Here are some of my favourite wedding photography images from Claire and Gary’s lovely wedding.
Claire and Gary were married at the stunning St George’s church in the little village of Brede, followed by a marquee reception in the grounds of Claire’s old family home. This wedding was a little bit different in a couple of ways – it was a daytime affair, with the bride and groom waved off around tea-time (just before a huge thunderstorm!) but also was the first deaf wedding I’d photographed. Both Claire and Gary are profoundly deaf, so some parts of the day required a little more logistical planning but with the help of two fantastic interpreters the day was pretty much like any other wedding day. One real plus point was that actually the bride and groom were much more tactile with each other than some couples I’ve photographed!
I started photography at Claire’s mums with bridal prep – the first thing I noticed was the amazing Croquembouche wedding cake sat on the kitchen table which was widely admired by everyone who saw it! During the normal hustle and bustle of bridal prep, the flowers arrived and were sorted out, while the flowergirls and pageboys enjoyed racing around in the huge house.
Once Claire was into her dress and the presents given out, I shot over to the church to meet up with Gary and the bestman for a few quick shots. Not for the first time this year, the weather started to take a turn for the worst at this point so we all headed inside pretty quickly!
Claire made her stunning entrance into the service followed by her entourage of flowergirls and pageboys, all looking so cute. The service was relayed to Claire and Gary and separately to the deaf/hard of hearing members of the congregation by the amazing signers. Claire’s sister signed a fantastic reading/poem, which was great to photograph as it was so visual, as were the vows which followed.
After the legalities and a few quick groups in the church porch, it was time to brave the elements and quickly head to the cars to get back to the marquee reception. Claire and Gary were congratulated by their guests over drinks and canapes, and were then entertained by an amazing artist who cut profile pictures of each guest – really interesting to watch and photograph, and so talented!
After a few quick indoor groups in the marquee, it was time for the guests to take their seats and for the speeches to begin, again relayed by our two signers.
During a break in the meal, we got lucky with the weather so I took Claire and Gary out for some couples pictures, ably helped by Karen who relayed my instructions. We then rejoined the guests, who by now were being entertained by a Steel Band! After a quick cake cut, it was on to the first dance and then everyone joined in the dancing – despite the relatively early hour, all the guests really got into the spirit of it! So much so, that an impromptu conga line formed before disappearing off through the marquees, into the garden and back again.
All too soon it was time for Claire and Gary to leave. As they changed out of their wedding outfits, we all made our way to the front of the house (closely watching the huge black storm clouds coming in) ready for the bouquet toss and confetti.
Despite the toss and confetti being a little chaotic (you need to be quick on your feet sometimes!) we managed to capture it, before Claire and Gary said their goodbyes and hopped into the back of their waiting Porsche, to be waved off by their guests! Five minutes after they’d left, the heavens opened so truly great timing!
Congratulations once again to Claire and Gary!
If you’re getting married in East Sussex and would like to make enquiries about wedding photography, do please contact me to discuss your requirements.
Additional photography by Tash Lowther
All wedding photography copyright David Burke Photography 2016