A Winter Wedding at The Horn of Plenty.
Back in December I photographed Cara & Scott’s winter wedding at The Horn of Plenty. It was a frosty day so I made sure I allowed plenty of time to travel to the venue and when I arrived the sun was gently thawing the ice around the grounds. I started off by photographing the ceremony set up and wedding décor before heading upstairs to meet Cara, who was getting ready with her Bridesmaids and Flower Girls. Hair and make-up was being done by the talented duo The Looking Glass Hair and Make-Up Studio. I photographed the wedding dress from Amica Bridal Boutique and bridesmaid dresses from Shein, then I popped downstairs to meet Scott, who had just arrived with his Best Men. Scott seemed a little nervous (which is completely normal on the lead up to the ceremony) so I didn’t overwhelm with too many photos. It was nice to just have a little chat with him and meet some of his friends and family who had recently arrived. I took a couple of photos of Scott and his Best Men outside and photographed Scott’s memory charm which was pinned close to his heart. Scott’s suit was from Moss Bros and his Best Men’s Suits were from Abitto.
Back upstairs with the Bride, I photographed the flowers which were made by Cathy’s Flowers. I don’t think I’ve ever seen bouquets like this before, they were really beautiful - quite heavy but very pretty. When the bouquets were laying on the bed, I enjoyed using them in the foreground while focusing on the Bridesmaid and Flower Girls in the background. I got a bit creative, shooting through the bouquets at one point. I used the bouquets again when we took some photos outside on the balcony - getting the Bridesmaids to hold them up in front of my camera, framing the beautiful bride.
Cake Maker: Hannah Miller
Cake topper: Etsy
Memory charm: Etsy
Scott’s nerves melted away as soon as he was joined by Cara and the ceremony was beautiful. I was able to move around a little bit which allowed me to capture the ceremony from a couple of different angles. I did have the option to move to the back of the room (if I’d have gone out of one door and come back in through another door) but I was really enjoying the angles I had to work with at the front of the room and I didn’t want to miss any of the adoring glances the couple were sharing with each other.
Although it was very chilly, we had no wind or rain to contend with and we were blessed with beautiful sunshine. The couple exited the venue with a confetti aisle throw and then we made a start on the group photos. The couple did initially write me up quite a long group photo list and I advised them that we wouldn’t have time to get them all done in the short time we had to work with before the food was due to be served. We communicated back and forth and worked together to plan the group shots, removing some shots from the list and arranging the list in a way that would flow nicely - not keeping people stood out in the cold for longer than they needed to be. We ended up with 18 group photos to get through, which is still more than I normally recommend (10-15 is what I would normally suggest) but we made it work. I pre-warned the couple that the hour in between their ceremony and meal would be non-stop but they were on board and ready for the challenge. I totally understand the desire to have lots of group photos taken - it’s quite rare to have all of your loved ones together in one place and so opportunities to get photos like this don’t come along often. However spending so much time on group photos did mean that there wasn’t as many opportunities for candid shots, and I know that was something the couple also wanted. This was another thing I discussed with the Bride & Groom on the lead up to the wedding, so they knew what to expect in terms of what I could deliver for them in the time they had booked me for.
Some photographers advertise themselves as reportage photographers - they say they don’t do posing, they only capture candid and natural moments. I don’t believe this is possible as I’ve never met a couple who didn’t want any planned group photos at all. I prefer to think of myself as an adaptable photographer - if the couple want candids and only a few group photos, I’ll deliver what they ask and if a couple want lots of group photos and are willing to sacrifice opportunity for candids then I’m all for that too. I am just as confident and experienced in planning and directing posed photos as I am at capturing natural candids in the moment, and I balance those two styles based on my client’s preferences. I’ll capture your wedding your way.
After the group photos, we went straight into the Bride & Groom’s ‘just married’ portraits. I always suggest factoring in around 20 minutes for these special photos, so that we can make the most out of the venue you’ve hired and get a good variety of images for you. We had to tread carefully as it was still a bit icy in places but we managed to explore most of the venue’s best photo locations and I got them back inside just in time for their wedding breakfast.
The couple booked me for four hours coverage and when I’m booked for half day coverage like this, it makes sense to have my finishing time coincide with the food being served. There’s not a lot for me to capture while people are eating (and it can make people feel uncomfortable if they’re being photographed while eating) so having me finish at that time meant they were getting the most out of the time they booked me for. If they had their speeches before the meal then I could have captured that for them before I left, but speeches were scheduled for after the meal. And it didn’t make sense to pay me to stay during the wedding breakfast, just for 20 minutes or so of speeches. So plan was for me to get a photo of them cutting the cake and then I was finished for the day, but I did capture a few candid photos before people started eating.
“We would 100% recommend Leah! She is so friendly and super helpful, oh and extremely organized! She made two very camera shy people at ease and dare I say confident! She even helped me put my necklace on, these small gestures meant a lot! Thank you Leah for capturing our special day - you truly have a special talent! ☺️”