Coombe Lodge, Somerset Wedding Photographer

Fire Brigade evacuates the partly-dressed bridal party due to a flood of boiling water… Standard!

Alex and Joe’s wedding was a long time in planning, and it turned out to be incredible and well worth the wait. I was entrusted to capture the day with a Full Day Photography Package, but also as a few guests were on the other side of the world, a Live Stream was also selected.

“Blagdon, we have a problem!”

But as amazing as the day turned out, it was not all roses early on! At the pub where Alex and her bridesmaids were getting ready, she awoke and started the day with a shower - what could go wrong. Right? Well. 10 seconds later there were jets of boiling water spraying all over the bathroom, and our bride just missed getting ‘something borrowed’ in the way of first-degree burns.

It got worse. With none of the guests unable to turn off the water, and the pub filling up with acrid, furiously boiling steam, the fire brigade were called and the pub evacuated! This was very much NOT the wedding day she dreamed about!

First Look at Coombe Lodge

Thankfully, Alex and Joe were getting married at Coombe Lodge in Blagdon, and the venue were (as ever) amazing and keen to do everything they could, and moved mountains to make the day go smoothly…

An hour later, Alex, the bridesmaids and hair and makeup artists were safely installed in the bridal suite at the venue and the morning preparations could continue.

This allowed me to create a beautiful moment when Ken, Alex’s Dad, say Alex in her dress for the first time. Very emotional for all.

Stream, not steam!

At St. Andrew’s Church in Blagdon, the Live Stream was being manned expertly by my assistant Jon, and the family and friends in New Zealand were able to participate with the event in real time. There were even guests much less far afield in Bristol who were unable to make it due to illness.

After the cememony, while Simon the vicar was getting the paperwork done, I spotted with my ‘light radar’ an amazing beam of light coming through the window into the front of the Church. I raced to the front and was able to grab a series of shots that I love so much. I wanted an effect like an oil painting, like they were part of the scene painted behind them.

Following my acceptance into the Fearless Photographers collective, and I am always looking for these shots that make all Nick Church Photography weddings stand out from the crowd.

After the ceremony, there was the usual tradition of shoving a kilo of confetti down the bride’s dress and then we headed off to Blagdon Lake. which was wonderfully calm and peaceful… a real bit of a break between a busy church and a busy reception.

The rest of the day at Coombe Lodge was just perfect - all the suppliers had worked together to create the wedding that Alex and Joe had dreamed of, and they all deserve a mention below.

My Wedding Photo Highlights

Here are a series of my favourite shots from the day. I love to keep each photo set unique and new, and this is no exception. We had a gorgeous sunset which allowed some lovely silhouettes to be created, also, later on I was able to get really creative with flash which I love to do too.

There are some shots that you can ONLY take with flash. So when you are selecting a photographer, if you are keen on creativity, always choose one that can use flash skilfully. This is really important at Nick Church Photography and of all the education workshops I run for other professional photographers, my Mastering Flash workshop is my flash my busiest sessions.

Enjoy looking through these highlights…

Also supporting this day was:
Kieran Clarke Entertainment / Lucy Coco Floristry / WED2B Bristol Wedding Dresses / Leanne Jane / South West Bridal Makeup and Hair / Amy Blush Beauty / Aunt Sally’s Cakes