I recently spent some time looking fondly back at some of my favourite weddings over the years and realised how emotional some of my grooms’ reactions were.
And, it seems I am not alone in finding such raw emotion a wonderful thing.
After putting together a montage film of some of those most memorable groom reactions, I shared it with a journalist friend. She shared it with one of hers. The next moment, the film has been shared on Mail Online.
Here’s a snapshot of the coverage:
One tip – don’t read the comments on Mail Online if you believe in love. Hilarious to see how many commentators associate heartfelt emotion with tears of regret, pending divorce and alimony payments!
It was then picked up by women’s entertainment website Pretty52.com, too!
So I’d like to share a little bit more about some of those moments with you now with a little bit of back story.
KATIE AND HAROLD
At the last wedding I filmed in 2018, Katie spent much of the morning writing her vows to Harold. The words meant a lot to the couple who’d travelled from New York to the South of France for their wedding at Château du Puits es Pratx.
Harold was learning his vows just before they shared their ‘First Look’ together. Naturally, he was very emotional at that point but when his beautiful bride read her promises Harold appeared totally overwhelmed.
During their traditional Jewish wedding ceremony, her words were just too much for Harold. And, when she finished her vows with “I have loved you for 1, 901 days and I promise to love you until the very end”, Harold’s response made the congregation laugh out loud. He then found it difficult to compose himself to say his own vows in reply.
Lizzie and Nick
Now going back to one of the first weddings of 2018. That of Lizzie and Nick, who tied the knot at the stunning Hengrave Hall in Suffolk.
When it came to showing emotions, Nick was overwhelmed even before the ceremony started. So, when Lizzie entered the church and walked down the aisle he found it hard to hold it together. This film clips tells the whole story perfectly.
Many of my couples like to share a moment together before they get married and I film more and more ‘First Looks’ than ever before.
MATHILDE AND HÉLIO
Mathilde and Hélio decided to share that moment before their ceremony, which was held in the Swiss town of Payerne, in central-western Switzerland.
As Mathilde approached, Hélio called out “Hurry up, I am so busy like you wouldn’t believe… I have a lot to do today”.
This brought humour to this very intimate moment and when he turned to see Mathilde she told him she was ‘floating’. While he expressed his happiness at just how beautiful she looked in her gown.
It really is such a privilege to be part of these moments between a bride and groom and to share these magical celebrations. And, it matters not whether it’s a small and intimate wedding or a lavish affair, I approach each wedding the same, discreetly capturing the story of the day and bring it back to life in a beautiful, cinematic wedding film.
VICKI AND HAYDEN
Celebrity doctors Vicki Belo and Hayden Kho jetted in to the French capital of Paris at the start of September 2017 for the most unbelievably amazing wedding that left the Story Of Your Day team speechless.
This was a long-awaited and anticipated wedding with hundreds of fans of the couple waiting outside the ‘American Church’.
I love watching back the trailer of their wedding and remembering how Hayden brought the whole congregation to tears with his emotional vows. In closing, he announced: “You are my beloved… you are the cherisher of my heart.”
Read and watch Vicki and Hayden’s story here.
ASHLEY AND REBECCA
And staying with emotional vows. Ashley is a part of my filming team, so is used to filming weddings. But still, he really couldn’t hold it together during his ceremony … just watch this!
JANE AND CHUCK
As well as raw emotion there are often quite comical moments during the ceremony. After 17 years, Jane and Chuck travelled all the way from California to Divajeu – a small village in the Drôme Valley in the south east of France. It was a beautiful and romantic destination wedding at Le Domaine de Vincenti.
Their close friend held the outdoor ceremony but Chuck was so keen to be married that he jumped in to kiss Jane as soon as she finished saying her vows. An amusing moment during a gorgeous ceremony.
Et enfin, j’ai deux beaux moments à partager avec vous depuis le château d’Allerton dans le Yorkshire.
And finally, I have two lovely moments to share with you from Allerton Castle in Yorkshire.
ANGELA AND RICHARD
What a moment when the bride walked down the aisle to the beautiful sounds of Trio Vivo – a brilliant trio of violin, cello and piano. The look of pride and adoration on Richard’s face was so romantic and moving.