A laid-back, fun and intimate wedding in Winchester.
This wedding had everything a photographer could dream of! Beautiful autumn sunshine, flowers and outfits in all the colours of autumn and of course, the fabulous Winchester Castle as the perfect backdrop for couples photos.
Nicole and Patrick are such lovely people, and they were SO CHILLED on their wedding morning! I'm not sure I've ever been in a getting-ready room that is quite so calm!
They had decided to do a first look, which is a tradition that has made its way over from America, where the couple see each other for the first time BEFORE the ceremony, rather than in the ceremony venue. It's great to do, especially if you are not having a second shooter at the wedding, because it means that your photographer (me!) can position you where your reactions to seeing each other for the first time all dressed up, can be captured by one camera's point of view. This was especially useful for this particular wedding, as the ceremony room at Winchester Registry Office is a very small room, with a very short aisle, so it's hard to get both of the couple's reactions when one walks in! I'll be chatting about first looks in more detail in another blog post soon, but for now, let's just say that it worked very well on this occasion and we got some lovely photos of the Bride and Groom before the ceremony.
Winchester Registry Office is right next to Winchester Castle, so it is perfect to get gorgeous photos with the beautiful historic building in the background. The colour of the stone is lovely and light, so it photographs beautifully! We had quite a big window of time between the end of the ceremony and the reception starting, so once we had the group portraits done, the gorgeous newlyweds were kind enough to indulge me by giving me a good long time to make use of all of the wonderful photo locations in and around the Castle grounds. I had done a location scout a few weeks before because this was my first wedding at the Castle, and I had some ideas in my head that I just knew would look fabulous. I always say that I can tell when i'm taking a photo that it's going to be my absolute favourite of the day, but very rarely does this happen several times in one wedding! There are so many gorgeous portraits, I just can't pick a favourite!
I really love the ones of Nicole ad Patrick walking across the Castle insignia on the floor, where I am photographing them from above. These turned out just how I imagined them, and I love them. I also REALLY LOVE the ones under the arch way that leads to the city centre. The pub in the background is where the mini reception before the big reception at The Ivy took place, so it was nice to have it feature in the photos. It was completely decked out in gorgeous bright flowers too, which was lovely. We did have to stand in this position for a while because there is a roundabout between the arch and the pub, plus lots of people walking through the arch. It's amazing what a little patience can do though. You wouldn't think it was a busy Friday lunch time looking at these photos! You'd think we had the place to ourselves!
The last photos that I absolutely adore is the one where the Groom has his arm around the Bride's shoulder. You can't see their faces at all. It's just a close up of the wedding rings on their fingers, with a bit of the stunning bouquet in the frame. I think this is so gorgeous and really highlights the details that the couple spent so long planning.
I just want to add that The Ivy in Winchester is ABSOLUTELY STUNNING! I mean, it's completely gorgeous! The staff are so friendly and helpful and the food sounded divine. What a great choice for a reception venue!
I really had such a wonderful day at Nicole and Patrick's wedding. You all know by now that micro-weddings are my favourite thing to photograph and this was no exception. What a wonderful day, and huge congratulations to a gorgeous couple!
VENDORS:
Dress and veil from Tilly Mint (Fleet) https://tillymintweddings.com/ - enquiries@tillymintweddings.com
Dress by Stella York
Hair and Make Up - Melissa Clare - https://melissaclare.com/portfolio/
Hair accessory - Make Me Bridal Accessories - https://melissaclare.com/shop/
Necklace - H Samuel
Shoes - Oakley https://www.laceandfavour.com/wedding-shoes/perfect-bridal-oakley-ivory-embroidered-lace-wedding-trainers/
Earrings - Laura Bond https://www.laurabond.co.uk
Rings - Petra's (https://petrajewellery.com/
Florist - Catkin and Pussywillow Winchester https://www.catkinandpussywillow.com/
Suit - Regent Tailors, Salisbury - https://regenttailoring.co.uk/
Groom's Shoes - Lanx - https://lanxshoes.com
Reception venue - The Ivy, Winchester
