Behind every great wedding video is a great love story
As an Edinburgh wedding videographer, it’s my job to tell love stories. And Craig and Kyla’s wedding in Kinmount House is one of the most incredible stories I’ve ever had the honour to tell.
Just imagine you’d met your one-and-only by pure chance in another country. You’d instantly fallen head-over-heels in love. But you lived completely separate lives, thousands of miles apart. So what would you do? Would you give up, say your goodbyes and move on? Or would you cross oceans to be together? Well after four years of Skype calls and texts, long-haul flights and food from plastic trays, Kyla left her life in America behind and moved to Scotland to be with Craig.
I’ve always been a sucker for a good old-fashioned happy ending. And boy did these guys get it?! Unseasonably gorgeous weather in one of the most beautiful wedding venues in Scotland, magazine-worthy styling and a couple’s session to die for. And if all that weren’t enough, they even had me there to keep them company!
If you’ve been tempted to have your wedding in Kinmount House, this might just tip the scales. If you can’t resist a good love story, this’ll make you feel all warm and fuzzy. Either way, come take a watch of my wedding video and have a little read.
Could Kinmount House be the best wedding venue in Scotland?
Shall I tell you what makes Kinmount House such an iconic wedding venue? Because it’s not what you think. It’s not the insanely picturesque 19th Century stately home. Or the two thousand acres of immaculately kept gardens, wild parkland, lakes and woodland. All of that’s lovely of course. But what makes it truly special is the atmosphere.
It’s that ‘wow’ moment of walking through the main entrance and looking up. Seeing the breathtaking hand-painted ceiling and sunlight streaming through the huge glass dome of the cupola. It’s strolling through the Italian gardens in the summer sun. It’s waking up in an impossibly soft bed on the morning of your wedding, pulling back the curtains to sweeping lawns and a glittering lake.
You can find beauty in a moment for a photo, but you can’t fool a film. And as a wedding videographer, I’m yet to find a venue as consistently beautiful, or as immersively romantic as Kinmount House.
And when it comes to ceremony backdrops, Kinmount House is like a ‘beautiful ceremony locations’ Pinterest board. There’s an orangery, an aviary, a bathing house, a ballroom. Walled gardens, Italian gardens, woodlands, a pavilion. There’s even a bloody castle! Kinmount House is basically the perfect Scottish wedding venue.
Styling inspiration for your Kinmount House wedding
OK, back to Kyla and Criag. When you’ve got a wedding venue as classically beautiful as Kinmount House, you’re gonna watch styling to match. And oh my, did Kyla and Craig rise to the challenge?!
Kyla looked stunning in her dress from Madi Lane Bridal. The timelessly stylish A-line silhouette and flowing tulle lace skirt was complemented by glittering crystal sequins on the fitted bodice, over the shoulders and down the low back. She paired the knockout dress with a beautiful pearl headpiece, a cathedral-length veil, and an exquisite bouquet of white and blush roses, white delphinium and ivy. It was simultaneously romantic, modern and classic. And everything we’ve come to expect from a Madi Lane bride.
But let’s not forget, there’s two sides to every story. A few doors down the hallway, Craig was getting ready too. And he and his boys were looking properly dapper! Now don’t get me wrong, you can’t go wrong with a suit. But the sight of a group of lads in kilts, sporrans, kilt socks and flashes never fails to fill me with Scottish pride!
Between Kyla’s elegantly timeless look and Craig’s traditional Scottish dress, it’s hard to imagine more perfect styling for a wedding in Kinmount House.
Wedding ceremony in the Kinmount House Ballroom
Kyla and Craig had their ceremony in Kinmount House’s beautiful ballroom. And of all the ceremony options the venue has to offer, this has got to be up there with the best of them.
With polished wood floors, Georgian oak panelling, high ceilings and crystal chandeliers, it’s one drop-dead-gorgeous place to get married. Huge windows run along two sides, flooding the place with natural light and offering views across the Italian gardens, the windswept lakes and the Lake District’s distant mountains. Between the light, the decor and the views, it’s a wedding videographer’s dream.
Why wedding videographers love civil ceremonies
As a wedding videographer, the way the ceremony looks is only half the story. The emotion behind the words and the sentiment that fills them is just as important. And that’s what I love about civil ceremonies. Because they’re totally centred around the couple. They’re more relaxed, more personal and (in my opinion) infinitely more romantic.
And Kyla and Craig’s ceremony was the perfect example. They each wrote a piece about why they loved each other, and the celebrant read them out as part of the service. She told the story of how they met, and how they’d fallen in love. It wasn’t just a ceremony of going through the motions to make it official. It was a uniquely personal celebration of their once-in-a-lifetime love.
Couple’s videography and photography session
After the ceremony, we snuck Kyla and Craig away from the guests to go for an adventure together. And with just myself and Alisa the photographer to keep them company, Kyla and Craig got to share a few precious moments of intimacy. After all the excitement of the ceremony and the constant attention of the crowds, the quiet, scenic seclusion of the Kinmount House grounds was bliss.
And as a videographer, these peaceful little pockets of calm in the day are always my favourite. Because when you’re given space to forget the rest of the world and let your guards down, I get to capture you as you, and all the wonderful moments that come with it.
For the photographer, it’s all about the split-second frames. But with a video, it’s not about the snapshots. It’s about the atmosphere, and the moments in between. It’s catching the moment before you kiss. Your hair moving in the breeze, your love-drunk smiles, your eye contact. It’s chatting and laughing as you walk along a pathway. A coat around shoulders to keep off the late winter cold.
And it’s about the less than photo-worthy moments too. The moments that’ll never make it into your photo gallery, but will make a home in your memory. Plonked unceremoniously onto the back of the truck with a glass in hand. A trip or a stumble, a laugh or a joke. All these moments make up the whole story. And when you watch the video back in years to come, these perfectly imperfect moments will always be your favourites. Because they’ll bring you right back to how you felt as they happened.
Why I love being an Edinburgh wedding videographer
I’ve got to be honest. Beneath my ever-smiling face and ever-grizzly beard, I’m a soppy sod at heart. So when I get to shoot a wedding like Kyla and Craig’s, so full of infectious love and overwhelming happiness, it reminds me of why I love doing what I do.
Because of course I love a nice bit of tech. And I’m obsessed (to the point of addition!) with perfecting my craft. But beneath all the drone shots and the cinematic storytelling, I’m really just here to tell the story of how you felt about each other on the best day of your lives. And when I get to tell a story like this one, one that spans years and continents, it’s an honour to be the one to tell it.
If you’re looking for a cinematic wedding videographer in Edinburgh or Glasgow and you’d like for me to tell your story, I’d love to hear from you. Get in touch today and let’s have a blether and get to know each other.
