My second wedding of the weekend saw me down the road at Holland Hall Hotel. I’m so pleased to be the recommended photographer of this wonderful venue and I really enjoy taking photos of weddings around the stunning grounds that it offers. The start for me was upstairs with the Bridal Party capturing the build up of the girls getting ready. After a couple of natural shots I moved next door where the wedding dress and wedding accessories were all together. I love moving things around to get the best shots and also including items in the room as it is all part of that moment. Terri had arranged the dress perfectly and after a few tweaks I had captured some shots of it over the bed. I moved back into the other room where the girls were having their hair and make-up done for the final part of the Bridal Preparations.
It was time for me to make my way downstairs and head towards the noisy group of people who were to witness the ceremony of the soon to be Mr & Mrs Middlehurst. Family and Friends had gathered in the Deanwood Suite where they were having a good time chatting and drinking but before long Martin the Master of Ceremonies was inviting them all into the ceremony room to take their seats. Michael was eagerly waiting at the front of the aisle with his Best Man and Ushers who were keeping him occupied whilst Terri and the Bridal Party was running through the legalities with the Registrars.
A short walk around the the Atrium where they waited outside for the official announcement. I popped into position and got myself set with camera in hand. The Bridesmaids headed down first followed by Terri and her Father as they smiled away. The ceremony was lovely which included their own readings and once complete they exchanged rings, signed the register and then prepared to walk back up the aisle as Husband and Wife. They never stopped smiling which was great to see 🙂
I held off with the formal group photos for 10-15 minutes as we had a little time kill and I also wanted the wedding guests to have their moment in congratulating the happy couple. We only had 5 groups to complete so I knew we had plenty of time which made me happy as I could walk around capturing funny moments without people knowing I was around!
The group photos were complete which included a shot of everyone which I manged to get by standing on a set of wooden ladders and then it was immediately followed by a confetti shot. I love this moment as it gets everyone involved in creating a cracking moment. We all headed back over to the Deanwood Suite whilst Michael and Terri made their way into the room where the Reception was to be held to make sure they were happy with how the room was presented. They loved it and I got some lovely photos, it also gave me the opportunity to get some mock shots of the cutting of the cake. It helps me get this photo at this point as later when the newly-weds actually do the official cutting they don’t need to worry about where to look 🙂
Holland Hall Hotel have a great way of officially announcing the wedding couple into the room which surprises their family and friends and creates a great moment for those ‘what a way to make an entrance’ photographs. They all enjoyed a lovely 3 course meal as part of the wedding breakfast whilst I looked through the many photos I had captured so far and check over my equipment ready for the final phase of the day…….the speeches.
So after a couple of hours everyone was full and happy but it was time to enjoy the next formality involving usually the Father of the Bride, the Groom and finally the Best Man. Terri’s Father was a little anxious but did a sterling job reading his speech and set the bar for those that followed. They were all great in the end and included funny stories and wrong dates ;-P
With the weather still playing ball and showing no signs of the ‘R’ word we headed back outside again although this time it was just Michael and Terri who were going to have the more intimate shots of them captured. We headed up the lane which overlooked a gorgeous field which had a golden glimmer. Dodging a couple of cars for about 10 minutes I decided to have them walk back down the lane towards the hotel. We stopped a couple of time for photos on the way down and around the hotel before finishing up at the rear of the hotel in the garden area. At this point I could see the slow decline in concentration as they could smell the hog that was roasting just a couple of feet away from them 😉 We were done and I got some cracking shots of them both!
They headed back round to their guests which were starting to make their way back inside to prepare for the final formality, the first dance. I set up my gear and liaised with the DJ to make sure we had the correct time. At around 8.30pm Michael and Terri made their way onto the dance floor to enjoy a few minutes together whilst dancing away to their preferred song of choice.
I hope they both along with their family and Friends had a truly memorable day and I hope they have an absolutely fantastic time away in Paris!
Please enjoy these sneak peek photos before I upload the remainder of their wedding collection very soon 🙂
Thanks…
