Pre Wedding Session in Bolney
I’ve mentioned before how it can be useful to get pre Wedding / Engagement Sessions before the wedding day. One particular couple recently decided to do just this! We were planning on returning to the site of the engagement however decided to remain on-site at the wedding venue during the pre-wedding visit to organise the entire day! The venue is a lovely lovely barn outside of Bolney, West Sussex and is home to fields and woodland galore. Being able to meet the couple in person before the Wedding session is a great moment to get to know each other and relax. We can get to know what works for the couple in front of the camera and what makes each other tick. It can take a bit of time to know what movements and poses work as a couple, so this way we’ve found out what works best and what locations we will head to for a fairly quick couples session after the ceremony! Did I mention the gorgeous Bluebells hiding in the woodlands!?!
We were fortunate enough to be in the right place, at the right time. On the site of the Wedding is a luscious woodland, as it is spring, the bluebells were in fine form. These also happened to be a favourite of the bride making the session even more special. The bluebells blanketed the woodland floor and created a lovely foreground and changed up the selection of photos the couple receive as they are brimming with colour. Chapel Barn is just full of varied landscapes, from rolling hills to woodland and a pond. As a photographer, I just adore the variations in the environments, allowing for more fun to be had adapting to the different areas. The changes keep creativity high, being inspired by the surrounding.
I am ridiculously excited to be shooting the Wedding of this fabulous couple in a few months. We have found the perfect spots to shoot group photographs as well as planning where we can go on the couples session. Together we have chosen multiple locations for each so we can change it up depending on the weather and how everyone is feeling on the day. The bonus of shooting the engagement session in the same location means we will not be going in blind to the couple’s session so we can capture some gorgeous moments in the euphoria before heading back to the party in as little time as we possibly can.
As the grounds were new to explore for both me and the couple, our time around the grounds was the perfect time to relax and take time to find the key spots ready for the big day. As a couple not used to being in front of the camera, this time allowed the couple to gradually feel a lot more comfortable in front of the camera as time moved on. The couple felt more at ease with how I work, and how to interact with each other. By not being in a familiar place, it was easy to find common ground and fully interact with each other and the landscape in ways neither of us maybe expected.
Some of the “poses” you may see within this set of engagement photographs, will not be reappearing in the wedding series. Some scenarios will not translate to a more formal affair. Take the piggyback ride for instance, in jeans/trousers and shorts, this is very achievable and a lot of fun for the couples in an engagement session, but in a long dress, it can be quite difficult to do. If the couple wishes to do so during the Wedding Session then by all means! No two sessions will ever be the same, more natural moments and poses will be captured on the big day as the feelings between the couple will be intensified and will also feel as relaxed in front of the camera as possible. I am extremely excited for this wedding to take place and hope the English weather behaves itself!
