Warwickshire Wedding Photography at the Stunning Stonleigh Abbey
[singlepic id=1592 w=320 h=240 float=left]Warwick Wedding
Christina & Owen, 21st April 2012
I started my day in the wonderful historic Warwick with the threat of rain looming the sun struggled but hung in there as Christina prepared to become Owen’s better half. The Lazy Cow in Warwick was a cracking little place to get ready. It is a modern, very stylish and not to mention chic pub/restaurant/hotel, within a short walking distance from St Mary’s Church. Everyone was in high spirits and overall, very comfortable with me being there taking photographs. Christina’s Mother was a keen photographer and so she instinctively knew how to behave in front of the camera and I can only guess that Christina was more than used to been photographed as a consequence as she felt right at home with the camera pointing at her all day. When came to the time to leave the Lazy Cow, I followed along as we strolled through the weekend market on our way to the church. There were some great expressions surprise and wonderment from the shoppers as Christina passed.
At St Mary’s Church in Warwick, unfortunately and slightly annoyingly, I was not allowed to photograph at all. The priest’s rules were I was allowed to shoot the bridal party entrance, the signing of the register and the leaving of the church. Feeling like a naughty schoolboy, I had my very silent Fuji X100 at the ready and continued to shoot from the back of the church away from the view of the priest. I, as always, remained respectful of the ceremony and captured as much as I could so they could remember their wedding more thoroughly. How can you get married in a church as grand as this and not have photographs?!
Stoneleigh Abbey Wedding Reception
From Warwick we travelled to the nearby Stoneleigh Abbey near to Kenilworth. This is the ideal backdrop for the quintessential English country wedding. I love the heritage, the stunning detail, the gorgeous views. Stoneleigh Abbey is just beautiful! I could not help be inspired by a venue such as this and I probably acted like a kid in a candy store with an eye to gaining a stunning collection of photos for the bride & groom. They started in the Orangery, which is a lovely glass building which I suppose is a 300 year old, but much more grand version of a conservatory. Even though the clouds where thickening at this point, the light was amazing and suited my reportage style very nicely indeed. From here they moved to the main dining room, which certainly created an atmosphere with an air of splendour. The “Saloon” has two marvellous fireplaces at either end of the room, with walls and ceiling adorned with stunning plasterwork. Stoneleigh Abbey made my life very easy, as all backgrounds were stunning and I could just concentrate on the subject without the worry of what is behind. If you are thinking of booking Stoneleigh Abbey, I would say do not think about it, just book it! …and then book me, as I would LOVE to go back there.
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