Beautiful Church and Castle Wedding in Sesimbra, Portugal
Handcraft Pictures Wedding Videography
A Portuguese Wedding
The Venue
Mariana and Francisco chose two beautiful venues for their wedding - the chapel in the grounds of Castelo De Sesimbra in Sesimbra and Quinta Das Torres- a stunning crumbling 16th Century Farmhouse which looks more like a castle.
The chapel sits on a hill above the town, overlooking the sea and enclosed by the medieval castle walls- it’s hard to get more picturesque than this- and the reception venue sat nestled in the beautiful Portuguese countryside.
I feel my nostalgic style of filmmaking fits historical venues like this very well, it all screamed tasteful old world romance, so I was spoilt for choice when shooting establishing footage.
Quina Das Torres, Sesimbra, Portugal
Marianna and Francisco’s Wedding Day Plans
Destination Wedding Videography in Portugal
I spent the morning with Marianna and her bridesmaids at a private residence in the Portuguese countryside in the misty hills. It was a relaxed morning, with Marianna’s beautiful dress and jewellery laid out and asking to be filmed- it really makes my job easier when my clients have such exquisite taste and attention to detail!
I then headed to the chapel, on top of the hill in Sesimbra where Francisco was already waiting nervously and I was taken aback, not only by the breathtaking interior of the chapel, but by also how stylish all of the guests were- again, making it easy for me to point my camera in any direction!
After a beguiling catholic wedding ceremony in Portuguese and a lovely moment when the couple embraced every one of their guests on their way back down the aisle, we made our way to Quinta Das Torres.
The 16th Century courtyard was tastefully dressed with long tables, plethora food and drinks and some great live music echoing off the crumbling walls as the afternoon drinks flowed naturally into dinner and speeches.
It didn’t stop raining from the morning through into the night and not just a bit of rain but torrential hammering rain- to their credit neither Marianna nor Francisco were remotely phased and we managed to get out in the rain for some portraits and I fully embraced the moody weather and included it in their film in the most stylish way I could manage.
Their first dance, lit by sparklers held by their guests, couldn’t have been more romantic, and the blues band had everyone dancing throughout the evening.
Despite the weather, this wedding was truly a highlight of 2021- it ticked every box for me: the breath-taking historic venues, the stylistic and aesthetic decisions, the lovely unposed moments between the couple and family members- it was all effortlessly romantic and gave me so much to work with when building their story.
Wedding Videography Approach
Me filming a wedding in Portugal with my minimalist set up.
My main aim as a wedding videographer is to produce cinematic, yet authentic, mementos of a wedding day. I want them to be stylish, filled with all the emotions of the day while being infused with a classic cinema flair, which I always have in the back of my mind when choosing which lens to use in a certain moment, how to frame a shot, the sounds and music I will use to tell that part of the story and thinking always about the edit.
The opening shot, with the chair and lamp, was actually a dark corridor near the bathrooms, which may have seemed like a strange location at the time(!) but I just new it would look atmospheric and timeless once edited. I’m so grateful to have couples who are open to and trust the creative vision of their videographer and photographer, it really makes the final work so much better.
Once I have these all story telling elements in place I make sure my films are as cinematic as possible, and what I mean by that is I use every tool and technique at my disposal, from the filming style on the wedding day, to the editing and colour grading techniques afterwards, to create a piece of work that feels like a mini-movie, like a short piece of classic cinema, with a proper beginning middle and end, establishing people, place and story as elegantly as possible, woven together with music I choose carefully for each project.
Most importantly though, I use equipment and a filming style on the day that allows me to capture these moments without leaving a heavy footprint on the day- I use very minimal equipment, similar to a photographer, and avoid stage managing the day in any way because the most important element of making a great film is authentic moments and emotions and the only way to achieve these is allow them to happen naturally, unhindered by over posing/staging and manufacturing the events.
