Shottle Hall sits in the hills at the southern edge of the Peak District. Inside it is a Victorian manor with a proper staircase and ornate ceilings. Outside it has landscaped gardens and a Coach House Marquee that takes the dinner and the dancing. Sarah and Will married there on the first of August 2023 and the film moves between the two worlds, house and marquee, without ever leaving the grounds.
Haarlem Mill is on the edge of Wirksworth, a cotton mill with its brick and timber left alone and a mill stream outside. Natasha and Elizabeth's wedding on the twenty-first of August was one of the highest-energy evenings I have filmed. Industrial rooms take a party well. The brick soaks up light and gives it back warm.
Two venues, two Augusts, and no two shots that could be mistaken for each other. That is Derbyshire: stone manors on one hand and mills on the other, both built from what was under the ground.
I'm Chris Oxley. I film weddings at country houses and private estates across the UK.
I started this because when I got married in 2015, we didn't have a videographer. I wanted to build something I wished had existed for us. Films that hold up years later. A real record of a real day, not a montage of prompted moments.
I handle the consultation, the filming, the edit, the grade, and the delivery. I film a limited number of weddings a year, and I'm personally at every one.
Recognition: TWIA Regional Finalist
Venues Include: Grantley Hall, Froyle Park, Storrs Hall, Brympton House and 15+ leading venues
Peak District weddings are single-site days with the landscape as the backdrop, ceremony in the house or the garden, everything else in a marquee or a barn on the grounds. The hills are always in the frame and the weather comes over them fast.
The mill weddings in the Derwent valley towns are a different rhythm. Urban, walkable, the ceremony often in the same room as the party, the whole day compressed into one building with a lot of texture.
Guests come from Sheffield, Nottingham, Derby and Manchester, so the day starts at a reasonable hour and runs late. Nobody is travelling from far.
Many wedding videographers arrive with a shot list. I don't. I arrive early, stay quiet, and pay attention. The film comes from what actually happens. I might offer the occasional quiet prompt when it matters, but I'm not staging moments or running through the same poses as everyone else.
I tend to work with couples based in and around London who want something honest. A real record of a real day. Not a highlight reel built from the same five moments as everyone else's.
I film fifteen weddings a year. That number lets me edit every film personally, respond to every email myself, and still show up fully present on your day. Every frame graded and cut by me. No outsourced editing. No house style.
"We don’t even know where to start! Hiring Chris to shoot our wedding video was the BEST decision we made for our wedding. From the first meeting we had to discuss his style and approach, we knew we were on to the right person. Chris’ attention to detail is parallel to none."
"We weren’t originally going to get a videographer but it was worth every penny. The whole day is so much to process that you forget bits after. Having this video to treasure forever was the perfect way to cure the wedding blues."
"Before meeting Chris, we weren’t sure how to appear on film. After working with him, we felt completely comfortable, and he captured every organic moment we wanted."
If you are marrying in the Peak District with a marquee, ask the venue how the ground holds after rain and where the marquee sits relative to the house. The walk between the two is in the film.
Mill venues are loud in the best way. If the speeches are in the same room as the band, ask about the sound set-up before the day. My audio is separate, but your guests' ears are not.
Peak District light changes with the cloud, fast. An outdoor ceremony at three might be in sun and shade alternately. It films well, but choose a spot with something behind you rather than open sky.
Wirksworth and Matlock are small towns. Book the guest accommodation early.
If you are marrying in Derbyshire or the Peak District, send me your date and venue. I take on a limited number of weddings a year so that I can edit every film myself, and I will come back to you personally within a day.
Send your date, venue, and the collection you're leaning towards. If you're not sure, just outline your plans and I'll suggest the right approach. I'll come back to you personally within 24 hours.