In January we were lucky enough to film Tania and Nils’ wedding in Sumner, Christchurch New Zealand. We lived in Christchurch for a year ourselves, only leaving due to the Earthquakes, so for that reason we were already excited to be returning but what got us really pumped was Tania and Nils’ themselves. Throughout our initial discussions they told us that Nils is an absolute film fanatic and as such they were holding their ceremony in an old cinema and that having searched high and low for cinematographers, it was our work that they fell in love with (it’s always super flattering when a couple feels that way and pretty humbling to say the least).

In the end this gorgeous, smart and creative couple passed on having a photographer, instead prioritising film which they felt was so important to them and so during filming and editing we have been extra aware that we had to tell this couples’ story in it’s entirety, not missing a single detail out.

We’ve always explained to our couples that we want to show ‘them’. Who ‘they’ are. Not just a visually pretty wedding film. And so to do that we don’t just include the ‘highs’, the love and laughter of a wedding day within our films (although of course they are naturally our priority) but also any ‘lows’ that may present themselves. I don’t mean showing a bride’s wedding dress rip or anything like that but instead stories that may be told throughout their day of difficult times or loved ones missed. Nils lost his father and sister when he was a teenager and the impact that they had on his life were so evident that not to include the sadness of his loss would be like not including and representing a big part of Nils himself. And you know what, the beauty and happiness of Tania and Nils’ wedding day was overwhelming anyway but the undercurrent of missed loved ones just made their joy even more special to be a part of.

I really don’t want to give away too much about their day or their story so I’m going to ask you to watch their film and let them tell you themselves…. But let’s just say this is a wedding film that reads like a movie script.