Love Is Love - A Wedding at The Bickley Mill Inn.
Back in September I photographed an awesome wedding at The Bickley Mill Inn. When I first arrived I got started by capturing the ceremony set up and wedding decor. Emma & Aimee had put a great deal of thought into the little details that would make their wedding one to remember. They had bags of fudge as wedding favours (from Roly’s Fudge Plymouth) with beautiful rainbow broaches that said 'Love is Love.' They also had personalised Bubble wands, confetti and a selection of crisps displayed to look like a rainbow. Their ceremony room looked gorgeous! Flowers and décor were done by Wild Floral Events and their wedding cake made by The Cheeky Cake Company was absolutely perfect.
Love letters and the E&A letters were from Bespoke Disco
I then went to meet the Brides who were getting ready together alongside their good friend Rachel (who was also their bridesmaid) and their lovely Flower Girl Eris. Rachel had the honour of tying a memory photo charm onto Emma's bouquet while the Bride’s were busy getting ready. The hair stylist was from Curious Hair and make up was done by Emmiee MUA. Aimee finished getting ready first and then left the room to Emma. Aimee hadn't seen Emma's dress (from Abella Bridal Boutique) and still wanted that to be a surprise.
Aimee’s suit was from Suit Shop
When Emma was ready I headed down to the ceremony room to get settled in before her arrival. Aimee was jittery (in a good way) and so excited to get married. I loved capturing her in those moments before Emma arrived, she was beaming with happiness because she was about to marry the love of her life.
I stood on the right hand side of the room when Emma walked down the aisle, as that allowed me to capture Aimee in the same shot. But once I was in that corner and the ceremony was in motion, I couldn’t move from there as I was wedged in between the registrar and the signing table. This meant that I wasn’t able to explore different angles during the ceremony but that’s something I’m used to - unless you’re having an outdoor ceremony or are getting married in a very large space, your photographer/videographer will likely be working from the one area. I do always use two cameras during the ceremony (and have different lenses on each), so I was able to get some really wide shots as well as some close ups and that offered a bit of variety to the photos for the couple.
After the ceremony, Emma & Aimee danced back down the aisle as a married couple.
After the ceremony we all headed outdoors, where welcome drinks were served and everyone was keen to congratulate the newly weds. Entertainment was provided by Stevie Jay.
If we have the time, I always like to give the couple 10 or 15 minutes with their guests before we start any formalities like group photos. Emma & Aimee didn’t want too many group photos, which meant we were able to take our time a bit and the couple were able to achieve the relaxed vibe they wanted for their wedding. I captured some candid moments of the Brides mingling with their guests and then grabbed everyone’s attention to get them in place for a confetti aisle.
It makes sense to start with the largest group photos and then work your way through the list from there. While I still had everyone’s attention, I asked if everyone would stand on the decking for a large group photo which I took from a vantage point above. The next largest group shot was ‘Brides and friends’, so we took that one next. All other group shots were family photos (aside from shots with the Bridesmaid) so I was able to dismiss all of the Bride’s friends from formalities and let them get back to enjoying the day, while I finished off the rest of the family photos.
The evening guests were invited to arrive just half an hour after the ceremony finished so some started to turn up as we were finishing off the family group shots. When the Brides spotted someone new arriving they said hello to them and I busied myself with finding the people I needed for the next family photo. So the group photos were done at quite a slow pace, which is good because we had lots of time to work with and it kept things very relaxed and informal.
With the group photos done, it was time for the Brides ‘Just Married’ portraits. We set aside 20 minutes for this, so we could get a good variety of photos around the venue grounds.
More evening guests had arrived in the time we’d been away taking photos and the food (hog roast) was served (catered by the venue). There was no table plan, guests could sit or stand wherever they wanted while they ate. And when everyone had finished their food, the happy couple stood to thank everyone for coming and raised their glass. That was all the speeches they wanted and it fitted in perfectly with the informal, chilled out vibe they wanted. As a surprise, a family member pulled out a guitar and sang a song especially for the Brides.
After taking a quick break, I returned to see everyone enjoying themselves outside on the decking area. I knew we wouldn’t have the daylight for much longer so I took the opportunity to ask if any of the guests had any photo requests.
On the lead up to a wedding day I always discuss how the couple want me to capture the day and whether they have any specific photo ideas that they’d like us to try. Emma & Aimee told me they would like a photo of them walking down the road. The sun was getting low and guests were slowly making their way indoors for the evening party, so I asked the Brides if they’d like to head out to the road before it got dark. The road turned out to be a gorgeous photo location and I’m glad we left that shot til later in the day. The light was so beautiful, the sun was starting to set so the golden sunrays caught the tops of the trees perfectly in the background.
While I had the couple with me, I utilised two other photo opportunities, one was an archway surrounded by lavender and the other was their E & A light up letters out on the decking.
This last section of photos is full of dancing, laughter, food and drink. Everyone was wearing their ‘Love is Love’ wedding favour badge with pride (including me, I have sewn it onto my camera strap so I’ll never lose it).
The party kicked off with an acoustic set by their good friend Michelle (who normally preforms as part of Manuka) then the DJ (Bespoke Disco - same company that provided the light up letters) kept the party going into the late evening. The bubble wands that were featured at the start of this blog came out for the first dance. It was a great way to get the wedding guests involved and it looked beautiful having bubbles floating around during the first dance too. Evening food was paella (catered by the venue again) and seemed to be a hit with the guests. And just before I left for the day, I suggested a photo of the couple in front of one of their wedding decorations, it was a lovely photo to end the day on and one of their favourites too.
“We would 1000% recommend Leah to capture precious wedding day memories! Leah was absolutely amazing from our initial contact with her to receiving our finished photos. Leah was so organised, nothing was too much trouble and she kept in contact with us throughout the lead up to our wedding. On our wedding day, Leah ensured she got all the shots we had requested and many, many more!!!! Our special day went like clockwork, Leah totally had everything in hand, majority of the day I did not even know she was taking photos of us, she just blended in. When we received our photos, we were absolutely over the moon. Such special memories for us to keep and remember of the most special day of our lives. We cannot thank Leah enough, she was absolutely amazing!!!!”