A saturday in mid-March saw me photograph Emma and Martin’s lovely wedding in Tunbridge Wells – although my work as a kent wedding photographer takes me all over the county, it’s nice to photograph a wedding on your doorstep occasionally (especially as I was photographing Sally & Sam’s wedding at Chilston park the day before – blog post to come).
Emma and Martin got married at St Luke’s Church in Matfield, followed by a reception at the Brew House Hotel, Tunbridge Wells. The day started with bridal preps at Emma’s parents house, with the boys looking after the couple’s little daughter at their own house, just round the corner.
Dodging the rain showers, I met the boys at the church for some quick groom portraits, then captured the bridesmaids and guest arrivals, follwed by the bride herself.
Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to photograph during most of the key moments of the ceremony. I got a some shots of the couple’s daughter during the first hymn – she seemed a bit bemused by the whole thing and decided to then go to the back of the church to the children’s area. Emptying the toy box to find a tambourine, after a few quick tunes she was off up the aisle and decided to sit by mum and dad. I figured that the noise and general mirth meant I could fire off a few frames without fear of disturbing the service too much…
Gran finally caught the culprit and decided to make a tactical withdrawal…
We managed to get outside for a few quick photos inbetween rain showers, before confetti and the drive to the Brew House for the reception.
Unfortunately we couldn’t use any exterior locations for couples portraits due to the weather – so we made use of the funky architecture and lighting effects within the hotel and rooms, using a mixture of off-camera flash (where a flashgun is triggered by the camera and linked via either infrared or radio trigger and so can be held and aimed for the most flattering lighting position) and hand-held videolight.
The guests meanwhile had reception drinks down in the bar – more funky lighting, and mirrors everywhere!!
Emma and Martin then received their guests into the Old School House for the wedding breakfast.
I’ll cover the speeches and dancing (some great dancing shots coming up!!) in the next post, so check back soon!
If you’re getting married at The Brew House, then contact me to discuss your wedding photography!
All photographs copyright David Burke Photography 2012