Childerley Hall Wedding // Nancy and Ollie

“The photos are absolutely wonderful. Exactly what we were looking for. So many lovely ones of us and our families, and you caught some real corkers of our friends. There are so many little gems within them which have had both of us grinning from ear to ear.” – Ollie and Nancy

Childerley Hall weddings are always a bit special. Childerley is an historic venue near Dry Drayton just outside Cambridge but in the middle of lovely countryside down the longest and smallest road you can imagine. The main house is a red brick Elizabethan building where Charles I was once held under house arrest and it is surrounded by a well known and beautiful garden created by it’s owner.  In the grounds there’s also a Victorian long barn which really is the longest and biggest barn you have ever seen, as well as an Elizabethan chapel in the grounds, beautiful lake, amazing terraced gardens, orchards, a swimming pool, swans etc etc etc etc! Basically it’s an amazing venue and full of photographic potential at every turn.

My day began with photographing Nancy getting ready in the disused chapel before heading off to the barn to photograph the ceremony. The barn really does have the wierdest lighting and is completely rustic – I love the exposed timbers and sense of craftsmanship in old buildings like this and Childerley’s barn is one of the best in this respect – it has a lovely sense of welcoming rustic warmth to it. One of my favourite shots is the one above from the back of the barn where you see the congregation’s heads and the light seeping through the barn walls with Ollie and Nancy illuminated at the front.

One of the highlights of the day for me was seeing literally hundreds of photographs of Ollie and Nancy displayed in the barn – all the pictures were simply strung up 6×4 prints and gave a fantastic sense of the couples individual and joint history. Its’ great to see two lives develop in pictures and then how they gradually come together and intermingle. For me that’s the real power of photography in it’s ability to tell stories, evoke memories and to become part of the fabric of a family.

After the drinks reception in the gardens we headed back into the other end of the barn for the wedding breakfast followed by what else but a Cadillac! A few of my favourite images from the day are below.

If you are planning a wedding at Childerley then get in touch – I would love to hear from you!