Leanne and Tom really wanted an outside wedding. The weather had other ideas, and it had rained in the morning. It looked however like we'd have a dry spell for an hour, so the venue staff decided that we could have an outside ceremony after all. I even muttered the words 'I don't think it's going to rain' (which was as useful as going into A&E on a Friday night at 11pm and saying 'it's quiet in here' before a meteorite hits a nightclub.) As soon as the first bridesmaid took a step outside it started raining. It turned out to only be a light shower however, and the wedding went (I was about to say swimmingly, but that bit comes later) well.
After the ceremony I didn't waste any time in photographing some of the formal groups. As I thought it might rain during the drinks reception, I opted to do some of the bigger groups first - if I had to use inside space for the remainder of the photos, I'd be limited to how many people I could physically fit). What happened next was a level of rain that would have taken Noah by surprise. The heavens opened, the rain started and it didn't stop. When I thought the rain was the heaviest I had ever seen, it then got worse. Deer Park is on the top of a hill, so whilst I thought we'd be okay I was preparing to wave goodbye to the people in the villages below us.
With the guests who weren't building an ark taking shelter from the rain, my idea of finishing the group photos had vanished. Worse, is the forecast suggested that it would rain non-stop for the rest of the day and late into the night. At the back of the venue, to the side of the structure where couples get married, there's a bit of cover under some decking (that has the owner's hot tub on the top of it) but crucially, it's dry under there, even with the level of rain that we had. The trouble being, it's 60 metres from the closest door. 'Do you mind running outside, to this seemingly dark and creepy bit at the back of the garden, through torrential rain, whilst I try and shelter you with an umbrella that I got in a cocktail?' - Amazingly the bride said yes, so off we dashed. The light under there was lovely, and the photos are just what I was looking for. Tom, the groom, had been my work experience boy 15 years ago, so I just assume he still hadn't learned how to say 'no' to me.
Location: Deer Park Weddings.
Keywords: Pure documentary wedding photography (29).