Bombay Sapphire Wedding Photographer

From the moment Hannah and Matthew got in touch, I somehow knew that this wedding was going to be a cracker, and I wasn’t disappointed! Theirs was to be one of the very first weddings to be held at the Bombay Sapphire Gin Distillery in Hampshire, and what’s more, their humanist ceremony was held out in the open air, in front of the quite breathtaking Mediterranean Glasshouse at the distillery, designed by the architect Thomas Heatherwick. As perhaps the first Bombay Sapphire wedding photographer to photograph a ceremony at the distillery, it was such a relief that the weather was on our side, and although a little windy, the ceremony performed by Lisa Lane was perfect.

Hannah and Matthew had hired me for my all day coverage, and along with my second photographer and friend Jacques from Real Simple Photography, we were able to cover so much of the day. My approach to wedding photography is about telling stories, and that means looking out for and capturing, those little incidental moments, as well as the more traditional shots that you’d expect to find in your wedding album. It’s these little in-between moments, like the one below of mum reading the daily paper on the morning of the wedding, that help to make the wedding day unique. Scroll through the photos below to see which photos I’ve picked out as my favourites, and why.

“Wow – we love them!! Thank you so so much”

Hannah + Matthew

One of the things I love about photographing the getting ready part of the day, either in the bride and grooms home, or in this case Hannah’s parent’s home, is being able to capture in the images a sense of the family history. In this case, Hannah’s sister reacts to seeing her in the dress, as a picture of the two of them hangs on the wall behind her. It’s also a great opportunity to listen in to conversations and find out which parts of the day people are looking forward to, and to help them feel comfortable in front of the camera.

The reason I like this photo so much is that there’s so much going on within the scene. It shows Hannah’s friends admiring the wedding ring, but it also shows guests exploring the distillery buildings. And the baby on the right, also attracted to the ring (or is it Hannah’s beautiful bouquet of peonies?) completes the image by adding a little humour.

I always make a point of asking the couple if they have anything special prepared for their first dance. For some, it’s just a slow shuffle round the dance floor in the hope that their guests will join them before too long, but for Hannah and Matthew who had prepared an homage to the dance in Pulp Fiction it was important to be prepared and not be taken by surprise.