Being based in North Dorset, Somerset has always felt very local to me. It's an area I've travelled through countless times and somewhere I've been lucky enough to film weddings over the years.
And when it comes to weddings, Somerset has a bit of everything.
Beautiful country houses, old estates, barns, gardens, tiny villages and miles of countryside. You can have something incredibly grand without ever feeling too far removed from the landscape around you.
It's probably one of the reasons Somerset weddings work so well with the way I like to create films.
I'm naturally drawn towards countryside venues, old buildings, beautiful gardens and places with a little character and history. Somewhere that gives me plenty to work with visually but still allows the wedding itself to be the most important part of the film.
I've filmed weddings across Somerset over the years, including celebrations for Becca & Jason and Emma & Andrew, and although those weddings were quite a while ago now, they were some of my earlier experiences of filming weddings in the county.
A lot has changed in my filmmaking since then, but my love for Somerset wedding venues definitely hasn't.
One of the best things about Somerset is just how much variety there is.
You have beautiful historic houses and estates, converted barns and farm venues, smaller countryside properties and some incredible gardens.
Then there's the landscape itself.
Somerset gives you rolling countryside, woodland, farmland and those little lanes and villages that make this part of the South West feel completely different from getting married in or around a city.
From a wedding filmmaking perspective, that variety is brilliant.
I'm always looking at the environment around a wedding rather than only what's happening directly in front of me. Establishing shots of the venue, the surrounding landscape, guests arriving and all those little details help give a wedding film a sense of place.
I want you to be able to watch your film years later and immediately remember where you were and what that part of the world felt like.
There are some incredible wedding venues throughout Somerset, ranging from large country estates to much more intimate rural settings.
What I personally look for in a wedding venue isn't necessarily how grand it is.
It's character.
Old stone, beautiful windows, interesting rooms, gardens that don't feel overly manicured, trees, long grass, courtyards and somewhere we can disappear for ten minutes in the evening when the light is good.
Those are usually the places where I find the shots I love most.
And Somerset has plenty of them.
Some of my experience filming weddings in Somerset goes back quite a few years.
Two of those weddings were Becca & Jason and Emma & Andrew.
My style and the way I approach wedding films has naturally developed a lot since then, but I think there's something quite nice about looking back at those weddings because they're part of the journey that got my work to where it is today.
Every wedding I've filmed has taught me something.
Different venues teach you to work with different light. Different couples remind you that not everyone wants the same experience in front of a camera. And hundreds of ceremonies and speeches later, I'm still finding completely different stories in every wedding.
That's ultimately why I don't want my films to follow a template.
Somerset might provide the backdrop, but the people are what give each film its identity.
For me, a wedding film isn't about spending the entire day creating perfect shots.
Of course I want everything to look beautiful - that's a huge part of what I do - but the moments I end up loving most are usually the ones I couldn't have planned.
Someone trying not to cry during the morning.
Your dad seeing you dressed for the first time.
A friend saying something ridiculous just before the ceremony.
The reaction during a speech.
Your grandparents dancing.
The ten minutes after dinner when the light suddenly becomes incredible and we disappear outside for a walk.
That's the stuff I want to capture.
The beautiful Somerset countryside gives us the backdrop.
Your people give us the story.
I don't want you spending your wedding thinking about the fact that you're being filmed.
Most of the day I'm documenting things as they happen.
I'll guide you when it helps and we'll normally spend a little time creating some beautiful couple footage, but I'm not interested in turning your wedding into a film set.
You're supposed to be at your wedding.
Have the drink.
Talk to your friends.
Get your dress dirty.
Stay outside too long.
Dance badly.
I'll worry about capturing it.
Because when I eventually sit down to create your film, those real moments are nearly always what bring everything together.
If you're currently looking at wedding venues in Somerset, my biggest advice would be to find somewhere that feels like you, rather than somewhere you think a wedding is supposed to happen.
Visit it.
Walk around the grounds.
Imagine your friends sitting outside having a drink.
Think about where everyone will be in the morning and how the day flows from the ceremony into the evening.
And if you can picture all of that happening there, you're probably onto something.
I've created a separate guide to my Somerset wedding videography with more about how I approach weddings throughout the county, examples of my work and information about having me capture your day.
I'm Dan, a wedding filmmaker based just over the border in Dorset and filming weddings throughout Somerset and the South West.
My films are natural, cinematic and built around the actual story of your wedding - the people, voices and moments that made the day yours.
If you're getting married in Somerset and think my style might be right for you, I'd love to hear what you've got planned.
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