A few months back we met up with Emma and Mark for a pre-wedding shoot not too far from Cheltenham. Several weeks later we were on our way to to Swindon and Faringdon in Oxfordshire for their big day. We started with a very brief bridal prep session at the Marriott in Swindon before heading over to Sudbury House Hotel to await the arrival of the bride with a very calm and collected groom. Sudbury House is a gorgeous venue and has recently been refurbished so was absolutely spotless when we arrived. The hotel is somewhat split into two sections; a main hotel area which houses all of the guest’s rooms and the main reception, and a smaller area for wedding ceremonies, afternoon tea etc. The smaller area has a great vintage feel to it, particularly in the lobby area which was echoed by the groomsmen in their slick blue suits.
Emma arrived and the wedding ceremony got underway. A few tears were shed from one or two of the wedding guests as they exchanged vows before heading out for some group shots in the garden. It’s always helpful to get the best man to round people up at this point, but my word I’ve never seen such organisation at a wedding! The groomsmen had all been kitted out with a itinerary for the day, complete with a group shots list so when it came to getting everyone together it ran like clockwork. We may have taken somewhere in the region of 1 minute per group, which is blisteringly quick given that most groups take at least 3 times as long! We led Emma and Mark around the gardens for a few couple shots and then it was on to the reception in a local marquee.
If personal touches are what make each wedding day unique then this was entirely one of a kind. Every corner of the marquee had been filled with something different, something special to the happy couple, or even just a quirky little chalkboard or two. Everything had been thought about down to the smallest detail; worried about your feet getting sore from your high heels? Pick up a pair of flip flops on the way in! My afternoon was complete when an ice cream truck turned up to dish out free ice cream to all of the wedding guests!
To round the day off, the couple shared their first dance. Flash mob time! After teasing the wedding guests with a bit of slow dancing, the couple picked up the pace into a jive before bridesmaids, groomsmen and friends flooded the dancefloor for the final part.
Not a day goes by that I’m not happy to be in the wedding photography business, and days like this one make it hands-down the best job out there!
**We’re still working to find a solution to the images getting jumbled up across some of the galleries on mobile devices so many apologies if there is a mixture of images below. The gallery should display fine on most platforms.**
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