Greg and Alex's lovely Allington Manor Wedding.
Aex and Greg where married at the very lovely Allington Manor https://www.allingtonmanor.co.uk/ in July. I love shooting at Allington Manor, its a small but perfectly formed grade 2 Jacobean venue that is steeped in history. I have not shot many weddings at this venue but each one I have shot there has been really good.
I arrived at the venue with the weather looking very ominous, July really was not very kind to the wedding industry, and I had to contend with so much rain at many of my July weddings. But that is part of the challenge I enjoy as a wedding photographer. No matter what the conditions may be I still have to produce beautiful and creative images under all conditions.
Bridal Preparation.
I started the day as I always do with bridal preparation with Alex. Allington Manor has a fab bridal suite with plenty of daylight for beautiful portraits. Alex looked amazing with a gorgeous bouquet supplied by my favourite florists The Flower Barn https://www.flower-barn.co.uk/.
It was then time for a quick catch up with Greg for portraits before the ceremony and also some quick photos with the boys looking super sharp.
The Ceremony.
There are soem great features at Allington Manor, one of which is teh staircase. It gives me , as a photographer, really strong leading lines that really help in terms of photographic composition. I love the image of Alex descending the staircase on her way to the ceremony.
The ceremony room at Allington Manor is not the largest one I have ever shot in and it really was standing room only. I just about managed to squeeze myself in the corner so I could shoot Alex's arrival and the ceremony itself. One of my favourite images from this collection is when Alex claps eyes on Greg for the first time. Such a beautiful and natural smile. This for me is what is so important as a wedding photographer, capturing those emotions and reactions that last for a split second.
Bride and Groom Portraits.
After the ceremony it was time for some quick family photos and of course the confetti shot. The weather was not being particularly kind so it was a case of diving in and out of the venue when the weather allowed, but we got away with it, just about.
It was then time to spend some quality time with Alex and Greg and produce some beautiful bride and groom images. I made use of the staircase until the weather eased off. When it finally did we where joined by their two gorgeous dogs that where a big part of the wedding day. These images are some of Alex's favourite from the day, who does not love dogs at a wedding?
Allington Manor is surrounded by really picturesque fields so after the speeches we made use of these great locations for more bride and groom portraits. I used my portable studio flash unit to make the sky am dmoody and produce some really dramatic and beautiful images.
Evening Fun.
The rest of the day and evening was spent socialising, drinking, and generally having a great time, whats not to like about that? This gave me lots of opportunity to shoot plenty of images of guests enjoying the evening which I love doing. Alex is a huge fan of Take That and it was only a matter of time before teh Take That masks made an appearance, (more of Take That later).
Before I knew it, it was tiem for cake cutting and first dance and that was that for me until the next day.
Gary Barlow.
Greg and Alex arranged for me to shoot the next day for them too as they where having a lovely summer bbq in the gardens of Allington Manor. However, unbeknown to Alex, Greg had arranged for the No1 Gary Barlow impersonator Dan Hadfield to perform in the afternoon https://www.garybarlowlookalike.com/
Alex had no idea he would be there and Dan/Gary totally stole the afternoon with a massive collection of Gary Barlow/Take That hits.
OK Gary Barlow may not be on my musical radar, Ill be honest not many of my favourite bands make it to a wedding play list, but I just loved shooting Alex and her friends completely lost in the music. There is nothing like capturing pure joy on someones face like in these images. What a fantastic afternoon.
So that was Alex and Gregs amazing Allington Manor wedding. If you are planning a wedding at this lovely venue I would love to hear from you, give me a shout and tell me what you have planned so far.
https://www.masseyphotography.co.uk/contact-us/
Alex and Greg Dream Team
Venue - Allington Manor https://www.allingtonmanor.co.uk/
Florist - The Flower Barn https://www.flower-barn.co.uk/
Gary Barlow Impersonator - Dan Hadfield https://www.garybarlowlookalike.com/