Late July saw me photograph the lovely, relaxed wedding of Martine & Carl at the museum of kent life, Maidstone.

The day had a relaxed atmosphere right from the very start – it’s the first time I’ve found just the bride and bridesmaid at home, both fully dressed and ready to go! I captured the brides departure in the horse and carriage, and then had plenty of time to get to the Museum to meet the groom. The 5 minute drive took the bride an hour by carriage!

The village hall had been fantastically decorated, with beautiful flowers by Jackie Brooks Florist in welly boots lining the aisle and leading to a full archway of flowers for the bride and groom to stand under (the first time the archway has been fully decorated apparently!)

After the ceremony, I had the luxury of lots of time between the ceremony and the start of the meal, and only 4 small groups shots, so we got some great candid portraits before everyone moved inside for their meal.

Martine and Carl didn’t want any speeches, so again I concentrated on candid shots of the guests, getting some great reactions to the amazing caricatures being produced by Richard Nairn .

Once the museum had closed to the public, I took the bride and groom off for some portraits – the later time also had the bonus of it being much cooler and having beautiful soft, evening light. The Museum has some great spots for portraits, from the herb garden right through to the less obvious weatherboard sides of some of the buildings; great for backgrounds and some lovely colours!

And then onto the first dance and party shots!

All images copyright David Burke Photography 2011