Chenies Manor Wedding – Lauren & James

Chenies Manor  – Wedding Photos in Wow Factor Gardens

Lauren and James’ wedding took place at the stunning Chenies Manor House in Buckinghamshire. Whenever couples ask which venue within my local area has the most beautiful gardens for a wedding, without hesitation I say ‘Chenies Manor House’ every time!

Lauren & James were great fun to work with, and so very appreciative too. And wow, they hosted one incredible wedding, the attention to detail throughout was insane! And the vibrant colour scheme they chose really complemented the striking colours in the gardens of this stunning Buckinghamshire wedding venue!

I met Lauren and James via the bride’s father Chris; over the past 20 years he’s been the super talented landscape gardener for both my studio and home premises. So I wasn’t surprised that the family selected a venue with stunning gardens, and Chenies Manor House did not disappoint!

I suppose if you book Chenies Manor for a wedding during their annual Tulip Festival, you should expect great things. The colours were unbelievable, and certainly elevated my pictures to another level!

All week long the weather apps forecasted a chilly day with dark overcast conditions, plus occasional showers. When you book a venue with stunning gardens, this is the last thing you want to happen on your wedding day! Thankfully the Met Office got it so very wrong ‘once again.’ Instead we were blessed with hazy sunshine and warm conditions all day!

The civil ceremony took place outdoors with distant views of the immaculate landscaped grounds, and the lovely Tudor Manor House itself. The giant wrought iron pergola, also known as the ‘birdcage’ was where the civil ceremony was held. The weather was perfect for this emotional and heartfelt ceremony. I just love how much space I have to walk around discreetly with my camera at outdoor ceremonies, and this was no exception.

I would describe this very day as one big party from start to finish! I could see and hear all around that everyone was really enjoying the non-stop celebratory vibes. The continuous smiles and laughter amongst the family and friends was definitely evident for all to see! And boy this makes my job easy for the candid shots. Add to the mix some great party music and lively dancing in the evenig; this really did prove to be my kind of wedding assignment!

I can’t stress enough how colourful this wedding was, from the gardens to the floral displays and bouquets! And many of the guests embraced this colourful theme with some really striking outfits too!  And for those of you that know my work well, I’m a big fan of vibrant colours. This picture of these two smiling guests walking through the gardens captures a snapshot from the day just perfectly!

When it came to the group shots, I was truly spoilt for choice as far as backdrops go. So I decided to move between locations to ensure I captured as many garden vistas as possible. This shot of Lauren and James with their friends was captured in the Sunken Garden. The tulips frame this shot just perfectly!

The wedding breakfast took place inside the marquee, again seasonal flowers featured perfectly throughout the lovely interior. Lauren and James considered every little detail, right down to the green foliage on the chandeliers. This picture showcases a wide view of the marquee just before the guests entered for the meal.

Even during the wedding breakfast there were still plenty of photo opportunities. Most of the images I captured during the meal were candid, along with the occasional posed image. This is usually the time photographers disappear to have a break, but for me there’s still a story to be documented.

After sundown I was really looking forward to capturing some dramatic floodlit dusk shots of the newlyweds, Chenies Manor has so many backdrops screaming out to be illuminated at night-time! I’d been eyeing up the options for some of my speciality floodlit night shots during the wedding breakfast, whittling it down to four of five backdrops was not an easy task!

This backlit shot of the newlyweds under the wrought iron pergola was at the top of the dusk wish list, but some forward planning was required for this dramatic pose! Moving the many chairs and seat covers from the earlier ceremony was a task I delegated to two super helpful guests, but first I had to find someone to unlock the gate that led to this area. Then with just a few minutes to go until the light was perfect, and with my floodlights now in position, I was ready to call out Lauren and James. The resulting image has to be one of my absolute favourite images from the day.

But whilst the night skies are perfect, there’s always enough time for a few more shots. So second on the wish list was this pose in Chenies Manor House’s sunken garden, I’d been using this gorgeously colourful area all day for pictures. But I knew it would be even more magical and surreal once I introduced some floodlighting after dusk. I’m really thrilled how the tulips just pop in the final image that you see here of Lauren and James in this enchanting garden!

Mark perfectly captured the joyful energy and beautiful colours of our recent spring wedding. From our first contact with Mark we knew we were in safe hands, he was very informative and great at keeping us in the loop. Before the wedding, we also had an engagement shoot, where Mark made us feel completely at ease in front of the camera, which we are not used to!

He was a dream to work with; discreet during the ceremony and candid photos, and fantastically in control when staging the group shots!  His attention to detail was incredible and we felt so able to trust him to guide us through all the photos of the day. Our guests and suppliers were very complementary of Mark’s professionalism and kind manner, which was also much appreciated by us, as we are a bit camera shy! (his expertise in pinning flower buttonholes was also gratefully received!).

We love how Mark’s photos show off colour and play with light, and we are especially in awe of the spectacular night shots he created for us.

The photos are stunning and we will truly treasure them! Lauren & James

Do check out my dedicated Chenies Manor House gallery on my website, you’ll also get to see lots of more of Lauren and James’s pictures. Plus weddings that I’ve shot previously at this fabulous Buckinghamshire venue: