This was my second wedding at Petham Church near Canterbury in Kent and once again the congregation filled the pews and everyone there was clearly happy to be so! Plenty of family and friends had made the journey to be a part of Olivia and Nicks wedding day, and they themselves had travelled from Dubai, where they now live, in order to get married in this pretty little church.
The groom and his groomsmen arrived looking extremely smart in their morning suits and proceeded to fix their button holes and undertake tasks such as handing out orders of service to arriving guests. On this occasion I started my coverage at the church rather than with Olivia getting ready and had plenty of opportunity to capture the guests arriving, some of whom I recognised and who recognised me from the previous wedding of Sarah & Tom.
Olivia arrived in a beautiful old Rolls Royce with her father and appeared very relaxed and enjoying the moment while her bridesmaids ensured her dress kept off the ground and clean on the walk up to the church. With a thumbs up from the vicar Olivia was ready to go and meet her groom!
Sometimes it can be a little difficult getting shots at a Church wedding and it’s very much dependant on the Vicar and what he/she allows, but here he was very accommodating. Even so, I make sure I’m as discreet as possible so the couple are in no way distracted and friends and family are focused on them and not me!
Invariably in this area of Kent I cover a good deal of church weddings which are followed by marquee receptions as the countryside provides the space and some beautiful scenery, this wedding was no exception and the marquee was situated in a field overlooking some stunning views, although it’s not a location that’s hired out in case you are wondering.
Back at the reception Olivia and Nick were able to catch up with friends and family and looked relaxed and happy which is exactly as it should be. This time allows me to photograph them and their guests in a very informal way capturing moments that they will look back on and hopefully remember what it was they were chatting and laughing about.
It’s important to get some beautiful couple portraits at some point in the day and an ideal opportunity is as the guests go in to sit down for the wedding breakfast. Due to living in Dubai where public displays of affection are prohibited, it was a little alien for Olivia and Nick to get close for photos but we had crossed this hurdle during the pre wedding shoot so they were more comfortable with it on the wedding day and looked great together.
The father of the bride delivered a particularly entertaining speech expressing a very dry sense of humour involving toad references that you needed to be there to appreciate. Once these were completed it was time for the party to commence and even though Nick hadn’t been looking forward to the first dance I think they both put in a very respectable performance, it was a good deal better than a simple foot shuffle!
As a Kent wedding photographer I have photographed many weddings in churches around the county, to see more please take a look at the Kent Church Weddings category on my blog page.
If you’d like to find out more information and check my availability for your wedding day just drop me an email via the Contact page as I’d love to hear from you.
