Simon & Monica | Just a fun wedding at Kumeu Valley Estate

Simon & Monica’s Korean-Filipino Wedding at Kumeu Valley Estate

Some weddings are emotional. Some are elegant. Some are just incredibly fun.

Simon and Monica’s wedding at Kumeu Valley Estate in Auckland managed to be all three.

As their wedding videographer, what stood out to me throughout the day was how comfortable these two are around each other. There was plenty of laughter, plenty of singing, and none of it felt forced. Their personalities came through naturally, which made their wedding especially enjoyable to film.

A Love Story That Started at an 18th Birthday

Simon and Monica first met around 10 years ago at Monica’s 18th birthday celebration.

Simon happened to be part of the band performing that night.

It seems appropriate that music was part of the very beginning of their story because singing is still something they both love today. Simon and Monica are both very good singers, and over the years, singing together has become one of the things they enjoy as a couple.

They also complement each other in the everyday parts of their relationship.

Simon loves to cook.

Monica loves eating whatever Simon cooks.

And one of their very simple long-term goals is, in their own words, to get fat together.

That sense of humour sums them up quite well.

Bringing Korean and Filipino Families Together

Simon is Korean and Monica is Filipina, making their wedding a beautiful meeting of two cultures.

What I particularly liked about their story was that their backgrounds weren't treated as something separating the two families.

Quite the opposite.

Over the years, Simon has embraced Monica’s Filipino culture and her family, while Simon’s family has welcomed Monica into their Korean family.

For Korean-Filipino couples living in New Zealand, their relationship is a good example of how two different backgrounds can naturally become part of one shared family.

The result on their wedding day wasn't just a celebration of two people getting married. It was also two families celebrating together.

A Wedding Full of Singing and Laughter

There are wedding days where everyone seems slightly conscious of the cameras.

This wasn't one of them.

Simon and Monica’s wedding was full of genuine moments. They laughed constantly, sang, joked around and simply enjoyed spending the day with their family and friends.

For me as a wedding videographer, those are the moments I am always looking for.

I can direct a couple when necessary and make sure we have beautiful footage, but the moments that usually mean the most years later are the ones that happen naturally.

A look between the couple.

Someone unexpectedly bursting into song.

A family member laughing.

The small interactions happening between the bigger events of the day.

Simon and Monica gave me plenty of those moments to work with.

Wedding at Kumeu Valley Estate

Kumeu Valley Estate is a popular Auckland wedding venue, and it worked beautifully for Simon and Monica’s celebration.

Having the wedding in one venue also allows the day to flow naturally, giving the couple more time to enjoy themselves rather than spending large portions of their wedding travelling between locations.

From a wedding filmmaking perspective, I also love having enough time and space to capture the atmosphere around the couple rather than focusing only on the formal parts of the schedule.

For Simon and Monica, Kumeu Valley Estate provided the setting, but their families, personalities and music were what really brought the day to life.

Filming Simon & Monica’s Wedding

Every couple gives me a different story to work with.

With Simon and Monica, their story wasn't about creating something overly dramatic.

It was about showing who they genuinely are.

They sing together.

They laugh together.

Simon cooks.

Monica eats.

Their Korean and Filipino families have become one family.

And after meeting at an 18th birthday party a decade ago, they were finally celebrating their wedding surrounded by the people who had watched their relationship grow.

That is what I wanted their wedding film to remember.

Not just how the wedding looked, but how being there actually felt.

Planning a Kumeu Valley Estate Wedding?

If you're planning your own wedding at Kumeu Valley Estate, or you're looking for an Auckland wedding videographer, I'd love to hear about what you're planning.

I also regularly work with multicultural couples and families throughout Auckland and New Zealand, including Filipino, Korean and Korean-Filipino weddings.

Every family celebrates differently, and that's something I enjoy incorporating naturally into each wedding film.

You can view more of my wedding films and get in touch through Mata Films at matafilms.co.nz.