Alastair and Rachel got married at the beautiful St Cross Church in Winchester, and it rained oh it rained, but I would love you to have a look through this wonderful wedding so see that a bit of rain really can make no difference to the wonder, joy and fun of a wedding. A spot rain did not worry Rachel and Alastair one little bit, and they never stopped smiling the whole way through. A bit of rain always makes for more creative and fun photos and the day can always produces surprises.
Nestling in the water meadows alongside the River Itchen and in the shadow of St Catherine’s Hill lies the ancient Hospital of St Cross. Renowned for the tranquility of its setting and the beauty of its architecture, the Hospital is one of England’s oldest continuing almshouses, and is said to have been founded in 1132 by the first Bishop of Winchester. So we really were walking on History!! They had their ceremony in the beautiful historic church and the marquee was in the grounds of the ancient hospital in the most tranquil setting.
Rachel wore what I think is the most perfect dress by Catherine Dean, and looked stunning on her. Even the material it was made from matched Rachel’s relaxed and gentle manner. There was a flurry of excitement as the little bridesmaids arrived and had their head garlands arranged on their heads and their photos taken with Rachel in front of the house.
I left Rachel and her friends sipping champagne as i headed to the Church where i was greeted by an army of ushers ladened with white umbrellas ready for action. Not thinking that they would be up for a group photo in the rain – i tentatively suggested a fun shot with umbrellas outside or a dry shot in the church. The Groom, Alastair immediately loved the idea, so we headed out armed in umbrellas for a wonderful impromptu ushers photo. The guests arrived through an aisle of umbrellas escorted by ushers and headed straight into the warmth of the church.
The reception kicked off with a bang! Un phased by the rain Rachel and Alastair exited the Church through a walkway of umbrellas while buckets of confetti were thrown and guests cheered. Old friends were reunited and family acquaintances re established while the champagne and canapés flowed. Guests were kept warm and dry under the archways of the old hospital while Rachel, Alastair and I took a few minutes way from the hustle and bustle of the reception for some couple shots in a few secluded and quiet corners of the the Church and Hospital. We found beautiful old archways, walkways and cloisters to keep us dry, but still use the natural light from the day. The result were stunning deep and moody images that had a beautiful soft light.
Rachel and Alastair had chosen an elegant and classic theme for the marquee. Each name place was written in gold on a hexagon of marble – such a lovely keep sake for each guest, and then placed on a navy napkin tied with velvet ribbon – seriously lovely. The guest were warm, and well fuelled with champagne, and they enjoyed a delicious meal cooked and served buy the amazing Little Kitchen Company. Food was drunk, many glasses of wine were drunk, speeches were laughed at (some of the ushers at weddings blow my mind with how funny they are about their grooms) and Alastair’s best men were no exception. They had the guests in fits of laughter and I think we all learnt about a new side of Alastair!
DJ Guy Stevens kicked off the dancing and the guests danced and danced into the wee hours. Alastair and Rachel were a picture of happiness and delight, so at ease with each other and clearly very very happy. It just goes to show that a spot of rain on a truly happy day makes no difference to the joy and happiness of a wedding day. Some would say it is even Good Luck!
ARE YOU GETTING MARRIED IN 2019/20 AND WOULD LIKE TO TALK TO ME ABOUT YOUR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY?
Just click on the button to find out more