Eastington Park has the two things a house needs on film: ceilings and windows. The rooms are tall and the light comes in from the side, which is the light faces want. Bianka and Robert married in March, with a church aisle for the ceremony and the house for everything after. Early spring in Gloucestershire is bare trees and pale grass and it suited the film.
The Cotswolds are the most photographed countryside in England and the venues here know it. Stone the colour of biscuit, dry-stone walls, villages that look arranged. It would be easy to make a film that looks like every other film from here. The way to avoid that is to film the people and let the stone be the stone.
Gloucestershire runs from the Cotswold hills down to the Severn, and the venues follow: manor houses on the hills, barns and farms in the vale. Eastington is on the edge of both.
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
Cotswolds weddings are mostly single-site, at a manor or an estate with a licensed room and grounds, with guests staying in the villages nearby. The other common shape is a village church followed by a barn or a marquee, sometimes with a walk between them through the village, which is worth filming.
Guests come from London and Bristol in roughly equal numbers. The day starts around midday and runs late.
This is a county where the venues are beautiful and the risk is that the film looks like a brochure. I spend more time on the guests here than anywhere.
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 your church and reception are in the same village, walk between them. Confetti in a Cotswold lane is one of the reliable pleasures of filming here.
Cotswold stone is warm and the light on it late in the day is warmer still. If you want a walk in the grounds, make it the last hour before dinner.
Villages here are small and popular. Book guest rooms across two or three villages rather than hoping one has enough.
Ask the house about parking and arrivals. Several Cotswold manors have a long drive and one entrance, which shapes how the beginning of the day films.
If you are marrying in the Cotswolds or anywhere in Gloucestershire, 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.