Pre-Wedding Interview Videography: Jennifer + Luke (Part 1)
Jennifer and Luke have quite the story to tell. The pair, who grew up together in the North West city of Liverpool, met on a school trip and tied the knot recently following twelve years together as a happy couple. Jennifer, who shed more than half her bodyweight in recent years (135lbs to be exact), is a Slimming World Magazine Cover Girl and was awarded Miss Slinky 2017 as a direct result of her achievements in transforming her lifestyle! An inspiration to many, it's easy to see why Luke was drawn to Jennifer: a bubbly, beautiful lady - both inside and out. Speaking to me personally, Jennifer expressed her joy that Luke was going to be speaking to me without being present herself. Jennifer explained, "So many of the people that know us think that Luke is really quiet; I can't wait to see what Luke says when you interview him, but I also can't wait for everyone else to see his personality." If you can't wait either, see his interview at the bottom of this blog post!
The Back Story
I was initially asked to film Jennifer and Luke's wedding day by Jennifer, though I admit that I responded to her initial emails without knowing anything about who she was or her background, and felt a little bewildered that she had decided to plan her wedding in just six weeks! "It was just the perfect wedding venue, and they had a date," Jennifer explained, but I admit to thinking that six weeks was going to be a push for this lovely pair, no matter how determined Jennifer was to plan the perfect wedding day for herself and Luke. However, when I came to discover Jennifer's story, I began to realise that she was capable of extraordinary things and I was really excited to learn more about these two love birds. As a result, I expressed an interest in telling their story via a Pre-Wedding Interview shoot. In doing so, we could re-visit a place of interest and use the video shoot as b-roll to explain how they fell in love. At this point, Jennifer agreed and informed me of a park that was nearby where they first kissed as teenagers (with a little help of a nearby wall).
By then, I knew that Jennifer's story was well told in the press, but it was clear that this wasn't her only story to tell: Jennifer's love story with Luke is what teenage dreams are made of, and here they were - readying themselves to walk down the aisle - I knew that the opportunity to tell their story could not be missed! Shortly thereafterwards, the date was set for the interviews to take place and everything would happen upon our first meeting together, a week or so before their wedding day at the gorgeous North West wedding venue, Ashfield House.
The Night of the Shoot
Arriving at Jennifer and Luke's home, I was welcomed by an enthusiastic yet tired Jennifer, who had just returned from her Hen Night in the Lake District. Jennifer had assured me that she would be in a good state - not drinking with her friends and being sensible before her wedding day; I had my doubts - I know what goes on as well as anyone else on the usual 'Hen Night extravaganza' - but I was pleased to be proven wrong! Here she was, ready to go again - even after a tiring, long weekend away - and was willing to allow myself the time to get to know them both in their own home.
We decided that Jennifer would go first for the interview. Towards the end, as I asked Jennifer my final question: 'Why are you marrying Luke?' Jennifer's voice began to tremble. I was amazed to see the tears well up inside her eyes as she explained during the interview why she was going to marry her other half. I believe that I had caught Jennifer off-guard - this question wasn't in my initial email and the consequence of my final question to Jennifer was golden!
Luke soon followed, explaining his love for Jennifer: his favourite features about her and why he was going to be marrying her too. Despite so many moments being worthy of their Pre-Wedding Interview film, I knew that the story of their engagement would start things off in the right way. 'Two Harry Potter nerds', as Jennifer lovingly puts it, Luke explains the story of his proposal during the Harry Potter Tour below:
Part Two of this interview covers Jennifer's reasons for marrying Luke.