As a Norwich wedding videographer, I notice that some weddings are beautiful because of the flowers, the venue or the styling. Some are beautiful because every single detail means something and some are beautiful because of the people.
Alicha and Tom’s wedding at The Assembly House in Norwich was all of those things.
From the moment I met Alicha and Tom for their pre-wedding film (watch it here, it’s good, I promise!) I knew they were the most fun people, the kind of people I love to meet and definitely the kind of people I love creating films about.
It was obvious that their wedding day wasn’t going to be a day built around wedding traditions for the sake of it. Every decision had a story behind it.
Every song had been chosen with purpose.
Every reading
Every drink
Every embroidered napkin
Every personalised tattoo
Every tiny detail reflected who they are as a couple and the people they love most. And that’s what stood out to me the most, Alicha and Tom care so deeply about their family and friends.
A Wedding Full of Meaning
When I asked Alicha and Tom what mattered most while planning their wedding, they wanted it to feel personal. Not just for themselves, but for every single guest.
Nothing was included simply because weddings are “supposed” to have it. Instead, every decision carried meaning. From the music playing throughout the day, to cocktail choices, handwritten details on cufflinks, the dress code, a brilliantly personalised Guess Who game and hand-embroidered names on every napkin, everything had been thoughtfully considered.
It made the whole day feel incredibly genuine.
You could tell that every guest felt part of something special…. and they definitely showed that on the dance floor later on, what a party!!
Why They Chose The Assembly House
Working as a Norwich wedding videographer, I have filmed at a lot of beautiful wedding venues. The Assembly House is no exception and is an incredible backdrop for their wedding, but for Alicha and Tom it meant far more than just a beautiful building.
The venue had once been owned by their dear friend, Chef Richard Hughes, who sadly passed away in 2024. His wife Stacia and daughter Stacey now continue his legacy and the care they put into looking after Alicha and Tom throughout the planning process and on the wedding day itself clearly meant the world.
They told me they felt as though Richard was with them throughout the day. and knowing how much love surrounded everyone there, it’s easy to understand why.
A Walk Through Norwich
One of my favourite parts of the day came after the wedding breakfast when we escaped into the streets of Norwich for a short walk together along with Craig (Craig Greenwood Photography).We wanted to keep Alicha and Tom away from their guests for as little time as possible. So I done the essential pre-planning and took a little stroll around the city the previous week to map out a short route. So if choosing a Norwich wedding videographer who plans ahead and thinks outside the box, maybe I’m your guy?!
These little moments away from the celebration are often some of the most valuable.
A chance to breathe.
A chance to properly take in everything that’s happened.
And for me, they’re often where the most natural moments happen on camera.
Alicha and Tom later told me it was the breather they never knew they needed.
As a bonus, we had a little stop outside of BunX at Micawbers where the owner decided to pop out and surprise Alicha and Tom with a couple of glasses of champagne, it was so nice of them and it really added to feel good vibes.
Moments They Will Never Forget
There were so many highlights throughout the day.
The fireball entrance was every bit as epic as they’d imagined while dreaming it up together in their kitchen months before. The reactions from their guests said everything! Huge smiles, cheers and plenty of laughter.
Then there were the emotional moments.
Locking eyes for the first time during the ceremony.
The incredibly heartfelt speeches from the best men and Alicha’s Dad.
And finally, that incredible party.
Everyone packed onto the dance floor. Friends. Family. Parents. Grandparents. Arms around each other, singing at the top of their lungs, dancing and trying to hold onto the final few minutes before the day came to an end.
Those are the moments you simply can’t recreate. Luckily I was there to capture it in all it’s glory!
The Funniest Parts of the Day
As with every great wedding, there were plenty of moments nobody could have planned.
One guest arrived at midday… despite actually being invited only for the evening.
Both grandmas absolutely owned the dance floor, complete with sunglasses and some surprisingly impressive moves.
And then there were the temporary tattoos featuring Alicha, Tom and their cat, which somehow became even funnier when several of the bald guests proudly stuck them to the tops of their heads.
It’s those completely unexpected moments that make every wedding unique.
Their Favourite Part of the Wedding Film
When I asked what they loved most about their wedding film, the answer didn’t surprise me.
The dance floor.
It wasn’t just because everyone was having an incredible time.
It was because every single one of their favourite people was there together.
Parents.
Grandparents.
Friends.
Siblings.
Nobody sat watching.
Everybody joined in.
They also loved seeing the quieter moments they’d missed on the day, the guests laughing over the children’s illustrated place cards, admiring the embroidered napkins and simply enjoying being together.
Those little moments often become some of the biggest memories once the wedding is over.
Choosing a Norwich Wedding Videographer
Alicha and Tom first discovered Strefford Films after watching Mark and Laura’s wedding film. (This one).
Like so many couples, they looked at plenty of others when looking for a Norwich wedding videographer, but they always found themselves coming back to those films. They told me they were in tears just watching the trailer and knew from that moment they wanted me to tell their story too.
Before the wedding, we met for an engagement shoot, giving us a chance to get to know each other without the pressure of the wedding day. They later told me that meeting beforehand made all the difference, helping them feel completely comfortable in front of the camera and allowing them to forget they were even being filmed.
After receiving their wedding films, they sent me one of the kindest reviews I’ve ever received.
“Where do we start?! Basically, if you don’t book Michael as your videographer then more fool you. He is AMAZING.”
They went on to say that what stood out wasn’t just the big moments, but the tiny ones they never knew had been captured.
The laughter around the table plan.
Friends sharing jokes during cocktail hour.
Both grandmas taking over the dance floor.
A brother’s reaction to seeing his sister in her wedding dress for the first time.
A teasing moment during a speech.
Those little glances between guests that disappear in an instant on the day itself.
Creating a Wedding Film
They also mentioned how much they loved the music throughout their films, saying every track felt carefully chosen to build emotion rather than simply sitting in the background. With seven speeches to work through, weaving together the right moments to tell their story was one of my favourite parts of editing this film.
Perhaps my favourite part of their review was this:
“Michael is able to get across exactly the type of people you are and the relationship you have, without you even opening your mouths.”
That’s exactly what I hope every film achieves.
Not just documenting what happened, but capturing who you are, the people around you, and the feeling of the day.
Alicha and Tom also said something that genuinely means the world to me:
“We now consider Michael our friend.”
There honestly isn’t a bigger compliment than that. So if I’m the kind of Norwich wedding videographer you’re looking for, get in touch!
Thank you both for trusting me with your engagement film and your wedding day. It was an absolute privilege to tell your story, and I know these films will become even more valuable as the years go by.
Oh… and one final thing. One of the stills from their wedding film was also in Vogue Magazine, which made the whole experience even more special!
“Where do we start?! Basically if you don’t book Michael as your videographer then more fool you. He is AMAZING.
He is so incredibly talented that I kind of felt like I wasn’t worthy of his work; that he should be working with fancier people than us! We feel so lucky to have had Michael film not only an engagement shoot for us, but our big day too.
From the very beginning Michael was responsive, kind and approachable. By meeting him for a pre wedding/ engagement shoot we were able to make sure that we felt comfortable around him, knowing he would be with us on one of the most important days of our life. From the moment we met him we knew he was the one for us. His calm, warm manner meant we felt no pressure to ‘perform’ or feel embarrassed. We were feeling very shy about the whole thing and I had to coach my husband into doing it to be honest! But that all disappeared. This put us at complete ease in the run up to the wedding.
I don’t think I spent a single second worrying about our videos after meeting Michael and then after seeing our pre wedding shoot; only pure excitement to see them.
We found Michael as our friends had him do their wedding. I watched just the trailer of their wedding and was bought to tears. That’s when I knew we had to have him.
He has an eye for detail. The shots aren’t just ‘generic shots’, they are moments of our friend’s giggling at their table plan drawings, our friends sharing a joke in the garden at cocktail hour, of our nans dancing on the dance floor, of my reaction when my husband teased me in his speech, of my brother’s faces on seeing me in my dress for the first time. I could go on forever. I sobbed through every one of our videos. I actually sobbed through most of the other couples videos on instagram too!! haha. He is able to select the most incredible music to compliment his amazing work. I was actually worried about the music; the idea of some generic acoustic rubbish… but no it fit the flow of the video perfectly, taking you on an emotional rollercoaster. It is clear he takes a lot of time choosing not just any old stuff!! He was able to select poignant moments across seven different speeches and this must have been incredibly time consuming, but it was absolutely perfect.
Michael is able to get across exactly the type of people you are and the relationship you have, without you even opening your mouths. He is so hugely talented, very patient and so kind!! I hope he doesn’t mind or find it creepy, but we now consider Michael our friend! We are so very grateful for the time and energy he had put into capturing some of the most amazing memories we ever make.
P.S this photo is a still from our video that Michael had featured in VOGUE MAGAZINE. BECAUSE HE IS SO AWESOME!”
Alicha & Tom
The Awesome Suppliers
Venue: The Assembly House, Norwich
Hair Stylist: Amie Kelly @amiekelly_hairstylist
Make-Up Artist: Hayley Holiday @hayleyholidaymua – Alice @Brides2Bee_23
Dress Boutique: Adella Bridal
Suits: Moss Bros
Florist: The Garden Shed @thegardenshed22
Videographer: Michael Strefford – Norwich Wedding Videographer @strefford_films
DJ & Music: Laurie Roe @laurieroemusic
Photographer: Craig Greenwood Photography @craiggreenwoodphotography
