An uplifting Oxford wedding celebrated during uncertain times.
Magdalen College Wedding Videographer
With nearly all weddings on hold this year, I was anticipating a summer of gardening and podcast listening. I like to block out news and to be outside as much as possible and seeing as there’s nothing any of us can do about the current situation, I thought I would just make the most of it. On 4th July 2020 the UK government relaxed lockdown measures and announced that weddings could resume again in a limited capacity, which gave me the opportunity to put down the garden shears for a while.
Harriet and Lars had always planned to hold their wedding at Magdalen College in Oxford on that particular day, but had come to terms with the reality that it probably wouldn’t be happening. However with the new guidelines announced, they were delighted to have the sudden opportunity to go ahead with their ceremony. At this point, the couple hadn’t considered a wedding video but as guest numbers were limited to thirty and because Lars’ family from The Netherlands were unable to attend, it became a way of sharing their wedding with everyone shortly afterwards.
Being one of the first weddings in the UK to take place this summer, it was certainly going to be a truly unique occasion. When they booked me as their Oxford wedding videographer I confessed that their film might not look like my previous work, but they were happy to trust and go with my own vision. I always attend weddings with a plan in my mind, but as with all live events you never know exactly what was going to happen. I’ve filmed many smaller weddings in the past, but never with the backdrop of a pandemic and social distancing. Traditionally my style of work puts the celebration at the forefront where guests are given almost an equal billing to the newlyweds. I like to show the emotion of those witnessing the event as well as guests interacting and enjoying the moment, but this wedding would be slightly different.
Emerging from my home for what felt like the first time in months, I set out with the goal to make Harriet and Lars’ film entirely positive and uplifting, whilst recognising the unique era in which the wedding took place. As a city famous for attracting tourists from around the world, the streets were strangely empty and quiet. There would never (hopefully) be the chance again to view Oxford in this way so I wanted to capture the beauty of the architecture and the new temporary calm. The day also saw the welcome reopening of many businesses so I wanted to also commemorate normality starting to return here too.
Their marriage in Magdalen College Chapel was made possible due to Harriet and Lars both studying medicine at the university which is where they both met. Working at the sharp end of the Coronavirus outbreak, their wedding and subsequent mini-moon was a welcome break to the challenges of 2020. Despite being able to accommodate a relatively large congregation, the candlelit chapel made a romantic and intimate setting for their wedding vows.
Following the ceremony, Harriet and Lars were surprised by some video messages from friends and family unable to attend, followed by a few short speeches on the chapel lawn. With a traditional reception not possible, the guests made their way to a local park for an informal picnic which was prepared whilst the Kerry, the photographer and I took the couple for a mini session around Oxford. One location, the famous Bridge of Sighs, happened to be the place Harriet and Lars met on for their first date so had a special significance. My new tip for any one arranging to meet someone for the first time is that the destination should also be a photo-worthy setting, just incase the romance blossoms as this will also give you the perfect backdrop for a marriage or engagement shoot. I’m not sure if it will catch on!
On our way back from the park, it was great to catch up again with Kerry who also photographed my own wedding in 2018. Based in Bath, I hope we can work alongside each other again in the future!
With things being quiet, I was able to turn around their Oxford wedding film in a fairly short amount of time. Recently I’ve started to think about sound design in my films as a way of creating an authentic ambience with sounds as well as video. Therefore I built a mix of sounds which started with nature, the chapel bells, a cyclist and traffic to give the impression of society re-emerging and coming back to life. I also found a radio report from that morning which I included in the background.
I wouldn’t normally think to include a bible verse in the highlights clip, but 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 seemed a very fitting way to lead into the ceremony and helped cement my message of love, hope and optimism. It was also important to make other people feel part of the celebration who weren’t able to attend. The video message from Lars’ sister who was due to be a bridesmaid seemed particularly happy and uplifting and I was able to capture the couple’s response to that moment when they were viewing it on the laptop too.
A few days later I had prepared a long ceremony and speeches edit together with the highlights clip shown at the top of this page. Since 2018, I’ve been distributing video packages digitally so that they can be streamed and downloaded instantly. With so many guests unable to attend, Harriet and Lars were able to show everyone their film as soon as it was ready.
“We absolutely love the highlights clip! It was a great touch that you included the news segment at the beginning.
Everyone we have shown the video to has loved it and our friends have said it was as good as being there on the day, which was great to hear. I think my parents have the video on repeat too! Thank-you again so much. ”
Since beginning my wedding videography career in 2009, it’s possible that I’ve filmed nearly 200 weddings. I have a good memory and can remember pretty much all of them, but Harriet and Lars’ wedding will always stick out in my mind. It was such a beautiful occasion during a worrying and difficult time for everybody. The celebration wasn’t what they had in mind at the start of the year, but it wasn’t diminished by the changes required for it to go ahead. It was a truly incredible day and unforgettable for all the right reasons. A huge congratulations to them both!
