Believe me when I say I don’t think I can write a blog post worthy of this truly awesome wedding in Cannes in the South of France. This was an epic wedding … and then some!
“Nothing Stops a Schwinger getting married when he wants – not even a global pandemic” .. was just one of the memorable quotes from Niko, the stunning bride’s, speech and typified the whole essence of this wedding, which was held over three days and included a Pool Party, A BMX show, a Flashmob …. Not forgetting the most beautiful wedding ceremony itself.
I remember the day and the moment I took the enquiry. I was actually filming the most amazing wedding at the Burgenstock Resort & Spa in Switzerland and during a small break, I happened to check in on my emails. There was the enquiry from the groom Philipp but to be honest I was a little bit confused because it appeared to be from a filmmaker in Austria but the wedding was to be held in Cannes in France.
The email was full of excitement, energy and enthusiasm to work with me … just the sort of enquiry I love receiving from my clients. It’s so important that they share with me their vision and plans for the day as it gives me a better understanding of their requirements and of course, whether we make a good fit!
The plan was to invite over one hundred guests, from all over the world, to this beautiful estate in Cannes, which belongs to Niko’s family. This was the place where, during the pandemic, the family had called their’ ‘paradise’.
From sunrise to sunset the pool was stunning
And it really was just that!. Located in the Nice countryside… The compound was hidden away with the most luscious gardens, a fabulous swimming pool, stables for their horses, A BMX track and a couple of beautiful houses.
Philipp’s vision was for a ‘wedding event’ held over three days. Day one – an afternoon and evening pool party with some surprises thrown. Day two – a day for chilling either on the estate or the nearby beach … or whatever the guests wanted to do to recover from day one. And Day three – the wedding itself, which started quite late in the afternoon due to the very hot weather.
I flew out to France the day before the event to meet with Philipp and Niko, liaise with the photographer and planner and conduct a recce of the whole venue and go over all of the plans and the schedule for the forthcoming days.
It was actually the first time I’d got onto a plane since the beginning of the pandemic and there were so many logistical issues to sort out but I knew I was heading to the very warm climbs of Nice in France… So I was very excited nonetheless.
The pool party on the first day was absolutely awesome. Niko’s brother Georgie left all the guests in awe when he and his friends took to the BMX track and aced some amazing bike skills. There was also amazing food and then the guests partied into the night.
The following day was a day of ‘rest’ for most people. Although it was officially a day off for me I still filmed around the venue and the wedding preparations and also with Philipp and his family including his three boys, to capture more than just the wedding day itself but their story as a family.
Of course, I got to keep cool by sitting by the pool for a lot of the day but I always had my camera at the ready!
The wedding day was a hot one. It was actually really hard to work in these temperatures and both myself and the photographer really struggled having to change our clothes several times throughout the day.
I began filming some more fun and frolics in the pool with the family, the arrival of Niko‘s girlfriends to have a beautiful breakfast together, and of course the arrivals of the guests as well as the bride preparations.
The ceremony itself was held under a row of beautiful trees, which was lucky because it was in the shade, and the celebrants were Philipp and Nico‘s best friends Fiona and Adam.
It was so lovely because as such good friends of the couple, they were able to tell the story of both Niko and Philipp. The fact that they had met many years before and it had taken them about 20 years to realise they were meant to be together. The vows that Philipp and Niko shared with one another were equally as beautiful as the ceremony itself and the emotions were high throughout the ceremony for everyone involved.
Did I mention that Niki designed and made all the dresses she wore over the wedding event? Absolutely stunning.
There was an afternoon mingling, again by the pool, with canapés and champagne with guests moving on to the marquee area for the wedding breakfast and speeches, where all the tables were laid out beautifully.
The speeches were emotional and fun yet also full of tear-jerking moments and beautiful anecdotes both from the couple themselves as well as their friends and family.
Philipp talked of opportunity, beauty, loyalty and of course love in his speech and threw in a few comedy moments as well.
To be honest in the edit it was hard to choose what to use for the film because there were so many lovely words spoken.
Then the party began…
It started with a beautifully choreographed dance by Philipp and Niko to music from ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘The Greatest Showman’. They’d rehearsed earlier on in the day and it paid off because the dance was faultless and beautiful.
This choreographed dance then went straight into another one by several of the guests – a dancing Flashmob. The whole thing has been put together by professional dancers Marvin Dietmann and Wifi Kreissl from Vienna
The party and the dancing were crazy, chaotic, and mad and it went into the early hours of the morning.
It was, without a doubt, a wedding I will never ever forget and I absolutely loved filming …. And of course, editing their story together, which you can watch here.
Philipp and Niko made me feel welcome, the family was also really lovely, and their friends were fabulous.
I absolutely love filming destination weddings all over the world and there’s nothing like a party, especially after the pandemic.
You can read more about some of the other weddings I’ve captured in France here
And if you think you’d like me to capture your story, then click here as I’d love to hear from you.
