Marigold & Matthew - A Cornish Wedding.
I’m really excited to finally be able to blog about this awesome wedding from October last year. The day started at Rame Head - we’d perfectly planned for Matthew to arrive ten minutes before Marigold so that I could get him in position, waiting for the arrival of his Bride. As far as ‘first looks’ go, I think this one is going to be hard to top - such a beautiful location for a beautiful moment.
While the couple were having their first look, some close friends and family were arriving and they patiently waited in the car park for us. As you can see from the photos, the wind was incredibly strong.
When everyone had arrived, we got to work with some group photos. If you’re wondering why we did the group photos before the ceremony it’s because the couple really wanted this gorgeous backdrop for their photos and it would have been difficult to get out to Rame after their ceremony (which took place in Kingsand) due to parking restrictions near their wedding venue.
The wind was a bit problematic, with hair whipping all over the place and hats threatening to take off, but we made it work.
With the group photos done, the wedding guests made their way into Kingsand and we stayed for some portraits of the happy couple.
Bride’s hair stylist: Angel Boyle Hair
This couple legally married before their wedding day so that they could have their wedding exactly as they wanted it. It’s something that’s become really popular, having the legal bit done on a separate day either before or after the day of celebration. When we arrived at the venue, everyone was in place awaiting the arrival of the newlyweds and Marigold and Matthew entered together as their guests cheered them on. The ceremony was officiated by a good friend of theirs (who did a fantastic job). There were two readings, vows, a ring exchange and a champagne toast (which went off with a bang, much to everyone’s delight). The couple then exited the ceremony with an epic confetti throw (which the dog couldn’t get enough of).
After the ceremony I took the opportunity to photograph inside, which was personalised with handmade decorations and flowers that were grown by the mother of the bride and her friend Abigail. Abigail also made the amazing cake (which had rainbow sponge inside as you’ll see later) and she made alterations to Marigold’s Dress - clearly a woman of many talents.
With the group photos already done and time to spare before the food was due to be served, I set to work capturing candids. When I have the time, I like to ask guests whether they have any photo requests and pretty much every guest took me up on the offer which kept me very busy. I captured family portraits, couple portraits and group photos of friends. The couple were so pleased to get all these extra photos of friends and family and the wedding guests will now have these unexpected portraits with their loved ones, which they will no doubt treasure.
We all headed inside as the food was being served by Jabulani. I loved capturing candids of people getting their food but I make a point of not photographing people while they are actually eating, as I don’t want to make people feel uncomfortable.
When everyone was finished eating, the Bride & Groom cut their cake. It was a highlight of the day for me when the Bride lifted a slice of cake in the air to show off it’s rainbow sponge and it fell to the floor. The whole place was in hysterics!
Next were the speeches. There were five speeches in total, plus a song by Martha Nash Music. I really enjoyed getting creative - capturing the speeches and the guests reactions from different angles, which is definitely an advantage of working alone. Obviously if I’m working alongside an assistant photographer or with a videographer I often have to pick a spot and stay there (as I’m in danger of spoiling someone else’s shot or having someone else spoil my shot). I didn’t have to worry about that on this occasion though and I love these candid results.
After the speeches the room was being changed around and that was the perfect opportunity for me to walk to my car and take a short break. When I came back the daylight had completely faded and guests gathered outside for a performance by the father of the Bride and a talented bridesmaid (Martha Nash). Marigold & Matthew weren’t planning on having a first dance but it naturally happened in that moment.
Not long after, the wedding band Freshly Squeezed started off the party indoors. Oh and many thanks to Booze Bros Co for letting me get behind the bar to take photos of people doing shots - I do love capturing the faces people pull.
“Leah is 5* in every way! She is clearly so dedicated and invested in her art, producing amazing photos for us that we are still getting compliments for months later and that we will cherish forever, but also so organised and experienced in what she is doing that she was able to really help us think about how we wanted to organise our day. She is very thorough and does her research into everything from understanding the dynamics of your guests to making sure she’s always in the right place at the right time! She was very reliable with updating us with regular communication before, during and after the wedding so we were always aware of how things were going without ever having to ask. We couldn’t recommend her more! Thank you Leah! 😊”