We love to discover new wedding venues as well as to return to old favourites, and a Northcote House wedding and reception was one of those fresh discoveries for us. Hollie and Chris came to us through recommendation from John De Rienzo who we have worked with many times and is well known for his cinematic style which complements well with our own approach.

The day began with seperate coverage of both bride and groom’s preparations in Addlestone and Walton on Thames, and then moved to their wedding ceremony at Holy Family Church.

After a traditional throw of confetti it was time for the newly weds to get in their vintage wedding car and head to the reception at the wonderful Northcote House in Sunningdale Park.

Northcote House was built in 1931 and is a Georgian Style manor house which is now grade II listed. I particular liked it’s internal balcony and staircase. After documenting the drinks receptions we went by golf buggy, which was fun, to some of Hollie and Chris’s recommended spots and took some signature couple shots for them.

After the wedding breakfast, cake cutting and speeches, a live band played long into the night for a wedding that will live long in the memory too.

By David Green

If you are going to have a wedding at a stately home in Hertfordshire you would be hard pressed to find a better all round and picturesque venue than Fanhams Hall near Ware. This is the place that Jess and Theo fell in love with, and it’s one of our favourites outside of London.

We have photographed there many times and our portfolio from this lovely wedding venue is one of the reasons we are often booked to capture a couple’s big day. There is something about our personal experience with the place that gets our creative juices flowing and we are always delighted to return. The air is fresher than central London too!

Fanhams Hall is grade two listed eighteenth century manor house that was further extended in 1901. We particularly like the tasteful mix of old and new, and of course the fantastic and extensive gardens.

Jess chose to get ready at Fanhams on the morning of the big day with the help of her bridesmaids, flower girls and mum. Theo arrived a little later with his family and groomsmen. Naturally we were there and everywhere to get all the details and magic moments as they happened.

The wedding ceremony was in the impressive Long Room which among other things, because of its length, gives a dramatic entrance to any bride and her bridal party. It’s long enough to really savour that classic moment, and it’s good for making the groom wait a little longer before he sees his wife to be!

Afterwards we had a great confetti throw outside on the lawn and then straight into the drinks reception for all the guests. A little time after that David took the bride and groom away for a while to get some couple shots, before some family and group shots with a difference. Nothing stiff and over formal here!

A typically fabulous wedding breakfast and speeches took place in the famous Jacobean Great Hall. After some memorable speeches, particularly the best men, it was time for cake cutting and dancing the night away.

Another brilliant day as Fanhams Hall wedding photographers.

By David Green

A couple of our many other Fnhams Hall wedding days previously on the blog here:

Another fabulous Fanhams Hall wedding day in sunny Hertfordshire

Fanhams Hall Wedding Photographer

It’s always great to return to Claridges as wedding photographers in the heart of London’s Mayfair. It’s probably the most famous and iconic hotel in that area, and always a real pleasure to work in. What was also a pleasure was to find that the lovely couple Xanthe and Steve lived just two streets away, so that made it pretty easy to meet up and discuss a plan for the day!

This particular wedding I did on my own (David) as the entire wedding party was a very intimate seven people, which I personally really enjoyed. It meant I got a real sense of what the people involved were about, and I believe it subtlety helped me photograph them even more sympathetically.

St Olave’s is a very special church with a rich history so I was excited to shoot there. I’ve photographed a great many central London and home counties churches but not this one. This was Samuel Pepys local and most favourite church, in fact he and his wife are buried there. The building as it stands today dates from around 1450, and managed to survive even the Great Fire of London. Xanthe and Steve’s service was conducted downstairs in the intimate crypt . The vicar told us that this was the original medieval street level, which is way below what we walk across today. With incense burning and one of St Olave’s best choir members singing unaccompanied, it was truly memorable.

Afterwards a few bottles of champers were cracked open and we took twenty minutes with the couple to shoot some shots around the surrounding streets. After that it was time to head to Claridges for the reception of afternoon tea, impeccable served by their staff of course! The couple were pleased to be sitting near Whoopi Goldberg because as anyone who is familiar with Claridges will know it is very popular with celebrities and of course those that can afford it!

I had a further ten minutes to discreetly get some shots in the hotel, before waving goodbye to the wedding party and heading off into the sunset.

By David Green.