I love being a wedding photographer in Cambridge and the surrounding Cambridgeshire countryside so I was delighted that I would be the photographer at the intimate celebration for Helen and David at the Cambridge wedding venue Quy Mill Hotel.
The day almost got off to a shaky start when David realised the rings had not been picked up – a timely reminder from yours truly made sure the rings made it to the ceremony – which goes to show that a good professional wedding photographer does more than take photographs during the day!
With David arriving in a white Maserati the elegant style of the day was set (not withstanding guests trying to make rude words from the scrabble pieces that formed part of the scrabble theme). After a ceremony lit completely with tea lights David and Helen got the party started with a very individual ‘Bandaoke’ performance – eschewing the normal first dance they opted instead to perform a first song (very brave!), and rounded off the day with a grand display of fireworks.
This was an early start to the season for me and essentially it was a winter wedding. So for those of you planning a wedding later in the year I thought this would be a great opportunity to give you some tips that will ensure you get amazing images from your day.
There are many reasons why people will choose to get married in winter but quite often they forget that natural light will be at a premium so think about the time that you get married. I work a lot with available light but even someone as experienced as I am may have to use flash which gives a completely different feel to an image.
Also think carefully about the style of photography that you want – the natural elements of documentary wedding photography like mine provide some great images but do be aware people may not be as dynamic as during a summer celebration – it is often too cold to go outside and people may just remain indoors thus limiting opportunities for guests to wander and mingle.
Let your photographer know about any special lighting being used – David and Helen used lots of tea lights which although very romantic do need handling properly from a photography perspective. Initially I looked at the design of the room in which the ceremony was going to be held and it was flooded with natural light – great, then the curtains were closed! Except for the masses of tea lights in combination with dimmed over head lighting the room was in near darkness. This could have posed problems to someone with less experience. Happily I knew Helen and David’s arrangements and whilst I could curse the loss of the natural light I was able to easily compensate.
Are you planning a Quy Mill Hotel Wedding?
If you’re planning a wedding at The Quy Mill Hotel near Cambridge 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.