Coombe Lodge Wedding Photography: Sarah & Brad
Laughter, tears, a canine-best man and some gorgeous nighttime shots!
Sarah and Brad had planned an amazing wedding, and it was to be set at one of Nick Church Photography's favourite venues, Coombe Lodge in Blagdon. As we sat in their home talking about their day, they went through their ideas. All of these sounded amazing, especially the dancing grannies as surprise entertainment for the guests. What I was most concerned about was the very naughty Jack Rusell called Buddy that was going to be ring-bearer. Concerned because at that point in time he was over-excited and going mental in the kitchen! If this works it will be a miracle I thought to myself, tactfully.
This was the first wedding I was shooting with an assistant. Geraint Roberts, is a excellent photographer with a similar style to me and is in my 'top-bloke' category too, so I was looking forward to some rare, talented company on this one!
We got Sarah's Parent's house for some shots of some Bridal Preparations. As Sarah opened a letter and a gift that Bradley had left, the tears were soon welling up (in me). Always looking for a more interesting angle, I found a window that made the shot much more engaging and intimate. I love it!
At Nick Church Photography we prefer a different and more intimate viewpoint
Second Shooter - First Class
Having Geraint there was awesome, he could get moments that would otherwise be missed as I shot something else. These two classic shots have a image time-stamp of 2 seconds apart. Can't do that with one person!
Nick's shot from upstairs, lovely light
Geraint's shot from downstairs, great expression
Rain? Bring it on!
Time for me to get to Coombe Lodge to catch up with Bradley, Another advantage of having two shooters was that I could leave earlier than I normally would. I'm pleased I did, classic Bristol traffic totally scuppered my short-cut and I torturously queued though the City. But eventually I was out the other side, into Somerset and on to Coombe Lodge. The weather, it has to be said was not looking great, but Nick Church Photography is always able to work the Wedding Photography so that we get some amazing shots, even in rain.
Buddy - Best Dog
As we shot through the ceremony, we'd got to the point that Buddy the hectic hound was due to come up the aisle - 'here comes disaster' I thought. At the critical moment, I realised I'd misjudged the chap. He suddenly appeared right at the back of the room, hesitated slightly, then as soon as he saw Bradley he shot like a bullet up the aisle with the ring on a bow around his middle! Perfect job, and great catch by Geraint!
Stunning Nighttime Shots
At this time of year, the light still disappears quite early, so by the time the rain had stopped enough to venture outside it was nearly dark. This was perfect for me, as Coombe Lodge looks gorgeous when lit up at night time, and I knew that with careful use of the lights (one on camera, one being held by Geraint, triggered by mine) we could get some really creative shots. The results are stunning, Geraint's working the flash from behind the couple as I shot from the front gave us some fantastic images and I know for a fact that Sarah and Brad are thrilled with them.
Self-congratulation is not very sophisticated - but I bloody love this shot!
That's Entertainment...
Back inside the venue, it was time for some evening entertainment. This was kicked off by a good game of Mr and Mrs. Expertly compered by the Best Man, and some lovely lighting and a fish-eye lens I was able to get some amazing shots of this.
Before the guests had stopped laughing from the filthy set of questions asked by the compere, we were treated with a display from a quality theatre company Bureau of Random Acts. Dressed as the elderly, they hilariously got the crowd moving in a huge boy/girl dance of. Photo-gold, all of it!
It was a great day, and I am absolutely thrilled with the pictures that we got for them. Here is a selection of my favourites:
