Setting the stage: A grand entrance
Mount Ephraim is a gorgeous house, and actually the main house is quite deceiving until you walk through the main front door to...well, an absolutely massive staircase, marble tiled floors, and of course, because it was a wedding, flowers everywhere! It was superb. And it definitely has the WOW factor!
Nature's Beauty: The Grounds of Mount Ephraim
Aerial Views and Scenic Vistas: Capturing Mount Ephraim's Grandeur
I was there to shoot Georgia and Jon’s wedding. During our video call before the wedding, Georgia had mentioned it was actually Jon’s choice to pick Mount Ephraim, for its location, the grounds and the architecture. Mount Ephraim is a gorgeous mansion set deep in the heart of the Kent countryside. Outdoors in the grounds, you’ll find a Japanese bridge overlooking a pond , a huge lake (you’ll hear the quack of the ducks as they swim towards you to check you out) and beautiful, colourful and exotic trees and plants and the constant trickle of waterfalls.
If it’s a fine day you can get married outside (there is a special antique grey stone ceremony area for this) and also an awesome sloping walk from the house to magnificent steps with a gate (great for group shots too), to get to the ceremony area.
If it’s a fine day you can get married outside (there is a special antique grey stone ceremony area for this) and also an awesome sloping walk from the house to magnificent steps (great for group shots too), to get to the ceremony area.
Whether an intimate gathering or a grand affair, Mount Ephraim provides a perfect backdrop for your special day. Just minutes from the M2, it’s close to Faversham, Canterbury, and Whitstable in Kent.
When I first got there, first thing in the morning, I started with the drone shots of the house and the grounds as I knew that Georgia really wanted the aerial view of the mansion, and there was a risk of rain. I use a really small drone, the Mavic Air, as it means I can get unusual angles, and it’s a quick and easy add-on if weather conditions are favourable.
A Venue that Wows: Mount Ephraim's Unique Charm
From the get go Georgia said that the wedding would be indoors—they knew the weather was going to be unpredictable, and they also wanted to make the day easy for older relatives, so they didn’t have to walk down to the outside ceremony area. It doesn’t matter what the weather is here and if it does rain it’s just as beautiful indoors.
If you’ve seen my blog post about wedding venues with amazing staircases, well this one deserves to be added—the huge hall and staircase in the house is the focal point and is an absolute dream of a wedding setting, and totally unique as well. I captured all the guests looking up along with the groom as the bride came down the stairs with her father, with a harpist also at the top of the stairs, playing the bridal entrance music. Everything about this venue is elegant, classy, romantic and beautiful. The staircase was decorated with white flowers, which were also used for the reception, in the adjoining room.
The cake and the bouquets had blush pink flowers to complement the whites and creams of their colour palette. And the bride’s dress! It was just stunning with a low sweetheart neckline, corset style to the waist, with an A-line skirt covered with lace. Georgia looked so classic and glamorous in it.
Furbabies Aida and Ethel: The True Stars of the Day
A Day Full of Grace and Beauty...
So the huge things (emotionally rather than physically) were Georgia and John’s cutest furbabies, their dogs, Aida, a cavapoo and Ethel, a cavachon. Georgia and Jon hired a dog chaperone to look after them during the day, but the dogs were invited to the bridal suite (just before the dress went on) and their excitement and joy at being included was palpable. Then later on they were part of the group shots and the couple shots outside and were showered in kisses and cuddles all day long. They were such soft fluffy bundles of gorgeousness!
I loved how naturally romantic but also fun the couple were, and how their love for each other comes over so beautifully in the video. I never force romance, and not all couples want ‘romantic’ videos, but if they embrace romance I love to capture this. I always try to be as discreet as possible where I stand so that I’m not visible in the photos and that the couple and the guests ‘forget’ I’m there.
Georgia’s father read The Magic of Love by Helen Steiner Rice and I think it’s such a lovely reading which can be read by family or friends at a wedding, and it perfectly suited Georgia and Jon.
They (and their family and friends) were also a lot of fun—real party animals dancing the night away, and the photobooth from Sugar Promotions was a real hit! The joy and excitement was really infectious.
I couldn't resist catching the reflection of Georgia in her gorgeous dress reflected in the rain in their life-size mirror outside the main entrance of the house.
And the staircase is a wonderful and different option for the confetti throw if it's wet weather outside...
"Neither of us could ever, ever have dreamed of a more perfect day than this, and we never designed a dress as worthy and as well as the one you're in today! You look sensational, the most beautiful bride, my beautiful sister..."
Check out this absolutely AWESOME staircase at Mount Ephraim. The bridal suite is just above the ceremony area, and I just love the way the guests look up at the bride and her father coming down the stairs.
Just look how much in love they are with each other, and it's so wonderful to see this immortalised in their wedding video—not just the images, but the sounds, the movement, the feels...
Seamless Integration: The Power of Teamwork
Professionalism and Versatility
As I am friends with the best friend of the bride, Nicole, of Reel Life Films, who is a wedding videographer, I associate shot for her, which means filming for her, and then supplying her with all the footage after the wedding so she could edit the videos in her own style for the bride and groom. Although she was a guest, she also brought a camera with a telephoto lens on it, and I chose a wider angle lens to complement her choice when she also joined to film for one of the couple shoots.
As it was raining, this really helped as it meant we could get multiple angles of the couple walks at the same time really quickly so Georgia and Jon could get back indoors to enjoy their time with their guests. We have quite similar styles and I’ve second shot for her on other weddings, so I love working with Nicole on her weddings. And in fact, in both my teasers I’ve used a few shots that she took—bet you can’t always tell which ones are hers and which are mine…!
It was so easy to film Georgia and Jon’s wedding as we’d had a long video chat shortly before the wedding and went through the day and what to expect. I also contacted the photographer, Steve Barber, in advance to introduce myself, and to chat about the venue and what his plans were for the group and couple shots so we could both get what we needed. He was such a great person to be around on that day.
Thinking about having a wedding video?
I work either as a solo videographer in addition to associate and second shooting, and also heading up a team taking on second shooters if you want more complete coverage. I offer a wide variety of packages to suit most budgets, from a short highlights to a whole collection of videos of the day including a feature film, the full speeches and ceremony, a highlights film, and of course teasers for social media, which can be vertically or horizontally edited.
Check if I'm available for your wedding date...
Thinking about having a wedding video? If you’re thinking of getting married and would like a wedding videographer, please get in touch with me to discuss what you’d like or need.
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