A wedding in Gloucestershire.
You may have noticed that most of the weddings I capture are within Devon and Cornwall but I do sometimes travel around the UK for weddings and back in October I travelled to Gloucestershire for Amy and Sam’s special day. The day started off at Amy’s parent’s, where she was getting ready with her immediate family and bridesmaids. When I first arrived and introduced myself to everyone, Amy was in the very early stages of getting her make up done (foundation going on) and personally, I’ve never found that to be a pretty picture (I much prefer capturing finishing touches like lipstick, mascara etc). So I made myself busy by photographing the dress (from Wed2B) which had been moved into the living room for me. There’s something about capturing bridal prep photos in the parents house that I always find very moving. From time to time, Amy’s parents will be sat watching T.V and they’ll look across at the living room door and be reminded of their daughter’s beautiful wedding dress, Amy’s mum will recall buttoning up the back of the dress, and Amy’s dad will remember looking into the living room and seeing her for the first time as a bride. I enjoy capturing the family home during morning prep photos, the flowers that were put out, the thoughtful breakfast buffet that had been laid out on the dining room table and the bunting across the display cabinet which read ‘Amy & Sam’. Amy’s graduation picture was nestled amongst the bunting which made a cute photo. I believe that capturing that feeling of pride and love in those little details around the house, is just as important as capturing the first kiss or the cake cut.
The bride’s hair was done at Madison-Rae Hair Boutique and the make up artist was Kathryn from Powder & Paint. The Bride’s comfy wedding shoes were a Primark purchase - we didn’t see Amy’s feet at all as her long dress covered her feet completely, so I 100% agree that there’s no need to spend a fortune and there’s no need to be in pain - smart bride!
The rest of the day was held at Thornbury Golf Centre. I managed to briefly capture the ceremony room before the guests entered and I was instantly impressed by the space and light. I particularly loved the wooden beams which were wrapped in fairy lights. The beams were so low yet the ceiling was actually very high, and having the beams that low allowed me to capture some pretty bokeh behind the couple during the ceremony.
Amy and Sam were actually already legally married before their wedding day. They were unable to book a registrar for the date and time they wanted at Thornbury Golf Centre (which I believe was due to the registrars being in such high demand after the pandemic) but they were able to book an earlier date at a registry office. So they did their legal bit very low key and saved their celebration for the golf centre. The person officiating the ceremony for their chosen wedding day was Alex, a close friend of the couple who also had a role in the wedding as one of the Groomsmen. Alex did a fantastic job and provided a personal touch that only a friend could deliver. Instead of signing the marriage schedule/certificate as would normally happen that the end of a wedding ceremony, the couple signed their change of name deeds as they both decided to go double barrel with their last names. They then shared a kiss before making their way back down the aisle together.
Next was the confetti photo and in place of confetti Amy and Sam decided to have bubbles. The wind was incredible strong, so much so that the people you see on the left hand side of the bubble aisle soon realised that they didn’t need to blow into their bubble wands as the wind could do all of the work for them. And of course the bubbles blown from the people on the right hand side were having a bit of trouble, no doubt getting a lot of bubbles in their own faces. None the less, I managed to capture some bubbles before they whizzed off out of shot and it did look very pretty.
The area where we had the bubble confetti aisle was originally planned to be the area we used for group photos, but it really was too windy there so I knew I needed to find a plan B. Around the corner I found a useable area which was a little sheltered from the wind as we had a building on the left hand side which shielded us somewhat. This particular area was a public entrance so I made sure we had permission from the venue staff before calling the guests over for group photos. We did get some golfers occasionally coming in and out and we did have to ask some people to move their golf clubs out of shot, but people were happy to accommodate us and we managed to get through all of the group photos the couple wanted. It did start to rain as I was taking the last few shots but luckily it wasn’t too heavy at that time. I do quite like the glittery effect caused by the rain in those last images, you’ll spot it if you look in the triangular area of the doorway.
I take loads of photos during this part of a wedding - probably around 20 shots for each group photo, give or take. The reason I take so many is because people will blink, lick their lips, talk (talking faces aren’t often pretty), get hair in their face (especially on windy days) and some times people just don’t look up or will face the wrong way completely. So by taking lots and lots of the same group of people, I better my chances of getting a good photo to edit and deliver to the couple. Where possible I like to deliver 2-3 images from each group photo, a wide shot, a close up and one in portrait (so they’re not all in landscape). Despite the challenges posed by the strong wind and light rain, I was able to provide Amy & Sam with a good variety of images from their group shots. What I’ve uploaded here on the blog is just a small selection but it gives you an idea of what I aim to achieve for my clients. I totally understand that group photos aren’t that fun for anyone involved, they can be chaotic and probably a bit boring too. But I know all too well that having everyone in the family together in one place is rare. So if my client’s ask me to do group photos (and they all do) I make sure it’s done right.
I absolutely love the bright orange shawls worn by the bridesmaids and the matching men’s ties which were found on Amazon. The orange gave the wedding a burst of autumn and it perfectly complimented the navy blue bridesmaid’s dresses from Ever Pretty and the men’s suits which were from Slater Menswear. Amy made the bouquets and button holes herself alongside all of the floral arrangements and decorations used indoors.
After the group photos, I took the opportunity to photograph the wedding breakfast room before any of the guests entered. The cake topper was from NewWeddingSigns on Etsy and the cake was made by Amy’s wonderful mother.
Unfortunately the rain that had started during the group photos had not eased off and had in fact become a bit worse. The wind was still very strong and bitter cold which made the rain feel even worse than it was. We still had the couple’s just married portraits to do and we had hoped we could utilise the stunning grounds around the venue for those special photos. The couple understandably didn’t want to go out in the elements but luckily we found a sheltered area which had natural light, rustic brickwork and wooden beams. It was a perfect solution and so all the bride-groom portraits were done in that space. It is certainly a shame because the venue has so many breath-taking areas that we could have used but we still managed to get some fun and romantic photos.
Back in the venue, the couple cut their cake and food was promptly served by the venue. This was my queue to leave as I was only booked for five hours coverage and we’d timed my departure in line with the food being served. However, I wanted to do a little extra for this lovely couple before I left…
I met actually Amy and Sam back in 2019, they were guests at a wedding I was photographing. They were sat at a table and I approached them to ask if they’d like me to take a photo of them. I took the photo there and then (they were still sat at their table) and then I showed them the photo on the back of my camera. It obviously wasn’t edited yet but they loved it straight away, I remember telling Amy she was ‘cute as a button’ which is definitely still the case! Amy and Sam eventually got the edited photo from the newlyweds and it was one of their favourite photos of the two of them. They followed my work online over the next few years and when it came to planning their own wedding, they got in touch. I thought it would be nice to finish their wedding photo collection with photos of their wedding guests sat at their tables. I worked quickly as I knew people would soon be tucking into their food but I managed to get a table shot for every table, every couple, every friendship group (again what I’ve uploaded here is just a small selection). It felt like the perfect way to finish documenting their day, bringing things full circle and you never know, maybe I’ll hear from one of these couples in three years time.
“Leah was such a wonderful photographer! She was so professional and warm, and just a joy to work with!
We’re both camera shy, but Leah made everything fun, and has captured some truly magical moments that we don’t often get to see. I really can’t recommend her enough 💖”