We went to Fennes, Braintree today, to photograph Ricky and Charlotte’s Wedding. It’s a lovely venue which we are always made to feel welcome in.
We had previously been warned that Charlotte had an amazing dress but we were in awe when we walked into the bridal prep area and saw it. It was like nothing we had seen before and was absolutely perfect for Charlotte!
The bridal prep room was very busy but not at all stressy. Charlotte, her Bridesmaids, Maid of Honour, Mum and Flower Girls were all receiving the beauty treatment when we arrived. The bridal prep room at fences is one of the best for doing make up and hair. They have those proper good mirrors with the light bulbs around them. Also they have the best mirrors for getting dressed, unlike a couple of other venues which seem to have forgotten that a Bride actually likes to see what she looks like before she goes to her wedding ceremony.
Sophie was getting busy downstairs photographing the Groom and guests arriving, in between popping back upstairs to see how we were getting on and relaying messages from people who weren’t allowed to see the Bride but had things to say to her. As well as being a great photographer, Sophie is always the one you can count on for helping in a little emergency and helping organise things, which always comes in handy at a wedding ceremony. This time she was being asked to come up and find out who was having certain buttonholes as nobody seemed to know.
After everybody was seated downstairs, the ceremony got underway, and it was beautiful. Ricky was literally beaming with happiness when he saw Charlotte walking down the aisle, and I’m sure I heard little gasps when the guests saw her dress.
Afterwards, was one of the parts of the day which love… when the guests get to congratulate the happy couple. This is where we get all of the hugs, smiles and catch ups.
Then we took the Bride and Groom away for about twenty minutes to get some nice romantic natural shots of them. They only had one request, and that was to have a picture of them from behind, walking into the venue with their two little girls. The rest was totally up to us.
Ricky and Charlotte then had a fairly short list of group shots they wanted. We decided to do them in the library as it was a bit breezy out and the books, gold mirrors and antiques make a lovely backdrop. Sophie helped rally people into the room for their pictures, but it was getting increasingly difficult with such a large amount of people to find, and Charlotte called a halt to the group shots, saying that she never realised how stressful they were. She said she would rather just get on with her day and enjoy it, which we were happy about. We always try and deter clients from having group shots, as they are not the pictures the Bride and Groom will look back on with fondness. They also take everyone away from what the day is all about.
The rest of the wedding was fantastic… Fennes catering staff cooked a wonderful meal, as usual, and after eating our complimentary dinner in the library, we went back to capture the fun and emotions from the speeches. We knew what was to come, as the best man came into the library with us and asked if he could practice his speech to us. He was pretty funny!
After the guests had finished eating and had their coffees, the Donut Wall was brought out and the entertainment people started playing music ready for Ricky and Charlottes cutting of the cake and first dance.
We had an amazing time and got a ridiculous amount of pictures, that will give them a ton of memories.
<3 Congratulations Mr & Mrs Knowles! <3
If you would like to book a Fennes Wedding Photographer, and love the idea of Documentary Wedding Photography, get in touch soon!