Hampton Court House Wedding Photographer

An Elegant Wedding Full of Life and Love at Hampton Court House

I’ve photographed elegant weddings before. You know, those classic, sumptuous occasions full of beauty and simple design. But this wedding, the wedding of Anna and Brad at Hampton Court House, really took things up a notch. Because it was uber elegant, beautiful and stylish and this bride had extremely sophisticated tastes. This wedding was a class act! There was so much life and love in that place, with this couple, and it was that feeling that I really wanted to convey in my photographs but also carry that feeling home with me at the end of what was an amazing, fun and romantic day.

Hampton Court House, built in the 1700s as a gift from the second Earl of Halifax to his mistress, is certainly a place of great beauty and grandeur. The opulent building, the exquisitely decorated rooms with their high ceilings and huge windows and set amongst 8 acres of stunning grounds is in good company, being located right opposite Hampton Court Palace.

A quintessential perfect English summer wedding

Anna and Brad got married on one of those quintessentially perfect English summer days in July. The sky was blue, and the occasional fluffy white cloud ensured it wouldn’t get too bright or too hot, like it had been earlier that same week. It was excellent wedding weather. My coverage started as usual, with bridal prep that morning. Anna and her girls got ready at the venue which allowed me to get lots of lovely detail shots whilst flitting in and to capture shots of Brad and their guests arriving too. I love capturing those all-important shots of make-up being applied and hair being teased into shape before dresses are put on and smoothed down. Anna got ready against the glorious backdrop of a wall of bookshelves, which appealed to my book lover’s soul. Sigh! And her beautiful dress was simple and stylish, with a pretty lace overlay. And so tiny!!

Anna’s flowers were supplied by the talented Steph from Fairy Nuff Flowers. Her gorgeous bouquet of peonies, sweet peas & roses smelt just as good as it looked.

When everyone was finally ready, I got into place at the top of the grand hall, capturing Brad’s face as Anna walked down the aisle with a proud Dad on her arm. The graceful tones of Pachelbel’s Canon, were played by the very talented Jonathan Majin, otherwise known as The Surrey Pianist. Brad looked as you might expect a groom to look when seeing his bride for the first time, full of love and pride. They had two readings, and there were some lines in Anna and Brad’s first reading that describe this couple so well…. “I choose you, knowing there are still trails we must travel, knowing there are mountains left to climb”, from the heart-warming poem ‘I Choose You’ by Tyler Kent White. It really spoke of their sense of adventure and love of life!

Drinks reception on the garden terrace

Following the ceremony, everyone was treated to some delicious canapés & fizz on the garden terrace, before we gathered family members together for the group shots. We photographed these in a few different locations around the venue, to make the most of the classic backgrounds and really show the building off – hard not to with a venue this stunning!

Anna was a woman who knew what she wanted (which I love!) and she had some strong ideas about how she wanted certain things to look, which definitely suited the distinct look of Hampton Court House perfectly. I worked especially hard to get plenty of couple shots of Anna & Brad throughout the day in a variety of locations, (they gave me a lot of time!) including some time later in the evening, once all the main formalities were all done.  So we got the chance to play around creatively, experimenting a bit to get some really striking images. I love all the beautiful spots at this venue like the Shell Grotto and the tropical garden with its palm trees and we made the most of them just as the light was taking on that early evening golden glow. My favourite time of day! As the line from the poem earlier described, Anna and Brad are an adventurous couple and were open to just playing a bit with some of my unfolding ideas for photos!

I can’t finish this post without talking about one other lovely element of this wedding, an element that’s always super important to me – the people!! People make a wedding and Anna and Brad’s family and friends, from all parts of the globe, really knew how to party!! There was a lot of love in the room, which I was able to capture especially during the speeches. It always makes my job a lot easier if people are engaged with what’s being said during the speeches – nothing beats being able to capture lots of amazing reactions and emotions to the sentiments being expressed.

Their first dance took place in the conservatory which is a stunning bright, white space and was perfectly timed to coincide with sunset, so the light was absolutely wonderful. As well as a DJ, there was a saxophone player who did a great job of getting everyone up on the dancefloor and I was able to get loads of great photographs of people partying into the night.

This really was such a fantastic wedding to capture, not only for the gorgeous couple, their stunning venue and all the pretty details, but for the amazing energy and vibe that filled the space while these two families were in it. It was my absolute pleasure to be there to capture the day for Mr & Mrs Voigt. Congratulations Anna and Brad! If you’re getting hitched at Hampton Court House drop me a line for more info on how I’d cover your wedding celebrations, and if you’d like to see more of my work, check out Livvy & Toby’s gorgeous Sussex wedding or Tracy & Joy’s wedding at the Gallivant. Enjoy!