A Bickley Mill Wedding in September.
Back in September 2023, I had the absolute honour of photographing this wonderful wedding! Abigail and Matthew are a delight to photograph! They are so adorable together and both incredibly happy, bubbly, easy-going people! I got on so well with them straight from their initial enquiry. Then we learned more about each other at their pre-wedding photoshoot, and by the time it came to photographing their wedding it felt like we were good mates.
When I first arrived at the venue, I took the opportunity to photograph the décor and details. I knew that the wedding guests would soon arrive and so this was the best opportunity for me to wander around and get these uninterrupted shots of the set up.
Chair sashes: Simply Celebrate
Cake: made by a family member!! Wow!
Flowers: made by Bride & family - again, wow!
I then went to find Abi, who was getting ready with her bridesmaids and her mum. I was due to do a bit of morning prep photography for Matt too but the room he was getting ready in was very small and packed with so much stuff. He wasn’t too fussed about having photos of him getting ready either, I did manage to catch him getting his button hole pinned on just before the ceremony though, so that was good timing.
Hair & Make up: Gem Ryder
Wedding Dress: Brides at Waterfields
Bridesmaid’s Dresses: JJ’s House
The ceremony was full of smiles and laughter!
I think it’s really important after the ceremony, to allow some time for your guests to hug and congratulate you.
Once everyone had congratulated the couple, I arranged a confetti aisle!!
While I still had everyone’s attention, I went straight into the group photos. Starting with the biggest group shot of all the guests together and then moving onto some smaller family photos. We found a nice shaded area on the decking to do these photos, so that all the guests had a nice even light on their faces and they weren’t squinting due to the bright sun. It was also handy to do the group photos here because all of the guests were sat out on the decking (just behind me) so I could easily call people in for photos and then let them get back to their table straight after.
Whilst I was doing the group photos, the venue had changed the room around ready for the reception. I decided to take the opportunity to photograph the set up and décor while it was still empty of people.
Sweet cart: Simply Celebrate
Top table flowers and flower trees: Simply Celebrate
Personalised chocolate favours: Etsy
Personalised napkins: CCA Occasions
All other décor was done by the bride, friends and family.
We still had a little bit of time til the venue needed everyone to take their seats indoors, so I made a start on the Bride and Groom’s portraits. There are quite a few locations around the venue grounds that are great for photos. But we didn’t rush through all the locations at once, we knew we’d have still have daylight after the meal, so we took our time.
Matt’s suit: Austins
When we returned to the guests, they were all seated and ready for the speeches to begin, the meal was served just after.
After the meal, Derek from The Hungry Bears was set up and ready to entertain us with some great acoustic music. People were out on the decking, mingling and tapping their toes to the music. While things were quiet, I decided to take the opportunity to ask the guests if they had any photo requests for me. I always like to do this when there’s a bit of free time because I find that the guests really appreciate the chance to have a photo with their partner, sibling, cousin, work colleague - whoever they want. We don’t all get together with those we care about as often as we’d like, I know this all too well myself. And often at weddings there are people you haven’t seen for years and years. So as long as there’s time to do so and I’m not missing important moments elsewhere, I will always give your guests this chance. I still captured lots of candid moments in-between and I knew that I would have plenty of time left in the day to focus on candids when the party ramped up.
I had been keeping an eye on the time and the daylight as I knew that the Bride and Groom still had a few more locations they wanted to have photos taken at. We had hoped that we’d get some golden hour sunlight before the sun set but the skies don’t always deliver what you want them to. I couldn’t complain though because we’d had a gorgeous day all day, it stayed dry, it wasn’t too windy and it wasn’t too bright. It was genuinely perfect for photos!
When we returned to the guests, the party had really livened up and people were starting to dance. Before long, the dance floor was full of people stood in a large ring with the Bride and Groom dancing in the centre. It was completely unplanned but the couple’s first dance technically happened there on the decking and it was incredible! The atmosphere was electric!
Derek finished his acoustic set and it was just starting to get dark outside. The guests started to make their way indoors where the DJ was just beginning his set and I pinched the couple for literally just five minutes, to get some creative backlit evening portraits for them.
I rounded up all the guests as the cake cut and first dance was about to happen. The new Mr & Mrs were welcomed indoors with a cheer and then the party commenced on the dance floor!
DJ: Bespoke Disco
“Where do we even start with how amazing Leah is?! Right from the get go she was responsive to all our questions and extremely organised. We initially booked Leah for a 7 hour day, but we later decided we wanted more of the day covered. Leah was more than happy to increase her hours to suit our needs. We had a pre-shoot which was perfect for not only being more comfortable in front of the camera, but also allowed us to get to know Leah so she wasn’t a stranger on the day. Leading up to the wedding she was so organised and made sure she knew exactly what we wanted and it showed with how well everything flowed on the day! She fit right in with all our guests was funny, laid back and very polite. She has this amazing knack of getting both candid and posed photos just perfect - We love each and every one and frankly wish she could send us some forever! We couldn’t imagine anyone else being our photographer. 1 million percent recommend!”