Alex & Paula’s May wedding at Cantley House
Aaaah Cantley House in May
I always enjoy a day with the team at Cantley House. This lovely hotel has such a friendly feel to it. Alex & Paula’s May wedding at Cantley House turned out to be a scorcher !
Paula & Alex live quite close to this gorgeous venue & a combination of it being local, featuring impressive Victorian brickwork & having gorgeous gardens made it their first choice for their May wedding. Why do I mention the brickwork ? Well as stunning as it is, Alex is a bricklayer by trade so has an eye for these types of architectural details !
After finding me on Bridebook we arranged a zoom call & during the call we discovered a mutual love for the Gower peninsula near Swansea in Wales. After a lovely chat about Wales, the Gower & Alex & Paula’s plans that was it, we were booked !
We got together at Dinton Pastures for their pre wedding photoshoot a few months later & we laughed alot ! In between the giggling we took some photographs & Alex & Paula told me how they’d been together in their teenage years before breaking up & going their separate ways until fate brought them back together.
Alex is welsh & loved that his family could also stay at Cantley. Daffodils & the sea were their inspiration for their wedding day colours.
Family was so important.
Alex’s mum Shelby, a hairdresser styled the brial party’s hair, even Paula’s ! I was amazed at how calm & organised she was, until the moment came to attach Paula’s veil 😉
Alex chose the lining of his suit as it featured Daffodils, not just because of the flowers link to Wales but also because it was his grandmother’s favourite flower. Paula had a hidden pocket in her wedding dress where she wore her grandmother’s rings (Attached securely with a ribbon tie).
Paula got ready in one of the gorgeous stable rooms at Cantley House while Alex got ready at their home in Wokingham.
My 2nd photographer Emma started her day with Alex while I began coverage of their wedding day with Paula. Emma has worked with me for nearly 3 years & Alex & Paula opted to book us both to extend their coverage to include groom prep, additional angles of their ceremony etc. Em & I both have prior experience of Cantley House weddings which really does make a difference I think, to how the day runs from a photography point of view.
After a nervous wait for Alex, his daughter Betsy appeared & lead the bridal party up the aisle in the oak panelled ceremony room.
The daffodil yellow taffeta skirts of the bridesmaid dresses & the royal blue of the gromsmens suits synced beautifully. As soon as Alex saw Betsy I think it’s fair to say he melted ! Not just because of the bright sunshine streaming through the ceremony room windows either !
After all 8 of the bridemsaids & flower girls had made their way up the aisle, Paula entered with her dad. Emma was able to get ‘that’ shot, from behind Paula, the one where Alex saw her in her wedding dress for the first time. Paula’s dress came from local Wokingham boutique Debbie Rees Bridal
Out into the dazzling sunshine…..
Confetti, Congratulations, hugs & kisses & lots of canapes later we organised eveyone for the group photos also on the lawns.Mr & Mrs Stewart & I took the opportunity to take a few couples portraits before Alex & Paula were announced into the barn.
Alex’s speech was emotional as he mentioned his relatives that were no longer with them & also presented Paula with a surprise gift.
After speeches, the guests moved back to the drawing room of the main house for coffee & cupcakes while the barn was expertly transformed into the evening set up by the Cantley House events team.
Alex & Paula’s May wedding day was spectacularly sunny so the evening light gave us some great opportunities for photographs amongst the buttercups, a bit more yellow for their album !
My Cantley House wedding day photography tip ?
Make time for an evening portrait session & head to the gates near The Stables for some special light, before a walk up the drive to the oak trees in the field where the buttercups are.
If you’d like to talk to me more about natural & fun wedding photography please do get in touch
