Wedding Photography at Castle Combe Manor House, The Cotswolds

The Manor House Hotel, Castle Combe, The Cotswolds is one of my favourite wedding venues in Wiltshire. The grounds and house are simply stunning and offer some wonderful locations for photography.

Elizabeth and Paul had exclusive use of the Manor House for their wedding, with the ceremony itself taking place in the village church – St Andrews.

After initially meeting Elizabeth in the summer of 2012 I took the short drive to meet them both at their home in Wokingham to discuss initial requirements and to look through some  of my sample albums. It wasn’t long before they knew what they wanted, and after discussing a few points they booked me for thier special day.

In April, on one of their vists to the Manor House I met with them for lunch at one of the pubs in Castle Combe village to go through the day in more detail. We took a walk around the grounds to discuss where they would like photos, and to check out the many spots around the grounds. Elizabeth and Paul both had some specific ideas of what they were looking for and it put them at ease to go through it with me before the day.

Very soon, the day arrived and with 7 bridesmaids getting ready with Elizabeth at Castle Combe – it was very cool and calm when I started photographing the bridal preparations. Paul was also getting ready in one of the coach houses, so it was easy to switch between them capturing moments of them all getting ready. With everyone ready and Elizabeth looking stunning we were ready to go.

The weather was typically English. When I arrived it was blue sky – not a cloud in the sky, by 11:00 it looked like rain was coming. Fortunately, it held off and everyone was able to enjoy the day outisde. A few formal group shots were taken outside the church, with a few more in the grounds of the Manor House. When having a church wedding and a separate wedding reception I do aim to get photos in both locations to record all that happened during the day.

With everyone mingling and enjoying the grounds, we headed up into the gardens to get some shots of the bridal party – bridesmainds, ushers, best man, bride and bridegroom. Again, these don’t take too long and are so much fun to do. A group of friends together always makes for great photos.

Finishing off with some beautiful shots of Elizabeth and Paul together, and it was time for more mingling. The resident Toast Master assisted in arranging the groups and all went smoothly.

The speeches were hilarious, with Elzabeth breaking tradition and saying a few words to her new husband. His upcoming birthday was the topic, and a gift of a weekend in New York with his new wife.

After the wedding breakfast, the rain had finally decided to put in an apperance and we were confined to the drawing rooms and lounges of the Manor House. However, it was only a short shower and the guests were soon back outsite playing on the croquet lawn.

With the arrival of some additional evening guests, it was time for Elizabeth to change into her evening dress. Paul was un-aware of this so was stood with his back to the guests as Elizabeth made her entrance onto the dance floor. My night finished with some wonderful photos of people on the dance floor truly enjoying themselves.