An Ayr-based wedding videographer duo are celebrating after being named as finalists for two prestigious awards.
Derek and Maureen Sweeney, owners of Ultimate Moments Videography, have been put forward for the 2022 Scottish Wedding Awards and the Confetti Awards.
The pair, from Doonfoot, said it was an honour to be nominated, especially after the most difficult period of their ten years in business due to the pandemic and restrictions surrounding tying the knot.
Derek said when the pandemic started they were inundated with emails and phone calls from clients having to change their wedding dates, with some postponing their weddings altogether.
He said: “In the first few weeks of the pandemic, we must have changed 75 to 100 dates and we saw our dates for 2020 disappear and our dairy for 2021, which was already 50 per cent full, get even busier.
“To have come through such a difficult 24 months was a blessing, and to have been nominated for these two awards really is so special.
“Our clients are our top priority, from the moment they book our services, and ensuring we could help them with their dates was our number one concern.”
This year will be Ultimate Moments’ busiest year to date due to weddings that have been moved from 2020 and 2021.
But that has only made the couple more excited to capture the special and raw moments for those saying the big ‘I do’ surrounding by loved ones.
Maureen said: “We absolutely love our job with a passion, and have enjoyed seeing our business continue to grow after 10 years.
“We have been nominated for both these awards before, but this years nominations mean the most to us due to everything that has happened in the last two years.
“It would have been so easy for clients to cancel our services, but at the same time, they knew that not only were we an important part of their wedding celebrations, as we are capturing a lifetime of memories from their wedding day, but that we were also a small family business that was immensely grateful for their support.”
Derek added: “We look forward to attending the award nights and celebrating with other suppliers and no matter what the outcome is on both evenings, we are so lucky to have all our clients support- and that for us is our real award.”
Maureen is also a finalist in the Confetti Awards for her Humanist Celebrant services, in the Best Specialist Service category.
Maureen, who works with Fuze Ceremonies, only qualified as a celebrant in February last year and added: "The fact that I am legally marrying two people is a privilege."
The 2022 Scottish Wedding Awards take place in February while the Confetti Awards’ Gala Final takes place in March.
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