Some couples make your job incredibly easy, and Chloe and Josh were exactly that.
From the beginning, they were completely up for anything. Whenever we suggested disappearing for ten minutes to make the most of a location or try something slightly different, they were happy to go with it.
That gave us loads of freedom creatively and ultimately resulted in a wedding film I was really proud of.
And Ardington House was the perfect setting for it.
The house, gardens, river and surrounding grounds gave us so much variety throughout the day, while still allowing Chloe and Josh to spend the majority of their wedding with their guests rather than constantly being taken away for photos and video. Ardington House sits in Oxfordshire, within easy reach of the Cotswolds, and is an incredible setting for a country house wedding.
We didn't cover loads of the morning preparations as both Chloe and Josh had been getting ready elsewhere.
We did, however, manage to capture some of the final moments.
Josh and the groomsmen finished getting ready around the library, where we filmed them putting on their ties, cufflinks and the last few details before the ceremony.
Chloe arrived with her hair and makeup already finished but still in her pyjamas, which meant we could capture the important final stages of bridal prep — the dress, jewellery, perfume and all those little details that help tell the story of the morning.
We also got some lovely shots of Chloe with her bridesmaids, both in their pyjamas and once everyone was dressed. The room had loads of natural light coming through, which looked beautiful on camera.
Then came the reveals.
Chloe did a first look with her bridesmaids before revealing her dress to her dad.
His reaction was incredibly emotional and ended up setting the tone for some of the moments that came later in the day.
The outdoor ceremony setting at Ardington House was easily one of my favourite ceremony setups I'd filmed that year.
Guests made their way across the lawn behind the house, over a small bridge crossing the river and towards the ceremony.
With swans and ducks on the water, the house and gardens surrounding everything and beautiful florals around the ceremony space, the whole setting looked incredible.
There was live music too, with a singer and keyboard player performing as everyone made their way down the aisle.
It's one of those ceremony locations that really doesn't need much help. There's so much going on naturally in the surroundings that wherever you point the camera, there's something beautiful in the background.
After the ceremony came one of the biggest confetti moments I've filmed.
There was so much confetti.
Everyone completely went for it, cheering as Chloe and Josh came through, and it made for some amazing footage. The white petals stayed scattered across the lawn afterwards too, so even during the drinks reception they became part of the backdrop.
Guests then relaxed on the rear lawn with drinks from the bar while a saxophonist played.
The weather, music, gardens and everyone mingling outside gave the afternoon a really relaxed atmosphere.
It also gave us another chance to get the drone up.
From above, Ardington House looks incredible. The house surrounded by mature trees with the river winding through the grounds gave us some beautiful establishing shots and really helped show the setting of the wedding in the finished film.
This was probably one of my favourite parts of Chloe and Josh's day.
Because they were so willing to trust us, we could push the portraits in a slightly more editorial direction than I normally would.
We used different areas around the house before walking down towards the river for some more relaxed shots with the water behind them.
It was the perfect balance between the natural, documentary moments I love capturing and some more intentional, cinematic imagery.
And because Chloe and Josh were so relaxed in front of the camera, nothing ever felt forced.
We did something similar with the bridal party around the pool, using chairs to create some more editorial group shots with Chloe and Josh, their bridesmaids and groomsmen.
Later, we took the bridesmaids to the front of Ardington House with parasols for another completely different look.
There was just so much variety without ever needing to leave the venue.
The speeches brought everything back to the relationships at the heart of the wedding.
Chloe's dad had already been emotional when he'd seen her in her dress earlier that morning, but his speech was particularly moving.
At points he struggled to get his words out because he was so overwhelmed and proud of his daughter.
What also came across was how highly he thought of Josh. You could tell there was a genuine relationship between them and that he was incredibly happy to see Chloe marrying him.
Those moments are invaluable when I'm putting a wedding film together. A speech like that isn't just something to document — the words can become part of the narrative of the entire film.
The wedding breakfast was held in the beautifully styled marquee.
But Chloe and Josh weren't exactly going for a quiet entrance.
They had table captains armed with tambourines, and as everyone entered the room there were tambourines going, napkins being waved around and guests making as much noise as possible.
It was brilliant.
And apparently that was just a preview of what was coming later.
You can normally get a reasonable idea of how a wedding party is going to go when the band starts setting up.
At this wedding, people were already on the dance floor during the sound check.
Everyone was singing and dancing before the evening had even properly started.
At that point, I knew exactly what sort of night we were in for.
Once the party actually started, the dance floor was absolute chaos — in the best possible way.
It barely emptied all night.
Chloe and Josh were right in the middle of everything, their guests were completely up for it and there was just an amazing energy in the room.
For a wedding filmmaker, you really can't ask for much more.
Chloe and Josh's wedding was one of those days where the couple, venue and atmosphere all came together.
Ardington House gave us an incredible amount of variety — from the house itself and the light-filled rooms to the gardens, pool, river and outdoor ceremony setting.
But it was Chloe and Josh's willingness to trust us creatively that made this one particularly enjoyable to film.
They never made getting great footage feel difficult. They were happy to disappear with us when the light or location was right, but equally, we made sure they had plenty of time to actually enjoy their wedding with the people they'd invited.
From the emotional first look with Chloe's dad to the riverside ceremony, ridiculous amounts of confetti, editorial portraits and an absolutely packed dance floor, this was a wedding I loved filming.
And it's still a film I'm really proud of.
.svg)
To request my brochure or ask any questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch
Get in touch