Lianne and Michael Wootton Park Wedding Photography

Lianne and Michael got married on the last day of August at Wootton Park, Henley on arden,  Warwickshire.  I’d been keen to shoot there for years as it was the only local venue I’d not shot at – and probably the one closest to my home! It’s a lovely place with a barn style venue and a gorgeous lake, with plenty of grounds for guests (and photographers) to roam.

Both Lianne and Michael were very clear from the outset on what they wanted from the day and the photography. They’d been to lots of weddings before which were full-day affairs, 3-course seated meals, long speeches, tons of group photos – lots of formality – and while that’s absolutely perfect for some people, it’s not what they wanted. They wanted the day to have a relaxed atmosphere, very little structure and as few regimented events as possible. They were determined that their wedding would be a good time, for them and their guests, and that they wanted the pictures to reflect that.

My Vlog my wedding service is perfect if, like Lianne and Michael, you want to remember everything about your day but you want to keep a really informal feeling. This is when I give the bridal party all the tech to film short personal clips throughout the whole day, to capture all those little funny, moving, or joyful moments that happen on a wedding day, and then I cut and edit all the footage together to make a really personal (and often moving) vlog of the day. 

Lianne and Michael had opted for a 5pm wedding ceremony which meant they could enjoy a chilled out morning without (they thought) some of the time pressures that can happen during the morning.  Leanne didn’t want any bridal prep pictures so I spent some time looking round the venue, working out where I might take some shots later, and then went to see Michael, who had very generously offered to get some Subway to keep everyone’s energy levels up until the evening. 

This was a welcome offer and we were awaiting our Subway expectantly for a while. With half an hour to go until wedding action stations, the uber eats driver hadn’t arrived, and Michael was getting a bit panicked.  The subway never came,  Michael was late getting ready, so the wedding ended up running a little behind. I’m used to weddings running late for brides, but never for Very Important Sandwices – there’s a first time for everything!

Once everyone was finally ready, it was time for the wedding ceremony, which Lianne and Michael had decided to have outdoors. Wootton Park is a rural barn location, and it makes a lovely outdoor venue. There’s a beautiful walk from the barn to the lake area where ceremonies are held, and it made for a lovely moment of peace and fresh air as Lianne walked towards the wedding guests and her husband-to-be.

During the ceremony, Lianne and Michael’s young daughter, who was understandably a bit tired by this point – it’s a long day for a little one! She couldn’t really get her head around what all the fuss was about, and was pretty insistent that she needed some food and attention (I sympathise). But her parents took it all in their very relaxed stride, picking her up and keeping her entertained. As Michael said later, they wanted a day that their friends and family would remember – and his daughter certainly made that happen!

After the ceremony, Lianne and Michael’s guests could head to the funfair rides and let their inner child out with some dodgems! One of the reasons that Lianne and Michael chose Wootton Park to get married was that there’d be space for some bumper cars! Yes, they wanted fun and they definitely delivered! There was no formal dinner, no table plan, no huge speeches – guests could head to a food van and grab some pizza or fish and chips, then chat, mingle, eat and drink to their heart’s content.

Keen to get some good pictures, I sat in a bumper car and asked a member of staff to drive me. Perhaps my inner child had taken over at the sight of the dodgems, but I hadn’t put two and two together that it wasn’t perhaps the greatest idea to drive around in a bumper car with a very expensive camera – every time I got smashed by another wedding guest, the camera nearly flew out my hand and I was thrown all over the place. Embarrassingly, my dodgem nemesis turned out to be a young wedding guest in a very pretty dress – she may have looked innocent but she was after me!

Michael and Liannedidn’t have a first dance but they did have a first dodgem – they started at either end of the arena and drove straight at each other! It perfectly encapsulated what was best about this thoroughly unconventional wedding – a sense of fun, and joy, and silliness. And that’s the most important thing about weddings, I think, that the bride and groom get the perfect day for them.

 

Congrats Lianne and Michael, you deserve every happiness.