anyone who shoots weddings will know it’s all go go go, + Allan was waiting patiently for his bride so we had to get a move on, and everyone knows what London traffic can be like! Thankfully we were only a short drive away to the Marylebone Town hall which was another epic location for a ceremony, when I first caught a glimpse of the room in which they were getting married I thought it was going to be very tight for space but after popping my head through the door I figured we had SO much room to move around, which for us, is a result! Zoe and Allan went on to exchange their personal vows to each other which were very touching, after hearing their story as a couple it really pulled on my heart strings, it’s clear how much love these two share for each other and can get through anything life throws at them, and I’m a HUGE fan of personal vows because from a professional point of view, the more audio I have to lay over the film the better! so I instantly knew it was going to be a great film!

As Zoe & Allan’s nearest and dearest form a line down the steps at the front of Marylebone Town hall to throw confetti there is a big old London double decker bus to ferry the guests to the reception venue which was so cool! Another great touch to a very well thought out day! As the guests were off to the next location we took Zoe & Allan down the road for some couples portraits, which are actually some of my favourite yet! I must admit, because I'm so used to being surrounded by greenery at a wedding, when in a city with so many high rise buildings and constant traffic you kind of feel a bit low on creative juice. But we certainly made use of our surroundings, and although much more of an urban vibe they turned out really well and we were super pleased with what we come away with!

From Marylebone we head into Maida Vale, which is an area of London I haven’t been to, I've heard of it many of times though - mainly because of the BBC Maida Vale studios but we weren’t there to record the next radio banger, we were off to The Elgin, which is the perfect space for an intimate wedding, perfectly laid out for the wedding breakfast and quickly re arranged for when the party really starts. The staff were fantastic and very friendly, the food was great and very reasonably priced per head! We managed to take Zoe & Allan out for another quick couples portrait session which was a great idea! there was a small green area just outside the Elgin (which I’m pretty sure was private land) but hey.. it’s there wedding day, when you’re with the bride and groom it’s fair game lol! We took some lighting and got creative with some night time shots under a huge tree and it turned out to be a nice touch to the film!

Finally the first dance - another lovely part of the day for us, seeing all the loved ones surrounding the couple in awe of their love for each other. it’s just great!! the only bad part of the first dance is knowing that we have to leave shortly after, by the time you have got to know everyone and after spending all day together you just want to stay and join in the party, especially with a couple as lovely as these two! Unfortunate for us we had a two and a half hour drive home, and after what was a 14hr day we were all completely zonked and ready for bed!

But all in all, this was a wedding and a couple that I will always remember and it was an absolute pleasure to capture their day!!

If you’ve made it this far.. thanks for reading my first ever blog! I definitely don’t fancy myself as a writer but I’ve enjoyed it nonetheless.

Peace out and keep an eye out for the next one ✌🏻

Suppliers:

Videography - Dan pitman

Photography - HFP Photography

Hair - Bridal hair by Natalie Jane

MUA - Make up by Jaimie Attfield

Florist - Botanique florist

Prep venue - The Kimpton Fitzroy hotel, London

Ceremony venue - The Marylebone Town hall

Reception venue - The Elgin, Maida Vale