Jo & Andy’s Le Talbooth wedding: from Colchester to the River Stour

Jo and Andy’s wedding began with two busy mornings and ended with their favourite people gathered beside the River Stour. In between came a ceremony at Colchester Town Hall, a boat trip through Dedham and a reception at Le Talbooth. It was 12 September 2019, and their plans had only recently fallen into place.

Jo had called us a fortnight before the wedding. A move abroad was approaching, so there was less time than usual to organise everything. Watching their film now, though, it is not the short planning window that stands out. It is the way the day moves from family moments and nerves to the sheer happiness of being married.

We filmed this wedding under The Camera Guys name, before our wedding work became Stolen Hearts. It was our first wedding commission as The Camera Guys, which makes it a particularly personal one to share here. The images throughout this story are freeze frames from our footage, not separately taken wedding photographs.

Getting ready, with the people closest to them

Having two videographers meant we could follow both Jo and Andy’s preparations. The finished film brings those parallel mornings together: a pocket watch and cufflinks ready to be worn, Jo’s dress hanging beside the wooden beams, and the last touches to her makeup.

There are the details you expect to remember, such as the rings and the dress. Then there are the things that make those preparations feel like somebody’s actual wedding morning. A smile at the window. A kiss for a baby. Family close by while everyone gets ready. They are small parts of the footage, but they make the opening feel personal rather than a collection of beautiful objects.

For Jo and Andy, this is also a chance to see the part of the day they did not share in person. Each had their own preparations, conversations and anticipation before meeting for the ceremony.

A Colchester Town Hall wedding ceremony

The next chapter took place at Colchester Town Hall. Their ceremony brought the two mornings together, with family and friends there to see them become husband and wife.

There is a lovely moment in the footage when Jo and Andy raise their joined hands, both smiling towards their guests. After all the organising and getting ready, it says everything: they have done it. We have paused that moment below, but it is the movement and the response around them that make it so enjoyable to watch in the film.

One of the pleasures of working as a Colchester wedding videographer is seeing how couples make the area part of their own story. Jo and Andy’s day did not stay in one setting. From the town centre, the celebration moved out towards Dedham and the water.

By boat from Dedham to Le Talbooth

Rather than simply arriving at their reception by road, Jo and Andy boarded a boat at Dedham for the journey to Le Talbooth. The River Stour became part of the wedding itself, not just a view in the background.

The film follows them stepping aboard and sharing a kiss on the water. It is a quieter passage between two much bigger moments: the ceremony they have just experienced and the reception waiting ahead. The change of pace gives us time to see them together, away from the bustle of the rest of the day.

Bringing that journey into the edit mattered. A wedding story is not only the formal milestones; it is also how you get from one to the next. For this couple, the river connects their Colchester ceremony with the celebration in Dedham.

A riverside wedding reception at Le Talbooth

Le Talbooth, now Talbooth Restaurant, gave the afternoon its riverside setting. The footage looks across the water towards the venue, catches the flowers on the reception tables and returns to Jo and Andy with their guests.

There is a particular sense of place to this part of their Le Talbooth wedding film. The bridge frames the river, the garden provides space for the couple to be together, and the celebrations continue around them. Those wider views sit alongside the closer moments: an embrace, a laugh, a glance across the table.

Music in the garden, and a familiar face

Sam Ryder performed during the drinks reception. At the time, we were filming a singer with a guitar as part of Jo and Andy’s afternoon; years later, seeing him on television brought us straight back to this wedding. He makes a brief appearance in the highlights film.

It is a memorable detail, but the centre of this story is still the couple and the people celebrating with them. The music belongs to the atmosphere of their reception, alongside the conversations, laughter and time spent together beside the river.

The speeches: laughter, feeling and everyone listening

The speeches gave us plenty to remember. There was humour and emotion in what was said, and just as much to notice in the people listening. Jo turns towards Andy; guests react to the words; a speaker looks down at the notes prepared for this moment.

Filming the reactions as well as the person speaking helps those memories stay connected. You can hear the words again, but you can also see who laughed, who became emotional and how the couple responded. The full ceremony and speeches were included in Jo and Andy’s delivered films, alongside their shorter edits.

We have kept our separate article on why it is worth keeping your full wedding speeches if you would like to explore that part of filming in more detail. Here, it is simply another important piece of Jo and Andy’s day.

Watch Jo & Andy’s Le Talbooth wedding film

From the preparations to the Town Hall, the boat and the riverside reception, their films bring these places and moments back together. You can watch both edits and browse the complete mini gallery of freeze frames in our Jo & Andy Le Talbooth wedding film feature.

Press play

Back to that September.

Two films from Jo and Andy’s wedding, made in 2019 under The Camera Guys name.

▷

The highlights

Nine minutes with Jo & Andy

▷

The trailer

A little taste of the day · 1 min 35 sec

Select a film to load Vimeo. Privacy details.

Planning a Colchester wedding, a Dedham celebration or a reception at Talbooth? Explore our Essex wedding films and wedding videography packages, or tell us about your wedding date and venue. We would love to hear what will make the day yours.