An intimate, vintage, autumnal wedding at the lovely Woodlands Lodge Hotel in the heart of The New Forest.
Orange is my favourite colour, and it just screams 'autumn' to me, so imagine my delight when I discovered that autumn was very much the vibe of this gorgeous micro wedding! You all know that I love a micro wedding, and this one had so many highlights, it would be impossible to describe them all. Definitely up there would be their fabulous autumnal wedding cake, with an icing sculpture of their gorgeous cat on top. I'm a cat-parent too, so I was 100% on board with this!
Along with the fabulous details, the head piece that the Bride wore was the same one her Mum wore on her parents' wedding day. Isn't that just wonderful!
The transportation was another thing that I absolutely loved. The Groom arrived at the venue in his own vintage fire truck, which perfectly matched the orange theme of the day. The Bride also went old-school, arriving in a vintage 1958 Morris Minor 1000, which was one of the most gorgeous cars i've ever seen... and i'm really not a car person, but I completely fell in love.
My favourite part of the day was getting to go along for the ride through the beautiful New Forest in the Morris Minor! I got to sit in the front next to the lovely driver and owner of the car Ash, while the Bride and Groom enjoyed the view from the back with the roof down. I was mildly terrified at being in a car that was old enough to not need seat belts, but we did drive at roughly 10 miles per hour, so I felt quite safe.
The plan was to go for a quick drive to a nearby spot, get some photos with the car and then of the Bride and Groom together and then off they would go for a drive through the forest. We didn't have a huge amount of time, but managed to work it all into their timeline... except we got lost in the car, couldn't find out spot, and when we realised, we'd been driving (very slowly) in the car for ages! Too long to go back and hunt for the original location! There was a lovely open bit of forest plain close by, with a nice light gravel track for reflecting light, and a gorgeous oak tree just starting to drop its leaves on the opposite side of the plain. I quickly made the call that this was going to be our photo spot, and we had maybe 15 minutes maximum to get all of the shots.
And, they are some of my favourite shots I think I've ever taken. The car, the Bride and Groom, the flowers! Everything and everyone was just so photogenic!
The wedding breakfast was due to start at 1.30pm and we arrived back at the venue at 1.28pm. Phew! This is why you always plan in a bit of 'wiggle room' into your timeline - for unexpectedly getting lost in a Morris Minor in the Forest! Haha!
Honestly, I loved the whole experience so much. The car was so much fun and getting photos next to it was a delight.
I love taking couples photos at weddings, especially since I've usually done an engagement session with them too, in which most couples feel a little bit awkward having a camera pointed at them for the first time. It's wonderful to see just how much difference it makes being all dressed up in their wedding finery, having gotten the ceremony out of the way, and having had a practice of the poses at the engagement session. There is never any awkwardness in front of the camera on the wedding day. It's just two people enjoying their day and being in love. Such a beautiful thing to witness and a privilege to photograph.
Wedding Vendors:
Hair Stylish - www.craddocksbarbers.co.uk
Bridal shoes - Schuh
Wedding Rings - www.davidmellorjewellers.co.uk
Flowers - www.scentsofoccasion.co.uk
Cake - www.peonycottagecakes.co.uk/cakes
Guestbook - www.gingerray.com
Morris Minor - Ashley at www.premiercarriage.co.uk
