Real Wedding : Z & D
Saturday 27th August. Chapel Barn. Bolney.
Let’s start by saying how amazing this couple is and I am so glad to have been part of their special day and gotten to know these wonderful people.
I had the pleasure of meeting this couple earlier in the year at the wedding venue alongside their beautiful dog, running through the plans of the day, and also capturing a lovely engagement session. The engagement session allowed us to get to know each other better, for them to feel more comfortable in front of the camera ready for the Wedding Day.
The wonderful day started with Bridal Prep at their home, meeting a couple of lovely cats who may or may not have been captured heavily when they made their presence known. It’s a great time to join the bridal party, I don’t shoot continuously so they all relax in my presence while being accustomed to the camera so everyone involved is relaxed in the photos without feeling like they are suddenly in front of the camera and feeling overwhelmed. Relaxed is the word I would use for the Bridal Party, time is planned out, everything running smoothly, even arrived at the venue with plenty of time to spare. Everyone was relaxed, with plenty of time to capture little details around the dress and even the cats made an appearance.
The wedding itself was beautiful. The barn was simply decorated by the couple and family, creating enough focal points with floral features but kept relatively simple and let the barn do the talking. With a cute entrance from a flower girl, I was glad that the bridesmaids were all separated out, making it easier to capture each bridesmaid as they came down the aisle before the Bride. With tears and laughter, the couple were declared Husband and Wife. We kept the crowd around the entrance steps for some fantastic group shots before drinks were poured and people went missing and we end up up yelling for everyone to put down the drinks. Everyone was responsive with all the photos, happy to have different photos and of course everyone loves a bit of confetti, I loved the idea of the large group photo with confetti being thrown by everyone in the group over the couple and each other, creating something different to the usual tunnel of confetti. We got so lucky with the weather that for the majority of the group shots we had a cloud covering keeping everyone light but not squinting. Given a list of the group shots, the Groomsman managed to forget to gather the Bride & Groom for shots with the Parents. It’s fair to say it made for light work and laughter from all in the area. Everyone was happy and laughing in the sun, with garden games, played by everyone, kids and adults alike. Sometimes the games are just popular during the day, but the games were popular during the day as well as later on in the evening when guests felt like air instead of the dance floor.
Having the engagement session before the day at the venue was a great help for both myself and the couple. It meant that for me, we knew where we were headed for great little spots, for the couple, it meant they were relaxed and happy to take time out from the guests and get some great shots without feeling completely awkward like the first few moments of our initial photo session. We spend time together doing several directed motions from carrying to kissing and then I let them find a space to walk to have time on their own while I captured some relaxed natural shots walking across the vast fields. I think it’s so key to let the happy couple have time away from me as well as the crowd, it can be a full-on day being the centre of attention so it's great to have a couples session. We managed to squeeze in a mini session just as the sun was starting to set before it hid behind some clouds. I can never deny a sunset photo if the opportunity arises so thankfully we had just enough time to get a few final shots including replicating the silhouette on the cake topper! The colours of the sky were stunning and by this point, the couple was so relaxed it was easy to get a couple of shots in. I could honestly post the majority of the photographs captured because I love them so much, and so do the couple. Many photographs are just slightly different as everyone prefers their smile a certain way or hair is just so in one photograph versus another.
Finishing this couple’s experience is a personalised box of prints from both the Wedding and the Engagement session, and a USB full of Digital Copies both sized for Social Media and for additional printing. With any personalised product, it takes a lot longer than I would like for the products to arrive, but the quality is always worth it!
Location: The Chapel Barn, Bolney
Hair: @katherineannhairdressing
Make-Up: @alisonj.smithbridalbeauty
