There are some wedding venues that make an impression before you have even stepped through the front door, and St Giles House is definitely one of them.
Chloe and Luke’s wedding was my first time filming at St Giles House, and I still remember driving down the long driveway towards the house and immediately knowing it was going to be an incredible day.
Set within the Dorset countryside at Wimborne St Giles, St Giles House has everything I love in a wedding venue: history, character, huge open spaces, beautiful interiors and endless opportunities for creating a wedding film that feels cinematic without ever needing to force it.
And Chloe and Luke’s day made the most of every part of it.
The morning began inside the house with Chloe and the girls.
Champagne was flowing, the music was on and everyone was just enjoying the morning together. It was exactly the sort of bridal prep I love filming – relaxed, fun and full of those little candid moments that tell you so much more about the atmosphere of the day than anything staged ever could.
Chloe’s incredible wedding dress was hanging from the end of a four-poster bed, surrounded by the historic interiors of the house.
One of the things that immediately stood out to me about filming a wedding at St Giles House was the colour and character inside the property. It has that unmistakable old English country-house feel: huge rooms, high ceilings, aged textures, beautiful furniture and an almost painterly quality to some of the interiors.
From a wedding videographer’s perspective, it is an absolute dream.
The natural tones and slightly darker, heritage feel of the rooms worked beautifully with my filmmaking style and gave the morning footage so much depth and atmosphere.
We then headed over to Luke and the boys, who were getting ready near the stables.
Luke and his groomsmen were all in black tuxedos, which looked perfect against the surroundings, but there was another very important member of the wedding party getting ready with them – their dog, Bueno.
And yes, Bueno had his own little bow tie.
The ceremony setting was probably one of my favourite parts of the entire day.
Chloe and Luke chose to marry outside, with their ceremony positioned at the end of the lawn between an avenue of trees.
The aisle was enormous – genuinely one of the longest wedding aisle walks I have ever filmed – but visually it was unbelievable.
Chloe had specifically asked me if I could capture a drone shot of her and her bridal party making their way towards the ceremony. With the scale of the grounds, the symmetry of the trees and the bridal party walking through the landscape, it came together perfectly.
It remains one of my favourite drone shots I have captured at a wedding.
Once Chloe reached Luke, the ceremony became much more intimate. They had written personal vows to one another, which is always something I love as a wedding videographer.
Beautiful imagery is obviously a huge part of a wedding film, but the voices, stories and words of the people involved are what give those images meaning. Personal vows allow me to build a film around the couple themselves rather than simply creating a montage of beautiful shots.
Chloe and Luke gave me plenty to work with.
After the ceremony, everyone moved back towards St Giles House for the drinks reception.
Guests spread out across the lawn around the fountain and onto the terrace at the rear of the house. The music was playing, drinks were flowing and there was a really relaxed atmosphere.
This is usually when I step back a little.
Rather than constantly directing people, I love watching what is happening around me and capturing the conversations, laughter, hugs and little moments between guests that the couple themselves might never get to see.
St Giles House lends itself perfectly to this style of wedding filmmaking because there is so much space for everyone to simply enjoy themselves.
We did briefly steal Chloe, Luke and the bridal party away to the steps at the side of the house for some more editorial-style shots.
The architecture at St Giles gives you so much to work with. You can create something polished and editorial in one area before walking a few metres and finding something completely different.
Dinner was held inside the Library, with two long trestle tables running through the room and Chloe and Luke seated together at a sweetheart table at the end.
It looked incredible.
There is something about having dinner inside a historic country house that creates an atmosphere you simply cannot replicate in a purpose-built wedding venue.
You are surrounded by history and character, but once the candles are lit, the tables are full and everybody is talking and laughing, it becomes incredibly warm and intimate.
Later in the evening everyone moved into one of the larger rooms for the party.
With the high ceilings, beautiful interiors and an amazing live band filling the room, it was the perfect end to the day.
Part of what makes a St Giles House wedding so special is the history behind the venue.
The main body of St Giles House was begun in 1651 for Sir Anthony Ashley-Cooper, who later became the 1st Earl of Shaftesbury. The house has evolved over centuries, with significant alterations taking place during the 18th and 19th centuries.
The wider estate has an extraordinary history too. St Giles has been associated with generations of the Ashley and Ashley-Cooper family and with figures including philosopher John Locke, who spent time at St Giles as a close friend and secretary of the 1st Earl of Shaftesbury.
That history is still visible throughout the house today.
Rather than feeling like a modern wedding venue designed to imitate a country estate, St Giles House is the real thing – and I think you feel that as soon as you arrive.
For couples looking for a luxury Dorset wedding venue, St Giles House is difficult to beat.
What I particularly love is the variety.
You have grand historic interiors for bridal preparations, huge lawns and gardens for outdoor ceremonies and drinks receptions, incredible architecture for couple portraits, beautiful rooms for dinner and dramatic spaces for the evening party.
For wedding photography and videography, that variety is invaluable. Your entire wedding can take place within one estate while every part of the film still feels visually different.
It can be elegant without feeling overly formal, grand without feeling impersonal and historic without feeling dated.
Chloe and Luke's wedding was the perfect example of that.
From champagne around the four-poster bed and Bueno getting ready in his bow tie, to that enormous walk down the aisle, personal vows beneath the trees, drinks around the fountain, dinner in the Library and a packed dance floor to finish the night – it was everything I hoped my first St Giles House wedding would be.
And I would absolutely love to go back.
If you're planning a wedding at St Giles House and are looking for a Dorset wedding videographer, my approach is centred around capturing the day naturally while creating a cinematic, story-led wedding film.
I want the film to look beautiful, of course, but more importantly I want it to sound and feel like you.
The voices, vows, speeches, atmosphere and moments you didn't even realise were happening are what eventually turn wedding footage into something far more meaningful.
If you're getting married at St Giles House, I'd love to hear what you're planning.
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