When I photograph a wedding, beforehand I sit down and plan out the timings, to ensure I have enough time to document everything that I'm required to. That includes creating a timeslot to photograph the wedding decor, particularly just before the wedding breakfast in the banqueting room or marquee. I'm pretty adept at doing this, and assign about 10-15 minutes max to work the room and photograph al. the different details prior to the guests being seated.
But OH! - for this lovely wedding at Priston Mill, Bath - I entered the room and thought - oh my goodness, I wish I had double the time to photograph all the beautiful wedding details! For the bride and groom had not only decorated the room most wonderfully and with huge attention to detail, but every single table had a different theme and was utterly unique. And by this, I don't mean that they all had different names, or a different wedding favour on. Every single table had as much detail on it as I'd normally see in an entire wedding breakfast room! So yes, it was one huge WOW - and one wedding photographer having to work very fast indeed to photograph as much of the fabulous details as possible!
In a tradition which many people follow for their wedding day, the couple had decided to name tables after places which were important to them and their guests. So, for example there was a York table, a Somerset table (as, after all, that's where we were!), a London table, and so on. But oh my goodness, who else would have had the flair and sheer audacity to use a real ski boot as a table centrepiece for the Montorlin table? And to theme the York table with real accoutrements from the world-famous Yorkshire tea rooms 'Bettys', including Betty's napkins, 'Love is Brewing' books and a tower centrepiece made of teacups and a teapot? And not's let forget the Yorkie bars! For this was a wedding of many underlying themes, too - one being chocolate, which was literally everywhere (and even in personalised bars), and also Christmas, for the wedding was just before the festive holidays.
I kid you not when I tell you that this Priston Mill wedding was the most ambitious, most detailed and most perfectly executed example I've ever seen of a combination of wedding themes all pulled together to make one perfect day... and absolute kudos to The Little Wedding Helper who the bride and groom engaged to do the work on the day to get all their decor into place!
If you don't come away from looking at these images with at least one great idea for your own wedding, then I will absolutely eat my hat. This was an absolute triumph and a truly epic way to finish the wedding season for me... so please enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!
Priston Mill Wedding : Wedding Decor Inspiration
Click on any of the images below to open a lightbox , to quickly scroll through the photographs. Easy!