It’s fair to say I have photographed a few weddings… But what I will remember about Jo and Steve’s wedding is the Floral Excellence at Hengrave Hall.
Hengrave Hall one of the best venues in the UK
Jo and Steve were aiming for the best and they certainly have impeccable taste. They selected Hengrave Hall in Bury St Edmunds. This is one of, if not the most sought-after wedding venues in the UK as we currently stand. If you take a look at the images then you can see why. Built during the Tudor period, Hengrave Hall screams English country weddings like no other venue.
Hengrave Hall boasts a stunning backdrop for wedding photography
I’ve shot here a few times, owing something of a debt to the landscape and house itself as I won my first SWPP award with coverage that I captured here. Jo and Steve benefitted from having the church service on the grounds of the house itself, as the church is situated a stone’s throw away from the mansion. Everything is self-contained but you don’t want for anything in terms of backdrops and the beautiful architecture that surrounds you.
It’s all about the Oak Tree!
A gargantuan oak tree dominates the grounds – it literally looks like Winterfell in the summer for all you Game of Thrones types (we have a nickname for GoT at Edge Towers but I can’t print it here). Needless to say, it is dramatic inclusion that serves us well when capturing coverage. I must also say that the driveway to Hengrave is monumental in scale and is quite possibly the longest I have ever been up. To say it is an expedition in its own right is an understatement, though it certainly increases the level of expectation as you drive up it and the venue comes into view. Quite stunning.
Captured by Video
We were very humbled to be working with Phil Smith Visuals once again. Jo and Steve have great taste with their venue selection and comparable taste when it comes to using the best videographers. Phil has this innate ability just to merge into the wedding party – he’s like an HD camera-wielding ninja. I can’t recommend him enough.
September weddings at Hengrave Hall
As we were shooting in late September Mother Nature blessed us with the kind of light that just requires you to work with it as a photographer. Temperatures were in the warm but not uncomfortable range and the wedding party, numbering around 100 guests, relaxed into the plush environs to watch Jo and Steve celebrate their union. This was the epitome of a wedding that ran like clockwork and ticked all the boxes.
When it comes to photography, it’s all about the LIGHT
Some of the images we captured that day illustrate some of the considerations to make when booking your venue. From a professional photography point of view, it’s key that there is lots of light ( the more natural the light the better as artificial lighting can be quite harsh). You’ll see from the images how natural light can add so much to an image if you get it at the right angle. It’s nice when couples can see the value in your logic – I tentatively asked Jo and Steve to pop out during dinner to catch a few sunset shots. The results were well worth the small detour from dinner. You’ll often find that wedding photographers make little requests like this at seemingly inopportune moments – go with it. When you get results like these that you can look back on, it’s a no-brainer.
Let’s not forget the floral Excellence…
Jo and Steve benefitted from being good friends with the florists who worked on this wedding. They created the best floral excellence that I have ever seen at Hengrave Hall… I have never seen a venue quite honestly flooded with so many flowers. They really set off the ambiance and were the icing on the proverbial cake.
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