Documentary wedding photography is, as the name infers, about capturing moments as they happen without interference or any scene management. Every wedding is different; some are high impact, some are more low key, and the photography must reflect this in order to provide a true document of the day. Bridal preparation is a key part of this, and when it's an event such as this Bath marquee wedding where the bride got ready with her bridesmaids at her family home, things get even more 'real'. There's no hotel room to provide a scenic backdrop, no waiters to discreetly wander in and out to tidy up between shots. Bridal prep at home is all about preparing to marry your partner for life in familiar surroundings, where the love of your family is all around you - both in person and in the memories that the bricks and mortar hold for you. Getting ready for the wedding at the family home is often about bags everywhere, people inching past each other to get to the mirror, panics when you can't remember where you put things. Bridal preparation at home is often all about chaos and a house bursting at the seams. But nevertheless, it's happy, comforting chaos which provides that stability of a familiar surrounding before you set off on your life adventure.
This lovely wedding day in Bath was just such an event, and for me as photographer it's not about working the scene to create an unrealistic (but picture-pretty) version of what went on. It's about faces, laughter, moments, emotion, just like the rest of the wedding. I might not have much room to work in, and there might be shots which you could get in a big hotel suite which just aren't possible in a modern town house; but that's not the point. The point is that the bride is getting ready where she feels happiest, where she wants to start her wedding journey. Often people say to me, 'oh, I'm so sorry, it's all a bit of a mess here!', or 'shall I tidy up a bit?' I promise, if anything is detracting from the shot - such as a large carrier bag that's in the way - I'll unobtrusively move it aside. But I also promise, I'll let you know, so that when the moment comes to find your wedding jewellery, you don't spend a frantic half hour scouring the house looking for that bag you put JUST THERE 🙂
So, let's take a look at a few documentary images from this wonderful Bath marquee wedding, where the bride and groom went on to marry at church in front of a huge gathering of family and friends before celebrating at a marquee reception, complete with jazz band. Let's start at the start, and watch the girls for a moment. Enjoy.
Bath Marquee Wedding : Bridal Preparation at Home
Click on any of the images below to open a lightbox , to quickly scroll through the photographs. Easy!
