Michael & Laura's Wedding

Great Fosters Hotel & Restaurant

www.greatfosters.co.uk

Stroude Road
Egham TW20 9UR
01784 433 822

After a pre-wedding consultation two visits to Great Fosters hotel and a pre-wedding portrait the big day had finally come.

The whole wedding was to take place at Great Fosters Hotel a Jacobean Mansion that has kept its character and charm.

I arrived approximately an hour earlier to the hotel to capture the details including the dining area and the place where the ceremony was taking place. This also gave me the opportunity to get a nice shot of the gardens without people walking into my shots.

I let Laura know that I arrived and asked if it was possible to come and get some getting ready shots. The couple's room was fantastic for photography with an antique four poster bed and dressing table. I like to use available light and there was plenty to set the mood.

Michael arrived with his son and I managed to get a great shot of them in front of the hotel then back to capture some more images of Laura having her make up applied and getting ready to put on her dress.

The ceremony was held within Great Fosters. Providing I did not use flash I was allowed to photograph the ceremony which was great. I think if you are getting married it would be an idea to find out whether photography is allowed during the ceremony as I think they are important memories of the day.

After the signing of the register I was invited to photograph the bride & groom with the witnesses.

Once the ceremony was over I left the bride and groom to relax and be congratulated by the guests and I took a few informal pictures of this.

The ceremony was at 4pm so I had to think about getting everybody outside while the light was still good for photography. I usually start by photographing the main group of everybody so that people do not have to hang around and they can go to the bar etc.

Great Fosters Hotel has some of the most beautiful gardens so for the main group I photographed looking down from a window. This way I can get everyone in the shot. The smaller family groups where easily arranged in front of the hotel. Romantic shots where taken at different locations within the gardens and on the bridge.

The main hall for the wedding breakfast was a great size and memorable for its old exposed timber. The table decorations and cake were carefully chosen and looked fantastic in the photos.

The seating arrangement gave me a good view of the top table so I was able to capture some great reportage shots of the speeches.

The couple had a live band who covered some great funky soul music and their lighting set up helped me to capture some intimate first dance shots without flash.

The couple where over the moon with the end result of the completed wedding album and DVD show. This is for me one of the best parts of the job.