Daniel & Thomas – May 2024

Daniel approached me to be his wedding photographer some time ago, and I was looking forward to the day immensely. Not only did I know that Daniel and Thomas would put on an amazing wedding day, but he also told me he wanted to do some smoke bomb photos and this is something I have wanted to try for some time! In the morning, I met the couple at their holiday rental cottage close to their venue. This was a booking of chance, and what a find it was! The little cottage was on the grounds of a beautiful stately manor home; the grounds were vast and beautiful, and we were spoilt for choice for photo opportunities. At the cottage, the Grooms and part of their wedding party got ready for the day, and just before leaving, we made time to take some photos in the grounds.

As a photographer, I could have stayed in those grounds all day! We managed to do most of the private shoot images here, and I am so pleased with how they all turned out.

Once we reached the venue, Daniel went off to hide away before the ceremony, and Thomas welcomed all the guests in. I had never been to The Barn Brasserie before, and I was absolutely stunned by what a beautiful venue it is. It has a way of feeling intimate but also having plenty of space. The grounds are gorgeous and the main room itself is decorated beautifully. We arrived in good time, so I got to have a good look around and get a feel for the venue and take lots of photos. They had decorated it beautifully for the day, with a memory table and gorgeous centre pieces.

Then came the time for the ceremony to begin. This venue has an upstairs area where the ceremony takes place, so there were guests sat upstairs and downstairs. The Groomsmaids, followed by Daniel and his mum came in through the far door and made their way up to the ceremony. It was a beautiful ceremony, with the grooms writing their own words to each other, the room felt like it was full of love. After the ceremony we all made our way outside for my favourite part – confetti!

Then we went on to take the group photos in a beautiful spot in front of a rather nice looking hedge! There was plenty of room to gather everyone which was great, and we got some lovely group photos. The sun was shining and everyone was pleased to be outside on this gorgeous day. It was then onto the part I had been looking forward to – the smoke bombs! We gathered all the close friends of the couple and made our way to the field next to the venue to capture these stunning shots.

I of course, had to take some photos just with the couple and a some smoke bombs too!

After this, we all sat down for food. This couple were nice enough to feed me (I never expect it!), and I had the most beautiful meal. I sat and edited some of my videos while I ate and let everyone enjoy their meals, until it was time for the speeches. There were plenty of people who did a speech for this couple, it was lovely to see so many people getting up to share their stories and raise a glass to the happy couple. We had some laughs and some emotional moments, and it was so lovely to see so much love in one room.

The next part of the evening was the cake cutting, which did not go to plan at all, but was hilarious! The couple had a prop knife, which they just held by the cake while I took a few shots, and then they were brought the real knife, only for the handle to totally snap off while they cut the cake! It was such a funny moment, and I am so pleased I got to capture it!

As the evening came to a close, the couple prepared for their last dance. Everyone gathered and they shared a lovely moment, before inviting everyone to join them on the dance floor. It was a beautiful scene, with the couple in the centre, surrounded by their friends and family. This was followed by a song sung by a lovely young lady, who had practiced a french song just for the day, and she absolutely knocked it out of the park. Everyone was stunned and what a lovely thing to be able to do for a couple on their wedding day.

Overall, I had an amazing day with this wonderful couple and their friends and family. I am so pleased I got to capture their special day, and I hope that these are photos which they treasure for years to come.