It seemed only a very short time since Liz and Alan’s pre-wedding photography shoot and now here we were ready to roll for their Snelson Farm wedding.
Being a Documentary Wedding Photographer I don’t like to direct, letting the day play out to provide the bride and groom with their own unique story, interspersed with a few more directed, but still relaxed romantic shots – if they want them. It does need the bride and groom to want to do that on the day and sometimes they change their mind………..c’est la vie.
So back to Liz and Alan; as each of them got ready for their day. With Liz duly observed by her very cute pooches, the anticipation and excitement increased; Alan keeping his nerves at bay by chatting with his best man and guests whilst Liz made her way to the flower bedecked church, St Mary’s Church Higham Ferrers, in a classic Beauford Open Top Tourer soft top car supplied by Prestige & Classic Wedding Cars of Peterborough. It did make me smile when I saw the priest taking a ‘breather’ at the doorway to the church whilst waiting for Liz.
Unlike many contemporary brides, Liz chose to wear a veil and with it securely in place once out of the ever present wind, she made her way down the aisle with her father. As with many ceremony venues these days the official photographer is often reconciled to the back of the church (and occasionally outside the church) so it is vital to make the most of the opportunity for images entering and leaving the church or venue. I always enjoy capturing the images leaving the ceremony, the sense of relief and happiness is usually palpable and there is a real lift in atmosphere as they turn to look at family and friends alike to receive congratulations.
With guests transported to the venue on the infamous big red bus, the celebrations started.
I don’t usually photograph guests eating, usually confining reception photos to speeches, general guest interaction and the evening dancing. However, it was hard to resist the Secret Opera Singers (SOS) who disguised as waiting staff and chefs burst into operatic song, rousing a great reaction from the guests.
Unusually for the current British summer the weather held long enough for me to make use of the vibrant green wooded area within the grounds to take some images of Liz and Alan together. They worked really well and the bright green of the woods provides a brilliant backdrop. That said, as I indicated earlier not every bride and groom wants to do this type of thing on the day. A good photographer will recognise this quite quickly and I believe on this occasion it was the case with Liz and Alan with them preferring to restrict posing for shots for family and friends cameras. Happily it only takes me a few minutes to get these type of shots and in fact Liz is using one of the shots for her thank you cards.
One of my favourite images from the day is a true documentary wedding image. A group of ladies sit around a small semi-circle, probably discussing the day’s events. It reminded me of a story my wife told me recently having attended a literary festival where Sandi Toksvig was a guest.
During her time with the audience Ms Toksvig apparently mulled over what the state of the world would be if grandma’s were in charge, coming to the conclusion that grandma’s are more likely to want to talk and that the great institution of a British cup of tea would go some way to lessening the desire or need to fight as all discussions and negotiations would of course start with a cup of tea. For some reason this image reminded me of those words and it is my ‘salute’ to the grandma’s of the world that organise us all…………
Leaving the guest to enjoy the hospitality of the Pig and Porter bar (housed in a vintage Citroën van) I bade my goodbyes to the happy couple and disappeared into the night……….
Are you planning a Snelson Farm Wedding?
If you’re planning a Snelson Farm wedding, or elsewhere in Buckinghamshire, and like this style of relaxed wedding photography why not give me a call 0370 626 5200, drop me an email, or use the Contact Form to get in touch, I’d love to hear your wedding day.
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2 Comments
Thank you for these lovely photos our daughters wedding Elizabeth To Alan 1st June. It was a truely great day for all of us and you were very like part of the family as you went about recording the Special day for them. I will sit down now ad try to decide just which pictures I want. Thank for being there
Elaine & Brian
It was an absolute pleasure being involved in such a wonderful day and thank you all for making me feel so welcome.