Kate & Paul’s Wedding - Thorpe Gardens Wedding Photographer
I was super excited when Kate and Paul booked me for their wedding day. Like a lot of my couples, their day was really about having the important people around them, enjoying themselves and celebrating together. And to top it off, the wedding was going to be at one of my favourite venues, Thorpe Gardens.
I love Thorpe Gardens as a wedding venue because it seems to naturally attract couples who want a more relaxed wedding day. The grounds are absolutely stunning, which of course is great for me.
A relaxed morning with the girls at Thorpe Gardens
The morning was loads of fun with the girls, with plenty of laughter, and even a cheeky Uber Eats McDonald's delivery.
I have to admit, my fear of eating McDonald's anywhere near a wedding dress was very real, I think my scared look encouraged mum to move the dress.
Whilst the girls were having lots of fun and keeping things relaxed, I could already sense that Paul was going to be feeling very emotional. He had written a card for Kate, and I had a feeling this was going to be a wedding with an emotional groom.
The relaxed morning also gave me a really good opportunity to get to know both Kate and Paul a little better before the wedding really got underway.
Both Kate and Paul are ambulance drivers, and after listening to them talk about their day to day jobs, it really does give you an understanding of what an amazing job they do. Although, from some of the stories they told me, they do occasionally have the odd interesting house experience.
An outdoor wedding ceremony at Thorpe Gardens
The couple had opted for an outdoor ceremony, and the grounds at Thorpe Gardens are absolutely perfect for this. They really are stunning.
Kate and Paul had also arranged for some live music to be played during the time before the ceremony and during the drinks reception, which worked perfectly. I've always found that live music adds a little something extra to a wedding day. It creates such a lovely atmosphere without everyone even necessarily realising it.
Then the ceremony time arrived.
Now, normally my sole focus during a wedding ceremony is everyone walking down the aisle. But I knew today I needed to find a way of capturing Paul as well.
After grabbing a few photos of Kate walking down the aisle, luckily, it was a very long aisle, I switched my attention to Paul.
I timed it perfectly, as Paul saw Kate for the first time, the emotion came pouring out.
Kate, like most brides in that moment, just gave him the biggest, warmest smile.
It was one of those moments that highlights the importance of naturally photography .its real, , which is exactly what I love about documentary wedding photography.
Drinks, garden games and sunshine at Thorpe Gardens
After the ceremony, it was time to enjoy the glorious weather that England had given us this year.
As the live music played, guests enjoyed drinks, chatted and mingled, while some got involved with the garden games. It was just a really lovely afternoon for everyone to relax and celebrate together.
Funny speeches and an emotional groom
It was soon time for the wedding breakfast and speeches, Kate's brother was doing a speech, and I had a feeling it might be a good one, him and the best man certainly didn't disappoint.
Both speeches were incredibly funny, with plenty of laughs from the guests. Meanwhile, Paul once again showed his total love for Kate with a really lovely speech of his own.
It was another reminder that, although the day was relaxed and full of fun, there was a huge amount of genuine emotion between these two.
Golden hour couple photos around Thorpe Gardens
The sun was golden, the grounds looked stunning and Kate and Paul were so naturally in love with each other that the couple photos were never going to be difficult.
In fact, I think we probably ended up with my favourite set of couple portraits from this year.
There was no need for complicated posing, they hugged, spun around, ran, laughed and just enjoyed being together.
And that's exactly what I want from couple photos, I don't want couples spending half an hour standing in awkward poses trying to look like models. I want them to look like themselves.
Kate and Paul were just so naturally happy around each other, and I think that really comes across in the photographs.
An evening of celebrating
As the sun started to set, we headed back inside for the first dance.
But the weather was still absolutely amazing outside, so as soon as the first dance was finished, the dance floor emptied and everyone poured back outside.
Honestly, this was probably my favourite part of the whole day, people enjoying drinks outside in the warm evening air, chatting, laughing and just enjoying being together.
No formalities.
No schedule.
Just everyone having a brilliant time.
And for me, that's exactly what Kate and Paul's wedding was about.
Having the people they love around them, enjoying themselves and celebrating their wedding day together.
And I think Thorpe Gardens was the perfect place for them to do it.
Kate & Paul — thank you so much for having me there. It was an absolute pleasure to photograph your wedding, and I hope you love the photographs as much as I loved taking them.
