Hannah & Chris’s Curds Hall Barn Wedding | A Norfolk Wedding That Was Completely Them
Some weddings follow tradition, some weddings bend the rules a little and then there are weddings like Hannah and Chris’s.
Motorbikes arriving at Curds Hall Barn. Pop punk, rock and metal instead of a traditional wedding band. Private vows. Tacos. Firepits. Fireworks. A coffee truck with their own branded coffee beans.
Oh, and Chris jumping on stage to play bass with the band.
This was a wedding that was completely them and as a Norfolk wedding videographer, these are the weddings I love filming.
Not because they’re necessarily the biggest or most extravagant but because they’re personal.
Everywhere you looked, there was something that told you exactly who Hannah and Chris were and that’s what makes a wedding film worth watching again and again.
Getting ready together
My day started at the house where both Hannah and Chris were getting ready. There was the usual excitement and anticipation you’d expect on a wedding morning but before long it was time for everyone to head off to Curds Hall Barn.
Chris and his groomsmen weren’t exactly going to make a quiet entrance.
They jumped on their motorbikes and headed for the venue. I drove ahead ready to get the drone up to prepare for their grand entrance.
Arriving at Curds Hall Barn on motorbikes
As a Norfolk wedding videographer, I’m always looking for ways to capture the things that make each wedding different and a groom arriving at his wedding venue on a motorbike definitely falls into that category.
I got the drone up but quickly realised they couldn’t see my drone and none of the groomsmen had their phones, so I couldn’t give them to signal to start riding. Luckily the drone battery lasted just long enough and I captured Chris and his groomsmen riding into Curds Hall Barn.
It’s one of those shots that immediately sets the tone for the wedding.
This wasn’t going to be a traditional day and that was exactly the point. Hannah and Chris weren’t trying to create a wedding that looked like everyone else’s.
They were creating a day that felt like them.
Chris and the groomsmen arriving at Curds Hall Barn on their motorbikes.
“It needed to feel like US!”
When I asked Hannah and Chris what was most important to them when planning their wedding, their answer was pretty simple:
“It needed to feel like US! As well as amazing music, food and drinks.”
I think that’s a brilliant way to approach a wedding. There can be so much pressure when planning a wedding to do things a certain way.
The traditional band.
The traditional readings.
The traditional vows.
The traditional wedding breakfast.
But why? It’s your wedding.
Hannah and Chris took the things they love and built their day around them. They made their Curds Hall Barn wedding incredibly personal.
Why Hannah and Chris chose Curds Hall Barn
Hannah and Chris chose Curds Hall Barn because of its setting and the flexibility it gave them.
They described it as:
“Beautiful setting. Cosy, intimate, with multiple areas. So much potential and flexibility to do as we wished.”
They also said the support from the staff was fantastic and that the flexibility really suited them.
Their wedding moved between different parts of the venue throughout the day, from the ceremony and drinks to the evening celebrations, firepits and fireworks. It gave them the freedom to create the day they wanted rather than having to fit their plans around the venue.
A ceremony with a personal twist
Once everyone had arrived, it was time for the ceremony and this turned out to be the most memorable part of the day for Hannah and Chris.
They had friends do a reading during the ceremony, but instead of choosing a traditional wedding reading, they combined quotes from one of their favourite books and one of their favourite films.
I love this sort of thing.
You can find hundreds of lists online telling you what the “best wedding readings” are. (I have my own list here.) But ultimately, I think the best reading is the one that actually means something to you.
It doesn’t have to be a traditional wedding poem. It doesn’t even have to be about marriage. If it’s something you love and something that represents you as a couple, that’s enough.
Saving their personal vows for later
Hannah and Chris also decided not to read their personal vows during the ceremony. Instead, they saved them for later.
Just the two of them, away from everyone else and I was lucky enough to be there to film it. This became one of the most emotional parts of their wedding film.
There’s something incredibly special about being able to tell someone exactly how you feel without standing in front of a room full of people.
No audience.
No pressure.
Just the two of them.
Hannah and Chris told me that the ceremony and their private vows were the moments that made them most emotional during the day. When you hear their vows back in the wedding film, you can understand why.
Hannah and Chris chose to save their personal vows for a private moment together.
A wedding soundtrack with a difference
Music was a huge part of Hannah and Chris’s day. They are big fans of rock, pop punk and metal, so instead of hiring a typical wedding band, they got a local band made up of friends to play songs they actually love.
And this wasn’t just background music, the band covered everything from pop punk and rock through to metal.
It was loud. It was energetic. It was basically a gig. It was very, very Hannah and Chris.
Then Chris decided that simply watching his friends play wasn’t enough and he joined them on stage to play bass for a couple of songs. Why not?!
And then came the mosh pit…
This is probably where the job description of “wedding videographer” becomes a little less traditional.
Hannah and Chris’s review mentions me throwing myself and my cameras into the middle of a mosh pit during the live band. Yeah that happened.
But that’s the thing. I’m not interested in filming your wedding from the sidelines if there’s something happening in the middle of the action. If everyone is up dancing, I’m going to be there.
I was nearly up crowd surfing with my taco when the band played New Found Glory.
Tacos, coffee and their own wedding beans
They even had their own Chris & Hannah branded coffee beans. It’s such a small detail, but I love things like this. I also love coffee so, all good.
Sometimes it’s just about taking something you both love and finding a way to include it. In this case, it was coffee.
Firepits, marshmallows and a fireworks finale
As the evening went on, everyone headed outside for the firepits. There were marshmallows toasting over the flames, people chatting and the whole atmosphere becoming more relaxed.
And then came the fireworks which was a pretty spectacular way to finish the day. Although, knowing what had already happened, I wasn’t particularly surprised.
Motorbikes.
A mosh pit.
Live band.
Fireworks.
It was all very Hannah and Chris.
Why Hannah and Chris wanted a wedding videographer
When I asked Hannah and Chris what made them want to book a videographer, their answer really sums up why I love what I do:
“To be able to capture and bottle up another form of the day. The movement, sound, laughter… have a true representation of how the day was.”
That’s exactly what a wedding film should do. A photograph can freeze a moment but a film can bring it to life.
You can hear the music, hear your friends laughing, hear your vows, hear the speeches, hear everyone cheering and of course, see the dance moves.
You can re-live the atmosphere of the day in a way that photographs simply can’t recreate.
Why audio is such a big part of my wedding films
This is something I care about a lot as a Norfolk wedding videographer.
I don’t want your wedding film to simply look good, I want it to sound like your wedding.
For Hannah and Chris, that meant using snippets of their speeches, readings and private vows as part of the soundtrack to their film. They told me their favourite part of their wedding film was:
“The fact that the sound overlay were taken from snippets of our speeches, vows and readings. Made it feel so personal and special.”
And that’s exactly what I aim for.
Rather than simply putting a song over a montage of pretty shots, I want to use the actual sounds of your wedding to tell your story. Your voices, your vows, your friends, your family, your laughter, the music and all the little things that only happened on your day.
Because years from now, hearing those voices again can take you straight back to the moment.
“Don’t think about it… book the videographer! And book Michael!”
“Don’t think about it… book the videographer! And book Michael!”
“Michael was amazing and professional right from the booking process, meet ups, on the day and then our video delivery. Plenty of flexibility to our package (even added on more after the wedding!)”
Chris & Hannah mentioned some of the things that made their day a little different:
“We didn’t make it easy for him: drone footage of the grooms arrival on motorbikes, super 8 videos, throwing himself (and his cameras) in the middle of a mosh pit from our live band and a firework finale… Michael caught it all!”
That’s pretty much the job description I want, whatever your day looks like, I’m there to capture it. I’m not trying to make your wedding fit my style.
I’m there to capture your style.
Staying out of the way
One of the things Hannah and Chris mentioned in their review was something that’s really important to me:
“You wouldn’t even know he was there, which made us feel so relaxed, comfortable and be our true, authentic selves on our wedding day.”
I don’t want you spending your wedding day worrying about where the camera is, I don’t want you feeling like you’re constantly being directed and I don’t want you to feel like you’re performing for me.
I want you to forget I’m there, get on with your day, laugh with your friends, cry during the ceremony, dance (or mosh) like an idiot.
Do whatever feels natural.
I’ll work around you.
The moments you don’t plan are often the best
Hannah and Chris’s wedding was full of things that simply wouldn’t have happened at every wedding.
The motorbike arrival, Chris playing bass, their friend singing Evanescence, the mosh pit, the private vows, the coffee beans, the fireworks.
And that’s why I love filming weddings.
You can plan a wedding down to the smallest detail, but some of the best moments are the ones you never planned. As a Norfolk wedding videographer, my job is to notice those moments and capture them while they’re happening.
Not recreate them later. Not ask you to do them again.
Just be there.
What stayed with Hannah and Chris?
When I asked Hannah and Chris about their wedding, their most memorable moment was the ceremony.
Their funniest moment?
The best man’s speech.
The moments that made them most emotional?
The ceremony and their private vows.
And their favourite part of their wedding film?
The sound.
The speeches.
The vows.
The readings.
All those little pieces of their actual day woven into the film. They summed up their experience perfectly in their review:
“Capture the smiles, hear the laughs and see the dance moves. We have adored being able to relive our wedding day and knowing we have this footage we can keep the memories alive forever.”
That’s exactly what I want to create, not just something that looks cinematic, something that brings your wedding day back.
Looking for a Norfolk wedding videographer?
If you’re planning a wedding in Norfolk and want someone to capture it naturally, without turning your day into a film set, that’s where I come in.
I’m Michael, a Norfolk wedding videographer filming weddings across Norfolk, Suffolk and beyond. I use multiple cameras, natural audio, drone footage and whatever else is needed to tell the story of your day.
Sometimes that means quietly filming from the sidelines. Sometimes it means getting in the middle of the dance floor and occasionally, apparently, it means taking cameras into a mosh pit.
I’ll capture the big moments.
I’ll capture the little ones.
I’ll capture the things you planned.
And I’ll capture the things you absolutely didn’t.
Because your wedding film shouldn’t just show you what your wedding looked like, it should let you hear the laughter, feel the atmosphere and relive the moments you never want to forget.
Just like Hannah and Chris wanted.
A true representation of how their day was and, most importantly, how it felt.
Need some help finding the right wedding videographer for you?
Find out more about Strefford Films or read my blog with some tips!
Venue @curdshallbarn
Daytime Catering @florentinacatering
Photographer @mariewoottonphotography
Band @chicanesband
Ceremony music @music_gardenia
Florist @blushandbloomfloral
Evening catering @thecabinnorfolk
Hairstylist @hair_by_alicerose
Dress designer @camillabrides
Bridesmaid dresses @sixstories
Groomsmen suits @leadenhalltailoring
Makeup artist @aimeekeegan_makeupartist
Cake @crumbleandvelvet
Furniture and prop hire @arrayweddingandeventhire
Draping and lighting @quirkevents.uk
Fireworks @firework_crazy
Coffee cart @greenwavecoffeco
Glamping tents @thelittlebeachbellcompany
Breakfast catering @katherines_kitchen1
