While it is great to have variety as a wedding photographer in terms of venues and types of ceremony, it sometimes means that familiar venues are overlooked when it comes to writing blog posts. As a frequent Sopwell House wedding photographer this treasure of St Albans is exactly one of those places in question. From Jewish Sopwell House weddings to Hindu and civil celebrations we have photographed them all.
I’ve put some of our favourites in here, and also not the typical Sopwell House wedding photos that photographers usually showcase such as the couple on the red bridge or with a wedding car in front of the house itself. Yes we do those too and nothing wrong with them, but the internet is already full of them! Ok well just one, Sara the bride just before her ceremony and the first spots of rain from an impending massive cloud burst. Another Sarah this time with an “h” and another Sopwell House Jewish wedding as she looks out of the bridal suite window at the guests arriving.
A bit of fun in the shot above as the bridesmaids have an impromptu pillow fight, which helps to get rid of a bit of pre wedding nervous energy!
We like this little corner of Sopwell for wedding shots because it doesn’t get used very often. It is always our approach to consider all parts of a venue not just the obvious and most convenient. We also look at how and where natural light and shade falls on the day of wedding, which may be quite different from a location scout from another day, especially if it was overcast.
Sopwell House itself has had a great residence on the site near St Albans since at least 1603. Master mason Edward Strong who worked on St Pauls Cathedral developed the estate in the eighteenth century, and then it became a country residence for various members of the Royal Family. In 1986 the Georgian splendour of Sopwell was further enhanced to be the wedding venue and hotel that we see today. Here’s a link to their official website: Sopwell House Website
Find out a little bit more about David and Joanna here: David and Joanna
By David Green
