Vendor Spotlight – Featuring The Wedding Filmmakers

Working in the wedding industry we cross paths with many vendors. We have decided to start doing a spotlight feature so that you can get to know the vendors that we love working alongside the most! We have worked with Adam & Rachel of The Wedding Filmmakers quite a few times. Their style of work is beautiful, you can see some examples throughout this post.

Over to you Adam:

Every business is supposed to apparently have one. Let’s start with your elevator pitch! 

Founded by Creative Directors Adam Galwas and Rachel Rowson “The Wedding Filmmakers Ltd” is a wedding videography company that specialises in filming private events through the UK and worldwide. We have a wealth of experience working with different cultures and capturing weddings of all styles from intimate elopements to elaborate multi day events. To us wedding videography is not just a job but a passion and we love nothing more than creating beautiful keepsakes for once in a life-time moments.

How did it all begin?

I (Adam) starting filming events during my final year of studying law at University. A good friend of mine had a successful business producing fashion films and commercials. I asked if I could help out on a few of his shoots and it just went from there really.

When I graduated in 2012 I had already decided that I didn’t want to pursue a career in law and really wanted to be my own boss, so a film related business seemed like a natural choice. Initially the focus was corporate video production rather than weddings but I soon realised that there was a big gap in the market. The quality and general perception of wedding videos at the time was pretty poor but I could see that there was a growing demand for something more modern with higher production value.

After filming a few weddings together with my partner (now fiancé) Rachel and enjoying the creative process so much, we decided that weddings should be our main focus. Having the opportunity to create something that you know will be watched and enjoyed for many years and generations to come is a pretty special thing to be able to do for a living.

What is the thing that you love most about your career?

The wedding industry is a unique place to work as I can’t think of many other careers where you are surrounded by happiness daily and you get to collaborate with so many talented people. What I love about it the most is that it gives you a great deal of creative and personal freedom. Running any business is a big responsibility but you are in charge of your own destiny – if you work hard and stay focused then the opportunities are endless.

What is your favourite venue and why?

The Four Seasons Hotel at Ten Trinity Square is absolutely stunning inside and out. We had the pleasure of filming the very first wedding at the venue last year and the level of service and attention to detail was incredible.

 What are your top 3 tips for couples that are planning their wedding?

1) If you’re unsure where to start then hiring a professional wedding planner can really take the pressure off and make the whole planning process more enjoyable. Planners are not just for the super rich, many will work with smaller budgets and will save you time and money in the long run.

2) Decide on the most important elements of your wedding and make them a priority. If having a fairytale venue or great entertainment is really important to you then allocate your budget accordingly and don’t be afraid to cut back on areas that are less important.

3) It may be slightly biased to say but make sure you invest wisely in your photography and/or videography. When the celebrations are over your photographs and videos will be one of the few lasting reminders of the day and will become increasingly valuable to you over the years.

What is the most important thing for couples to look out for when looking for a wedding videographer?

I would also recommend asking to see several examples of complete wedding videos as the quality of the finished film can vary enormously. It is relatively easy to produce a short 3-5 minute video that looks great as a promotional piece on a website, however it takes much more skill and experience to produce a longer film that is equally as captivating.

Also be sure to understand what you will receive as the finished product because the length and editing styles offered can vary significantly too. Anything from 5 minutes to 2 hours in length may be considered a standard offering depending on who you ask.

 What is your favourite wedding season?

Winter weddings in hotel ballrooms are a personal favourite and I would love to shoot more of them. You aren’t reliant on the weather so much and with you can really transform a ballroom with great lighting/decor, creating the perfect party atmosphere.

What is your favourite wedding style?

I like filming all styles of wedding but particularly enjoy shooting large celebrations in hotel ballrooms and marquees. The couples that hire us often say that they want their wedding to feel like one big party and these type of venues are perfect for creating that vibe.

If you were able to work on your dream wedding job, what would it be like?

We have been lucky to work on a few dream wedding jobs already, but filming a huge wedding in India is also something that has been on our bucket list for a while.

Who do you love working alongside in the wedding industry and why?

We have been lucky to work with some really talented wedding planners and photographers (yourselves included) over the years – too many to mention and I’d hate to miss someone out.

I have a lot of admiration and respect for wedding photographers – the ability to capture such fleeting moments, framed in the perfect way is a real skill. They are the supplier that we work most closely with on a wedding day so it’s important that we work together in harmony for the benefit of the couple.

 Who inspires you to keep doing what you are doing?

The couples that hire us! Capturing such precious moments is a big responsibility and at times there is a lot of pressure to deliver something that surpasses the couples (often high) expectations every time. Hearing afterwards that the couple are over the moon with their film is the best feeling and is the main motivation for us to keep doing what we are doing.

What is your proudest business achievement?

Happy clients! The fact that most of our work now comes via word of mouth recommendation is a great feeling. There is no better reward for a job well done.

 Dead or alive, who’s wedding would you have loved to work on?

 Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding would be a dream to film.

 What do you enjoy doing when you aren’t working on weddings?

Eating nice food, travelling and trying to stay fit and healthy outside of the wedding season. I’ve been into bouldering (indoor rock climbing) for the past 1.5 years, it’s great for fitness and is the perfect antidote to those long edit days.

Thank you Adam! It’s been lovely having you feature on our blog.
You can find The Wedding Filmmakers on FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM!