The Pear Tree
Wedding Photographer.

The morning photographs are full of the small jobs that become part of a wedding day: helping with a cuff, fastening the last buttons of a dress and checking everything is in place. Around those moments, there was plenty of time for conversation. Hetty’s smile as she chatted with the people around her sets the tone beautifully.

I love the contrast between Jake’s portrait on the landing and the photographs of Hetty with her bridesmaids. One gives the story a quiet pause; the others remember the company, the laughter and everyone getting ready together.

Hetty and Jake married indoors, surrounded by their guests, with white drapery overhead and pink flowers in front of them. The warm stone and light through the windows made a lovely setting for the ceremony. My attention kept moving between the two of them and the faces watching from just a few feet away.

There is so much in that short stretch of a wedding day: the walk down the aisle, hands held through the vows, a ring slipping into place. Then Jake leaned Hetty back for a kiss, and the room broke into applause.

Outside, their guests lined the path for confetti. I love the energy in that photograph: hands reaching into the frame, petals in the air and the two of them walking straight towards the camera. It is followed by a different kind of closeness in the hugs and conversations afterwards.

These are the photographs that remember who was there and how happy they were to see you married. We also gathered Hetty and her bridesmaids beneath the garden pavilion, with their soft green dresses and flowers bringing the morning’s colours into the gardens.

The gardens are one of the pleasures of photographing a wedding at The Pear Tree. For Hetty and Jake’s portraits, the vineyard rows, tall grasses and paths edged with purple flowers gave us a wonderful variety. Some frames take in the setting; others come closer to the looks and smiles between them.

Walking together gives you something easy to do, and lets the photographs find their rhythm. There is room for a full-length portrait by the pavilion, a close embrace and those lovely moments when you simply look across at each other. I’ve given this part of their day plenty of space in the album below.

Pink and peach flowers ran through the reception details, from the tall arrangements above the tables to the decorations on the cake. The glass roof and windows gave the room an open, bright feel, with the gardens still part of the view. It was lovely to photograph it before everyone settled in, then return to the same room full of people.

The speeches brought wonderful reactions. Hetty laughing beside Jake as he read his notes is a favourite, along with the guests enjoying the stories around the tables. I keep watching after each speaker looks up: those little exchanges often say as much as the speech itself.

After cutting their flower-covered cake, Hetty and Jake took to the dance floor with their guests gathered around them. The deep blue walls give these photographs a different feel from the garden portraits, and their smiles bring the whole story back to the two of them.

As friends and family joined in, there were more hugs, singing and happy faces to catch. I like an album to finish with that sense of the celebration still going on: everyone together, enjoying the evening they had come to share.