Beautiful Weather For A Glorious Wedding
I’m writing this blog on a dreary wet day – it’s hard to believe that Sophie and Joe’s fabulous wedding was on a wonderful warm summer’s day! This was my sixth wedding in four weeks at this magical venue; I’ve lost track of how many weddings I’ve attended at The Dairy to date. I know it’s well over 200 yet I just fall in love with the setting more with every wedding I attend. It’s one gorgeous place, I’m just so thrilled to be recommended by the team at The Dairy.
Sophie and Joe’s personalities were so infectious, wherever they went laughter filled the air! So get ready for a wonderful story, and some really beautiful pictures of this happy couple.
I was asked to capture the celebrations right through until night fall at this joyous wedding.
Outdoor Civil Ceremony At The Dairy, Waddesdon
There are few settings that can be this magical for an outdoor wedding ceremony, the waterside pavilions at The Dairy offer the most serene setting. Sophie and Joe took their beautiful wedding vows with their closest family and friends in attendance, along with the resident exotic ducks that occupy this romantic spot on the Waddesdon Estate.
This was a truly wonderful ceremony, I’ll never forget the tears and laughter that was shared between these two families.
When I’m photographing an outdoor ceremony at The Dairy, I’m always looking for the best possible angles. Providing I navigate my way around the lake carefully, there are so many beautiful angles. Tip-toeing around quietly is the order of the day, and a double knot in my shoe laces is also essential when walking so close to the waters edge! I also have to avoid catching the eye of the resident swans, they have been known to pursue me around the lake on previous occasions!
Champagne Drinks Reception & Pictures At The Dairy
Straight after the ceremony I organised a walk through aisle, this gave their guests the opportunity to congratulate them with a rapturous round of applause. By now everyone is keen to celebrate the moment with the newlyweds, and the guest reactions are always so priceless as they share these first moments after the ceremony!
Once the champagne corks had popped, this party really got started! With so many fun loving guests, this was always going to be a lively gathering. Judging by the laughter and merriment all around, the wedding guests just loved every minute of the celebrations.
The newlyweds son Charlie was the adorable pageboy on the day, although he was a little camera shy at times! Persistence did pay off in the end, and I did manage to capture him in numerous candid moments throughout the day.
There were a number of group picture requests, I captured these at various locations around The Dairy. With so many incredible vistas, I was spoilt for choice!
The Speeches & Floodlit Pictures
None of the speakers showed any nerves as they took it in turn to step up to the microphone, if they were nervous they hid it mighty well! The excellent speeches went down a storm with the guests, Sophie and Joe’s family and friends certainly lapped up all the fun memories from their past.
Many of the guests couldn’t wait to explore this stunning venue after the speeches, I know only too well how temptation often gets the better of us in locations like this! With a glass of champagne in hand, and a little down time before the partying got under way, who can blame them. There are so many hidden gems within the grounds, yet I’d guess that most of the guests never discover all the secret places!
My grand finale shots of the wedding were captured at dusk, its at this stage in the day that I bring out my floodlighting. These are the shots I’m probably best known for, I love capturing these quirky night shots. When all around is virtually black, my lighting tricks create the most surreal effects with the newlyweds centre stage in the landscape. It usually happens that the more difficult the shot, the better the results. Check out my ‘Low Light Wedding Photography’ blog to see some before and after examples of my techniques.
This was definitely a wedding I’ll remember for many years to come, there were just so many magical moments.
My Favourite Pictures
My favourite images of the day have to be of Sophie and Joe at dusk – I was thrilled with the dramatic results. The shot you see below was captured of the couple stood just outside The Buttery, I’m actually stood inside the building to add to the drama of the shot.
After one more night shot over the lake, I was all finished for the day. Now I was off home for a well earned rest before heading out on my next day’s wedding assignment.
Kind Words
Dear Mark,
Thank you so much for photographing our wedding at Waddesdon Dairy. We had high expectations after meeting you at the wedding fair earlier this year, and we can honestly say that you exceeded them. Your attention to detail and dedication was impressive. You made everyone feel so comfortable on the day, and all of our wedding guests loved the photographs. You certainly captured the beauty of the venue and atmosphere of the day.
The photos are stunning – we couldn’t be happier with them, especially those of Charlie, our son, even if it was tricky to get him looking the right way. We can’t wait to see the wedding album. We will be recommending you to anyone in need of a photographer. The service was professional and tailored to what we wanted.
Many thanks again, Sophie & Joseph
