Fun, football and laughter on a thundery day!
October 14, 2015
One thing I have learnt as a wedding photographer is that you can never rely on the weather! However, I have also discovered that rain on your special day isn’t always a bad omen and have been to many beautiful wet weddings where I’ve captured stunning shots of dark skies and moody clouds. On Hannah and James’ wedding day in July we all woke up to torrential downpours but luckily the couple took it all in their stride and still enjoyed a truly magical day full of fun, football and laughter. It helped that the wedding was at Southend Barns in Donnington as the team there make every effort to ensure the rain doesn’t affect the day by providing umbrellas and blankets, and even hoovering up puddles before guests arrive.
My first stop that morning was to a huge seven bedroomed house in Selsey that James' family had hired for the weekend. While we had intended to take photos of James and his ushers outside and make the most of the beautiful beachfront location, the bad weather forced us to stay inside. I’m used to thinking on my feet in situations like this and had already spotted some beautiful features in the house including a striking antique leather clad chair and sweeping staircase. This actually worked out perfectly as the classic features really complimented James’ look, which included a three-piece morning suit complete with a pocket watch and chain that was a gift from his Dad.
While at the house we got some fab photos of all the boys. I love the below shot of James with his pastel green cravat, matching pocket square and socks, and football themed cufflinks! I knew from my initial meeting with Hannah and James that they were both PE teachers and sporting mad so it was lovely to see how they weaved this passion into their wedding day. Not only with the green colour theme but also with lots of sporting inspired touches.
Hannah and James had booked me to do their photography because they liked the many different styles and types of shots I take throughout a wedding day. For this image of James I chose a wide angle lens to create a different perspective and add a little quirkiness to the shot. This style of image works well with the addition of a little humour which led me to unconventionally position the best man in the top right hand corner of the frame.
Having finished at the Selsey house with the boys I then set off to Southend Barns bridal suite where Hannah’s wedding preparations were already in full swing. Here’s a shot of the ID Makeup, Hair and Beauty girls in action and the outside conditions have helped make the room look even more lovely and serene than normal with the moody lighting.
I think this is such a special photo of Hannah as she looks at her reflection in the bedroom of the bridal suite; she is literally glowing with happiness.
I was really enjoying working with the lighting of the bridal suite and saw the opportunity to get this stunning photo of Hannah in her gorgeous wedding gown and veil standing in the natural light of the window while preparing to see her soon-to-be husband.
There are always several key poignant moments in every wedding day that I try to capture and the father-of-the-bride seeing his daughter in her dress for the first time is one of my favourites. This photo captures so much emotion of her Dad’s pride and protectiveness.
While the girls finished getting ready and before guests started arriving for the ceremony, I managed to sneak into the Dairy Barn to capture the sweeping aisle and soft lighting. Hannah and James’ pastel green and pink colour theme could be seen in the beautiful floral displays and scattering of petals down the aisle.
There were also personalised wedding cones filled with the pretty coloured petals ready to be used as confetti by the guests following the I Dos.
With the rain still pouring down, Hannah made her way to the ceremony barn with her Dad and bridesmaids under a walkway of white umbrellas held up by the fabulous Field & Fork team.
Following the ceremony the couple and their guests remained in the Dairy Barn to enjoy canapés and drinks out of the bad weather. However soon into the reception, the rain finally stopped and not wanting to miss the moment we dashed outside to take advantage of the dry spell and get some shots of the newlyweds outside in the gardens, making the most of some of the great features of the barns such as the rusted iron gates and log piles.
We then headed into the empty Threshing Barn where the sun was at just the right angle to shine through the expansive windows and let me capture this romantic photo of the bride and groom.
The main barn had been decorated beautifully with green and pink floral arrangements on the tables. The couple had also added personal touches that showcased their shared love of football and sense of fun with chocolate football favours, football shirt table names and a subbuteo table plan.
Even the cheese tower wedding cake featured a model of Hannah and James perched on top with a sneaky glimpse of football boots under the bride’s dress.
I love it when a couple are full of ideas that they want to incorporate into their wedding photography and this photo of Hannah and her bridesmaids dressed in football shirts over their beautiful gowns just epitomises the laid-back and fun atmosphere of the day.
As the wedding breakfast finished and evening guests started to arrive, it wasn’t long before Hannah and James took to the dance floor for their first dance. They had chosen Latched, a romantic acoustic song by Sam Smith, which Matt the Toast DJ then sped up into a dance version that had their friends and family piling onto the dance floor to join them.
Before the evening ended I managed to whisk Hannah and James outside for some evening shots under the moody night sky with the unique three peaks of Southend Barns silhouetted in the background. Here are the newlyweds with some of their bridal party marking out their wedding date with sparklers. You can't see it here but by this point in the evening the football loving bridesmaids had all given up on their shoes for the night!
As I was leaving the barns to go home and put my own tired feet up, I couldn’t resist taking this photo of the dark cloudy skies with the bright moon shining through over the Dairy Barn. It just goes to show how a dismal day can still be made into something beautiful!
A huge thank you to Hannah and James for choosing me to be part of their day. I wish them both a very long and happy marriage full of love, laughter and, of course, football!
Love Kelly x
Kelly Hearn A.B.I.P.P - A.M.P.A