We went for a lovely drive to Dorset for wedding photography at Chaffeymoor Grange
It was lovely to be invited by Katie & Mat to photograph their wonderful wedding in North Dorset at the AMAZING Chaffeymoor Grange. I have never come across a venue quite like it! Chaffeymoor Grange basically hire out the grounds and the building to the couple, for the whole weekend, for them to do with as they please. All the guests have a accommodation too, so it becomes a lovely family gathering for the weekend. I thought this was a fantastic way to bring people together to create the possibility for something really special.
Wedding photography at Chaffeymoor Grange was a delight. With such a stunning building, with lovely big windows, oak panelling etc and a beautifully managed garden, I couldn’t go wrong. I would jump at the chance to visit Dorset again!
Your Love Story
1) Please tell me how you first met?
We bumped into each other in October 2010 in a pub we both went to in Birmingham called the Lord Clifden. I vaguely recognised him from years before as we both lived in the same area and drank in a pub called the Malt Shovel. I made the first move and went up to him and said, questioningly, “Malt Shovel?” His response was “No, my name’s Mat” (he thought it was hilarious). That evening was a little blurry so arranged to meet up the following evening and then celebrated Mat’s 40th birthday the week after. The rest is history.
2) When was it you knew they were the one?
We both have a very similar sense of humour and shared interests so got on straight away, however Mat was going through a tough time personally so it wasn’t always easy to begin with. However we had our first holiday together in August 2011 after I’d been travelling for a couple of months and we both really enjoyed each others company whilst dangling our feet in the pool drinking vodka and orange!
3) Could you give us the story of the proposal?
We moved into our first house together in October 2014 and so we always kind of knew marriage would be the next step. Mat proposed on Christmas morning that year however it was a huge surprise to me. 8am and we’d popped the champagne….and we were hosting Christmas lunch for 9 people! We kept it secret from them all until we eventually sat down and Mat raised a toast and announced the news to everyone. Tears all round the Christmas table.
4) If you don’t mind sharing, can you tell me something quirky, funny or silly about your partner?
This requires some extra thinking! We’ll come back to you!
5) What is your perfect day together?
The sun would definitely be shining and we would be pottering in the garden, followed by a BBQ with friends and family (and the football on the background!)
6) Apart from the obvious, what are you most looking forward to on your wedding day?
Seeing everyone together in one place over the course of the 3 days and watching them enjoying it as much as we will
7) What was it that inspired you to go for the theme or the decor you chose for your wedding?
We didn’t want a particular colour scheme or anything formal, wanted everyone to feel as comfortable as possible and to really let their hair down. Hence why we chose trestle tables and sharing platters for the sit down meal and tried DIY for most of everything (such as the cake, flowers, hair and make-up)
8) Please tell me one thing you wish you had known at the beginning of your wedding planning process, that you could pass on to future bride’s reading this blog?
Always allow extra in the budget as you will invariably spend more than anticipated, plus get friends and family involved as much as possible to help out.
9) When searching, what were you were looking for in a wedding venue?
I went to a friend’s wedding a couple of years ago in a rented private house off the east coast of Scotland – it was perfect and the couple and wedding guests were really relaxed having full reign of the house for the weekend. We decided to do the same and found Chaffeymoor Grange after an extensive internet search. We hired the house for 3 nights and invited everyone for the same period so we could extend our ‘wedding weekend’ for as long as possible, one day just isn’t enough! Lindsay and Rik who own Chaffeymoor Grange have been so helpful so far with organising the finer details on site and the location, on the border with Dorset, Wiltshire and Somerset is just stunning.
10) Could you tell me the process you went through when you were looking for a wedding photographer?
We wanted reportage wedding photography, with very few ‘staged’ photos that would take up time. My sister got married in Cyprus 6 years ago and Duncan was working out there at the time and did an amazing job at their wedding, so when we stumbled across the website in the UK we knew straight away that we would like him to photograph our wedding.
Enjoy the wedding trailer for Katie & Mat’s beautiful wedding, courtesy of my beautiful wife, at Polka Dot Productions.
Vendor List
Photography | Duncan Cox Photography
Ceremony Location | Chaffeymoor Grange
Reception Location | Chaffeymoor Grange
Video | Polkadot Productions
Florist | DIY-ourselves!
Wedding Planner | DIY – ourselves!
Wedding DJ | Friend and wedding guest, Greg is playing an acoustic set and then it’s over to our Spotify playlist
Dress Designer | Essence of Australia
Wedding Dress Retailer | Singular Sensations, Sutton Coldfield
Other Details/Vendors | Mat’s suit – Clements & Church, Birmingham. Caterers – Amadeus Food. Bridesmaid dresses – Coast. Marquee and furniture provider – Taddlefarm Tents
