Jo and Craig – A Fantastic Family Wedding at Warwick House, Winter Wedding Photography

Today I’ve got a wedding to tell you about that was full of joy, laughter, and toddlers doing what toddlers do best.

Jo and Craig were married back in December at lovely local Warwickshire wedding venue Warwick House. Located just outside of Leamington and Rugby, it’s a picture perfect place with lovely historical features and it’s not hard to see why it’s a venue I’ve been lucky enough to shoot at many times.

Jo and Craig had come to me through their next door neighbours – about as local a recommendation as you can get!

They’d put an ask out on social media for tips on local photographers for their wedding, and I’d kindly been tagged in the replies. We’d had a chat in the digital realm ( which ended up taking over the post, sorry Cheryl ) and I was booked.

 A few days before the wedding, I’d parked up in Warwick to nip into town for a coffee, when I was startled by a tap on the shoulder and a gravelly voice declared ‘excuse me Sir, you seem to have parked illegally…’. Now, being the conscientious and upstanding citizen that I am, I was very surprised to be accused of contravening parking regulations so I started to defend my honour when the façade crumbled and the ‘enforcement officer’ admitted that he was having me on. He’d actually recognized me because I was going to take the pictures of his wedding that weekend! From that moment on, I knew I’d get along just swimmingly with Craig.

Introductions (conventional and otherwise) done, it was soon time for the big day itself. The morning of the wedding was lovely and low key. Jo and her eldest daughter had spent the previous day at a spa together relaxing before the wedding, and that morning they carried on the preparations together, helping each other out with those last minute tweaks to their hair, or awkward zips. It was clear they had a lovely bond and I felt really lucky to be able to take some pictures of this special family time.

The peace didn’t last for long though, because the rest of the family was soon to arrive! Craig arrived at Warwick House with their other four children – including one incredibly excited pirouetting little girl, two teenage boys lost in their devices, and a very energetic toddler, Milo, who you could tell just relished his role as the baby of the family!

Warwick House allows wedding guests to check in before the ceremony, so as they arrived, Jo and Craig’s family and friends were milling around the bar, playing with the kids, and catching up with one another over a drink before things got underway. It was a great chance for a few sneaky snaps of some very cheerful faces.

The wedding ceremony itself was also full of smiles and laughter, in large part thanks to little Milo, who clearly hadn’t got the memo that he wasn’t supposed to be centre of attention. During the exchange of rings – which can be a fairly solemn part of proceedings – he burst through his Dad’s legs to greet the congregation with a big beautiful smile. He clearly enjoyed the big laugh he got, as he decided the first kiss between the newly married couple would be a perfect time for a repeat! It’s silly moments like these that really make weddings special and memorable for everyone, and I was so glad I was there to capture it.

Milo had clearly had enough of the attention though, as he pulled a disappearing act not long after the ceremony.  One of the lovely features at Warwick House is the ability ot be able to do a big group shot from high up, so once the guests had been persuaded to put down their glasses of fizz and head out into the bitter cold for a few quick snaps before nightfall, I scampered up to the honeymoon sweet dangled out the wondow and clicked away,  only to be told that Milo was nowhere to be seen! Fortunately he was quickly found by his family, but I definitely captured a few shivering grimaces from the assembled wedding guests before I was able to hastily usher them all back inside.

Inside in the warm, it was time for a confetti shot, and Craig and Jo had certainly taken my advice and stocked up on absolutely TONS of the stuff. Confetti shots are such fun, but you need the volume of confetti to really make them work and for it to show up on camera – there was certainly no shortage at this wedding! 

Before long it was time for a gorgeous dinner and a few words from the newlyweds. I knew that Jo was a little concerned about Craig’s speech – I’m told that as a best man, he once gave a speech that was talked about in their friendship group for years – so there was a fair reason for her anxiety! Craig, however, did a cracking job of delivering a heartfelt and touching speech. His love for his family was clearly apparent – addressing each of their children in turn, he told the assembled guests what made them special and how lucky he was to have them in his life. As he spoke of how he and Jo had first met in their youth and got together many years later, it all felt like a real ‘meant to be’ kind of moment.

Craig’s son, acting as his best man, obviously felt the love in the room too, as he gave a few impromptu, heartfelt words. What a special day – I think everyone there could feel the happy togetherness of Jo and Craig’s family.

Even after a wild dancefloor and an even wilder sparkler photo session, that was still my overriding memory of this wonderful winter’s day – a happy and loving family who fit together just so.

 

IF YOUR LOOKING FOR  A Winter Wedding Photography , THEN CONTACT ME TODAY TO DISCUSS.