The wedding moments only film can hold

The moments you can't plan for

As any Scottish wedding videographer will tell you, a lot of planning goes into a film shoot — and weddings in particular. I run through the order of the day, walk through the venue (multiple times) and pick out spaces and backdrops that I know will work.

Having said that though, there are absolutely moments on a wedding day that you just can't plan for.

The ones that catch you completely off guard. Someone trying to hold it together during their vows and not quite managing it. A parent in the front row, beaming with pride and trying not to cry — and then absolutely crying. A burst of laughter from somewhere in the room at exactly the right moment or your best friend's ridiculous dance moves.

You can't stage those and you can't call them back once they've passed. I really feel like some of these wonderful moments need to move in order for you to properly remember the feeling of being in that room when it happened.

Even a stunning picture can have limits

A great wedding photographer is genuinely worth their weight in gold and I’m lucky enough to work with some of the best! The images they create will stay with you forever — on your walls and in albums. Photography was actually my first love but the fact remains that a photo is a snapshot of a moment (albeit a brilliant one.) 

It can't give you back the silence just before someone spoke. Or the shake in their voice when they did. Or the way someone across the room completely lost it when you least expected them to.

Film can. And that's the difference and that’s probably why I love it so much.

The unscripted moments are usually the best ones

In all my years filming weddings in Scotland, the moments people end up loving most are almost never the ones on the schedule. It's the wee kid who decides the dancefloor is theirs now. The grandparent quietly mouthing along to the lyrics as the couple take to the floor for their first dance. The quiet look between two people who didn't notice anyone was watching. 

Those moments don't hang around. They happen, and then they're gone and it’s my job to be there for them — quietly, without getting in the way — while working alongside the photographers, planners and everyone else who's making the day happen. When everyone's pulling in the same direction, nothing important gets missed.

A film that feels like yours

No two weddings are the same. No two elopements are the same. No two couples are the same. So I don't make films that feel like they could belong to anyone. I genuinely think yours should feel like you — the people, the details, the moments that were completely specific to your day.

Watch it back a week later or ten years from now, it should feel like stepping back into the room. Not just seeing it. Actually feeling it.

A wedding film just holds onto those moments better.