Sophie + Toby
As North Wales wedding videographers, we’re lucky to film weddings in some truly breathtaking locations, and Sophie & Toby’s summer wedding at Plas Dinam was a brand new venue for us.
We joked that it would be confusing for our Sophie to share the bride’s name… so imagine our surprise when the photographer for the day turned out to be a THIRD Sophie! It was time to break out the ‘Sophie001’ nicknames! 😂
Sophie & Toby had dreamt of a gorgeous outdoors ceremony with the house as the backdrop, surrounded by beautiful colourful flowers and rustic but comfy seating. They even got lucky with the weather, with a beautiful, clear sky above their wedding at Plas Dinam, along with a blazing sun that would make even the most hardened Plas Dinam wedding videographer reach for their ray-bans!
When we arrived we met the lovely folks from Lundy coffee bar, who were setting up in Plas Dinam’s grand and spacious courtyard. A mobile coffee trailer, Lundy’s Coffee, right next to the ceremony was a new one to us, and it turned out to be a roaring success, both as a light refreshment and a meeting hub. Emma Jane Floral Design were hard at work arranging the florals and SDG Productions Sound were providing PA system for the ceremony and speeches. These two really had thought of everything.
The photos online definitely don’t do Plas Dinam justice. We were absolutely blown away by how beautiful the venue was, and the weather meant everyone was able to make full use of the grounds for the whole day.
Plas Dinam Wedding Videography
Sophie’s bridal morning was a quiet and calm affair, her friends and family all around and their gorgeous fur baby, Lumi the Dalmatian wandered in to say hi before she was helped her into her colourful House of Savin (provided by Laura May Bridal) floral dress by her mum. We love that Plas Dinam Country House is a pet friendly wedding venue, and we got some incredible videography of Lumi wandering between the bride and groom’s morning preparations… presumably trying to figure out who had the best treats!
On the other side of the house Toby and his groomsmen were having a ball (pun intended) playing pool before getting ready, it was clear that Toby’s cue skills were very impressive, or could it be his groomsmen were letting him win? – We shall never know! 😉
Lumi popped in and out of the fun to make sure everyone was behaving themselves before the ceremony started…. We always get SO excited when couples bring their fur babies along to their weddings, we are huge animal lovers and he was sure to let everyone know he was the star of the show!
Before long, Sophie and her bridal party walked down the aisle. Greeted by a very nervous Toby, he waved at Sophie in such a sweet as she rounded the corner, giving us yet another of those precious little moments that make a Plas Dinam wedding video the best it can be. Full of furtive glances and stolen, candid wedding video moments. Tiny things like this make every wedding so unique – some couples laugh, some cry, some wave, but each and every version shows their personalities and how they feel about each other in that moment.
The ceremony was held by Sian Allen from Magpie Ceremonies who had written an entire epic of Sophie & Toby’s story so far, from their first meeting, to long distance, to meeting Lumi leading the happy couple and the assembled guests right to that special moment when they said “I do”. The bride and groom’s friends and family were moved and enchanted by the tale – but Lumi, who had presumably heard this story plenty of times, decided to stage a mini protest by planting himself squarely on the train of Sophie’s dress, remaining there for almost the entire ceremony 😂
One of the moments that stood out during Sophie & Toby’s Plas Dinam wedding ceremony was when their wedding rings were passed around in a shell ring box for each of their guests to hold and wish them well. This was a lovely thing to film. Such a personal touch making everyone feel involved in the ceremony. Once each and every guest had taken a few seconds to infuse these wedding bands with their love and hopes for the couple’s future, they eventually made their way back (unharmed) to the Sophie & Toby to make things official!
North Wales Wedding Videography
Sophie & Toby wanted to make sure everyone had a really fun time during the drinks reception, so they set up Jenga, tin cans and hoops for guests to enjoy. Whilst we spent a few moments alongside WyldeBee photography capturing some fun couples portraits around the grounds. But not before Toby had a go at the tin cars nearly hitting Matt in the process – like a trooper though, he kept on rolling as the beanbag whizzed by his ear, and the resulting moment make for one of the most fun and memorable parts of Sophie and Toby’s Plas Dinam wedding video.
Post lawn games, it was time to whisk Sophie and Toby off for a little alone time. The grounds of Plas Dinam wedding venue are lush and expansive, and it wasn’t long before we found ourselves alone with the happy couple taking a stroll through verdant woods and hidden pathways: all the time capturing beautiful and timeless video of this most special part of their wedding. We even managed to coax toby onto a rope swing we came across, dufully pushed by his new bride in a nice reversal of the usual fair. Sophie understood the assignment and gave a little more power on the final couple of swings, sending Toby flying on the dismount and very nearly into a nearby bush. It was a great North Wales wedding videography moment, and another opportunity for their wedding video to reflect their fun-loving personalities.
Once the evening began to roll in, it was time to reconvene at the gorgeous, converted stables which serve as the venue’s wedding breakfast setting. The sun lazily slid behind the treeline as speeches were said and food was eagerly demolished, and soon enough everybody was itching to hit the dancefloor. They didn’t have to wait long as their entertainment for the evening had been setting up during the latter half of the meal…
… out of nowhere, The Country Rocks band struck up the first of their incredible setlist of country rock covers, ‘Butterflies’ by the iconic Kacey Musgraves. This was Sophie and Toby’s first dance, and what a perfect choice it was: sentimental without being mawkish, effortlessly cool without being too earnest. The rest of their setlist continued to throw up banger after banger, and before we knew it the dancefloor was packed with country music lovers of every age, sporting bright pink cowboy hats and dancing the night away in Plas Dinam’s beautiful grounds.
Llandinam Wedding Videography
And the mobile coffee trailer from Luncy’s Coffee Co? Still there at the end of the night, dishing out hot and cold beverages to the happy revellers and proving that it isn’t always only about the alcohol!
We’re delighted to have been invited to serve as Sophie and Toby’s Plas Dinam Wedding Videographer on that gorgeous day, and we can’t thank them enough for the warm welcome we received, not only from the couple but also from Lumi who, until this day, lives rent-free in our hearts.
If you’re planning on getting married at Plas Dinam and you’d like a priceless, colourful reminder of the day, we would love to be your wedding videographers and capture whole thing as the magic unfolds.
