Oh this blog is just the precursor to a truly rip-roaring wedding day - and like many weddings, it started out tentatively, quietly, with nerves and excitement and a tiny bit of drama. This blog is showcasing some of the bridal prep images from a fabulous wedding day at Shillingstone House in Dorset - and yes, that's on my home turf, for I not only live in the same village, but Shillingstone House is where I've recently opened my portrait studio, too. So it was TRIPLY exciting for me to shoot this wedding - and I couldn't have found better clients than this particular pair to document my first Shillingstone House wedding day!
I've photographed many weddings, and the bridal prep part of the day is always different each time. Sometimes it's like landing in the middle of a party... and sometimes it's far more restrained and quiet. However, I'll have you know that this is no indicator on how exuberant the wedding itself will be, as although THIS particular bridal prep was almost a hushed affair, the celebrations afterwards were enormous! It's just a case of how different people prepare themselves for what is the biggest day of their lives. There is no right or wrong. There is just a couple who are trying to take in the enormity of the fact that they will shortly be married and bound to each other in love.
We'll get to the love that this bride and groom have for each other in a future blog post (but believe me, it's tremendous!) and just take a look at some of the bridal prep images from earlier in the day. The bridal prep was held at the rather splendid Oak Tree Farm in nearby Fiddleford, which is just a few minutes away from Shillingstone and which I can thoroughly recommend. We had quite a lot of anxious staring at the dark skies, for the forthcoming wedding ceremony was an outdoor one, and rain was forecast. (Spoiler alert: it did rain and quite spectacularly, although luckily not until the ceremony was done!). The emotional tension building up to the wedding was absolutely palpable. I feel emotional just reliving it right now, actually!
So let's get to the images. I sense that tension once more when I look at these photographs. I remember the feeling of guarded excitement. And I, too, just cant wait to get to that wonderful wedding ceremony to come and feel all that stress just fall away when I see the bride and groom look at each other and know that this is absolutely THEIR moment.
Wedding Day at Shillingstone House : Bridal Prep
Click on any of the images below to open a lightbox , to quickly scroll through the photographs. Easy!
