A bride and groom walk up a farm track after their wedding and ceremony in Bromyard, Herefordshire.
Justine and Stephen, or 'Jus and Steve' to their friends, got married at St Peters church in Bromyard, and decided to break from the mould and host their wedding reception in a marquee on a family farm.
The family farm actually turned out to be a perfect location for the wedding reception, it was in the middle of no where and was perfectly quiet, providing the most tranquil location for a reception it was possible to imagine.
However, it wasn't quite as perfect during our final pre-wedding consultation however! As you may have read in my FAQ, I always insist on a site-visit to a venue or location I've not worked at before. Owing to the couple being so busy, our final meeting took place only a week before the wedding (I usually aim for a month before the big day.) I located the farm and followed the mile long farm track to the farmhouse. The drive was beautiful, with lush Herefordshire countryside on both sides and a cracking view over the hills too. It was absolutely tipping it down with rain however, and the wind was blowing. When I was stood there with Justine and Steve, huddled under a combine to attempt to stay dry, it was hard to image how the field I was looking at might provide a good location for a wedding reception. Later in the week the persistent rain stopped, and the temperatures climbed once again. The wedding day itself was perfect, and the field on the farm had been totally transformed into an amazing wedding reception, with a large marquee and personalised wedding decorations everywhere. What makes it even more special, is the bride and groom, and their family made the vast majority of these decorations themselves.
When it came to finding some locations on the wedding day for some photos, it didn't prove to troublesome at all - a short walk in any direction made for the perfect backdrop. The photo above shows what I consider to be my signature pose, great for showing off the wedding dress, groom's suit, wedding rings and bouquet, all at the same time.
It was however that long drive that I had first travelled down in the pouring rain that made for a lasting impression. Rain began to threaten and storm clouds started rolling in, which made for a dramatic addition to the photo, especially in black and white. We got back to the wedding reception in good time though, and the torrential rain didn't start again until just before the first dance. Lucky, we had done everything that we needed to outdoors and the guests were free to enjoy themselves inside for the remainder of the evening. I'm told the party went on long into the night! That's one of the best things though about a DIY wedding reception, especially one that's in the middle of no where - you can have all the fun, make all the mess and be as noisy as you'd like and there's no one anywhere near that's going to complain!
Location: Bromyard, Herefordshire.
Keywords: Photographer-directed image (128).