COLCHESTER WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

If you’ve ever been to Wakes Colne, you may have seen or passed through the famous chapel viaduct. It’s a popular place to visit and actually a stone’s throw from todays wedding. Many people associate wedding photography in Colchester with the popular wedding venues – Houchins or Crabbs Barn, but Natasha & Simon had chosen to renew their wedding vowels in the church (quite literally at the bottom of their property). The remainder of their big day was to be spent at the family home.

I arrived 3 hours before the ceremony to a hive of activity as you can imagine. The ladies were having their hair done and enjoying a glass or two of bubbly to settle the nerves. The flower girls were running around excitedly and you could just tell that everyone had been waiting for this day for some time.

Quite often I’ll start by capturing the wedding dress, shoes and any other sentimental items before photographing the mood of the morning. Natasha had a gorgeous wedding dress and offered the perfect location to hang it in all its glory – the master bedroom. She had a marble fireplace at the end of the bed that gave me the perfect location to capture her beautiful Louboutin shoes. I popped in and out of the action as the morning progressed so I didn’t overshoot. The guys wanted a few shots just outside the property on a country lane before the ceremony so I kept things simple and captured some relaxed portraits and got them to walk and share some jokes to finish the mini session.

The whole morning went well and on time. No rushing & no mistakes. Weddings in Colchester have never run so well and I was really enjoying this intimate and very personal celebration the couple had put together. I had just enough time to photograph Natasha in her wedding dress before we all headed over to the church to begin the ceremony.

ALL SAINTS CHURCH, WAKES COLNE, COLCHESTER

No wedding car needed as the church was 100ft from the couple’s home. It was just as well really because rain was in the air and threatened all day. The Colchester wedding venue was packed with all the guests waiting in anticipation of the bride. I had minutes to get to the altar before Natasha came down the aisle with her dad. It was a lovely ceremony and impeccably watched by all attended. The icing on the cake was their Children doing the speeches. Here’s my wedding photography for their chosen Colchester church:

There was no photography requested directly outside the Church after the ceremony so we made a dash across the road and up towards the marquee that was erected in Natasha & Simons garden. The rain was in the air so I had to capture the marquee details with some of the guests standing under the shelter and dotted around the tables. It didn’t last long though and the guests ventured out onto the lawn and enjoyed drinks, canapés & an excellent magician.

The couple were super laid back and didn’t really ask for too much in terms of photography, but one thing they did want was a full group shot high up. We used one of the bedrooms in their house for the vantage point and then I saw this as the perfect opportunity to whisk the couple away for some intimate moments of just the two of them while the guests headed back up the well-kept garden.

I had clocked the stunning Koi pond at the back of the house for a starting point to the couple shots. We then used the concrete stairs leading up to their newly renovated patio, and finally inside the property for some classic couples portraits. I made sure I didn’t over shoot these couple shots. I could tell they only wanted a few photographs together so they could get back to entertaining their guests. They were really good together for the time I had with them so I was pleased with what we captured.

Once the three course meals had finished, we all headed down to the pool bar where they had a cocktail specialist lined up to wow the crowds and enjoy drinks into the evening. The speeches, live music and cutting the cake all took place in this stunning setting as the warm orange sun disappeared over the trees in the distance. You may have noticed the cute blow up swans in the pool. These became the centre of attention when the alcohol kicked in. A few guests chanced their arm and jumped on top of the swans to amuse onlookers.

There was only one more traditional part left to carry out at this Colchester wedding, and that was the first dance. The marquee had a small dance floor where a live band greeted us and provided the entertainment. The kids joined the couple on the dance floor before the night went into full party mode.

So there you have it, my wedding photography in Colchester had come to an end. This plush Wakes Colne wedding did not disappoint. Lovely people and a lovely setting made this a memorable celebration that I was honoured to be part of in 2021.

I’m Chris Woodman, a Colchester wedding photographer of 8 years. If you’re considering hiring a wedding photographer and would like to meet or ask me anything regarding your big day, you can catch me on 07746134504 or email at chris@chriswoodmanphotography.co.uk – I’d love to hear from you.

If you’ve enjoyed this blog and wanted to see more, please take a look at my website and let me know what you think. I have reviews, full day weddings, films and more in my humble corner of the Internet.

Just before you go, check out this blog for more examples of how having your wedding day at home can be a real success!

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this blog. See you on the next one!

Take care

~ Chris