It was an absolute pleasure to photograph the wonderful wedding of Charles Lucas and Heather Wong on the 23rd of July 2016 held in the heart of Warnham, West Sussex.
Heather's bride preparation began at Brookhill House in Cowfold, a grade 2 listed family run bed and breakfast set amongst rolling fields. Bride preparation is actually one of my favourite parts of the day to photograph as the chaos of hair, makeup and champagne are always a recipe for some great photographs. Having been a wedding photographer in West Sussex for many years now, I have documented a variety of brides enjoying the rituals of pre wedding pampering!
After the finishing touches were completed to hair and makeup, the bridal party made their way to the wedding ceremony held at St Margaret's Church Warnham. The girls were a little late due to the platted hair taking longer than expected...although of course, everyone thought it was the photographer!! ;-)
After an emotional ceremony and the signing of the register, the congregation were treated to an opera piece courtesy of a friend of Charles and Heather. Amazing to witness and hear the rolling tones echoing around the stone walls of the church.
The wedding reception and breakfast were held at the family home in Warnham, West Sussex. The house has amazing backdrops of endless meadows, oaks and deer if you are lucky. The wedding breakfast was held in a large marquee with an open side to view the panoramic vista. Venison was served along with salads and mini picnic baskets containing bread, sausage rolls and bread sticks. followed by an assortment of delicious deserts.
I was very lucky with the weather from a photographic point of view, although full sun can create some high contrast problems, it can also be a big advantage to work with it. I utilised this by shooting into the sun for the couple shots, creating a backlit scene through the grasses and trees whilst highlighting the veil and dress from the back.
The first dance was photographed in almost total darkness so I had to set up 3 remote flashes to capture the action whilst still retaining some of the ambience of the band's lighting rig.
Wishing you all the best for the future Mr and Mrs Lucas! x
