Libby & Brad’s Wedding Day – Stratford Upon Avon Wedding Photographer
Every wedding is special for different reasons, but Libby and Brad’s wedding instantly felt like one of those days that was going to mean a little bit more.
The reason? They were getting married at the family school — a place that clearly held years and years of memories for Libby and her family.
I realised just how important the place was after walking around the school with Libby and her mum before the wedding day. As they wandered through the rooms and corridors, it was obvious that every little corner had a story attached to it. You could see the happy memories flooding back just from talking about the day.
A Morning Full Of Energy
The wedding morning started at Libby’s mum’s house, and as promised, the place was absolutely buzzing.
There were people everywhere, laughter in every room, and the kind of atmosphere that instantly makes you excited for the rest of the day. Even before the prosecco started flowing, the energy in the house was electric.
Just walking around photographing the morning felt special. You could tell this was a house full of memories, with old stories being shared, laughter constantly breaking out, and friends reminiscing about “the drinking den” from years gone by.
This is exactly why I love photographing the full wedding day. So many of the best moments happen long before the ceremony even starts.
Holy Trinity Church Stratford Upon Avon
Libby and Brad got married at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford Upon Avon and, honestly, if you’ve never been there before, it is absolutely stunning.
It also helps that there’s a lovely pub around the corner for the guests and groomsmen and of course Brad.
The walk up to the church alone feels special. It’s one of those venues where the approach builds the atmosphere before you even step inside, and then once you do… wow.
The Ceremony (And The Longest First Kiss Ever)
Every ceremony sticks in my mind for different reasons. Usually it’s little smiles, nervous glances, or cheeky looks between the couple.
This ceremony had all of that.
But I think what I’ll remember most is the first kiss, which may genuinely have been the longest first kiss I’ve ever photographed.
Libby was absolutely making the most of the moment.
Back To School
After the ceremony, everyone jumped onto coaches and headed back to the school for the reception, which gave the whole thing a brilliant school trip kind of feel.
The guests were already in full celebration mode and very ready to make the most of the free bar.
Before that happened though, we had one final sober activity to complete, the confetti shot, and with this many guests, it turned into one seriously huge confetti line.
Libby and Brad got absolutely covered.
Drinks, Games & Flying Hammers
The next few hours were exactly what weddings should be about, celebrating, drinking, laughing and spending time with the people you love most.
There was also one of the most chaotic wedding games I’ve ever seen involving a hammer, nails, and lots of very enthusiastic guests.
Considering the amount of alcohol involved, it’s honestly impressive nobody got hurt.
The atmosphere all day was just incredible. Everywhere you looked there was laughter, people hugging, dancing, chatting and genuinely enjoying every second of the day.
The Speeches
Then came the speeches.
And Libby absolutely smashed hers.
I always love it when the bride does a speech, and Libby completely owned the room. I think she may even have enjoyed it slightly more than Brad enjoyed his, judging by the massive sigh of relief he gave afterwards.
There were also some brilliant emotional moments from her mum, some quality humour from her brother, and a very well controlled best man speech considering the free bar had been flowing all day.
The Sunset Surprise
As we headed into the evening, we thought we might get lucky with the weather.
The clouds started to break slightly, so we rushed outside for what we thought might be a quick golden minute for couple photos.
We grabbed a few shots then started heading back inside, Then suddenly the sky exploded.
The sun came out properly and created some of the best light I’ve had in years. The sky looked like it was on fire and we managed to create some seriously epic sunset photos.
The Perfect Ending
The evening finished with live music and saxophone, which is basically guaranteed to make me happy at any wedding.
And it clearly had the same effect on the guests because the dance floor went absolutely mental.
From the very first song right through until the end of the night, the energy never dropped once.
It really was one of those weddings where absolutely everyone was all in from start to finish.
An amazing couple, an incredible atmosphere, and a wedding day full of personality from beginning to end.
