Vicki’s and Andy’s Wedding Day

Vicki’s and Andy’s wedding was a truly special day both for them, their family, their friends, but also me personally. This wedding was the first I had booked in since leaving my 9-5 job. In fact, I got it as I was walking out of the door from that job. So, it really meant a lot to be the one that was there to capture precious memories for Vicki and Andy.

The newly-wed couple already had children together so the day was a fun, all-hands-on-deck, kind of day which I find really strengthens the connections people have with each other and for photos at least shows a real bond between everyone in the room.

The day started at Abbotsbury Church in Newton Abbot where a more modern service took place for such a grand traditional setting. I particularly loved the huge stained glass window at the rear of the church. Andy was filled with so much emotion and joy watching his bride-to-be, Victoria, walking down the aisle. Though, at this point, he had no idea she was up most of the night with a poorly baby. If she hadn’t said when she arrived at the church, I wouldn’t have known either. Armed with Calpol and the support of her daughter and her boyfriend, Vicki trooped through the day like nothing had happened.

As the service progressed, friends and family were in anticipation of the marriage seal. That’s right, I’m talking about the kiss. One person was so excited that he had to be right in the middle of it. Vicki’s and Andy’s son was at their feet as the service came to a close, joining them for the walk out of the church.

The day then took a pause. At this point, it would usually be a bit of a rush to a location to fit in a private photoshoot with the couple whilst the rest of the party head to the location of the reception. However, being such a church-centred family and Abbotsbury Church being Vicki’s and Andy’s home church, they wanted to continue their celebration for a while there with that extended family. They even enjoyed cutting the first of their two wedding cakes there!

This actually worked in our favour as the weather during the morning was quite drizzly and we knew that there were some drier spells later in the day for our private photoshoot.

From here, we moved onto Humber Barn in Teignmouth for the reception, a venue situated in amongst glorious fields and joined by an onsite brewery and barn. It’s a beautiful space with lots of character.

Andy and Vicki arrived a bit later than the rest of the party and now we had clearer weather, we got our confetti shot!

There was a lovely atmosphere and really charismatic people from different parts of both Vicki’s and Andy’s life which made for some great candid shots of everyone catching up and socialising.

Vicki and Andy were welcomed into the main room in traditional fashion with everyone upstanding. In less traditional fashion but very welcomed, Vicki started her speech. It was clear how much family means to her and her connection with her daughter is like a best friend, or perhaps even greater. Through the emotions they both showed during Vicki’s words, their bond looked unbreakable from an outsiders’ perspective. Andy followed on from Vicki showing an equally strong connection with his older son. And of course, the pride and love that Vicki and Andy have for each other and the two sons they had together shone through their words blindingly. The room was flooded with emotion and happiness that we had reached this wonderful day.

We all sat to eat a wonderful meal and I am grateful that Vicki and Andy had even added a seat for me on one of the tables to join their party. It’s never expected but when it happens, it really is lovely to be included. It boosts the emotional connection that I as the photographer have with the people around me and, as a result, produce more natural images reflecting people’s personality.

After this, we took a walk around some of the spaces available to us at Humber Barn to get some couples shots taking advantage of the windows of time it wasn't raining. We started in the field onsite, then moved to the road leading towards Humber Barn and then outside the barn doors for a more rustic backdrop which created a really diverse collection of images that focus on Vicki and Andy and their connection with each other.

The day quickly started turning to night and the DJ, Ben Bryant, got set up ready to bring the party. He had a really unique setup that really brought him to the dance floor with everyone else, adding a performative aspect to the DJ role.

Now though, it was time for everyone to gather for the first dance. What was a lovely touch was everyone waving their arms in sync to the song which was a lovely touch to the background of my shots. The rest of the party soon joined the floor with partners and friends to dance with the newly-weds.

For the rest of the evening people danced away and had a lot of laughs over in the photo booth with lots of hilarious props. I would normally try and get some final couple shots on the dance floor to finish the collection. But, with the day being so family-focused, I saw the beauty in just capturing those moments they were having with their children and the fun everyone was having and didn’t want to interrupt those precious memories in the making.

As I started wrapping things up and packing my equipment down, I was then dragged into the photo booth to be in front of the camera for a change. So, that was the last photo of my time at Vicki and Andy’s wedding.

Are you planning your wedding and like the look of how I approach wedding photography? Let’s chat!

You can get in touch with me on 07899911892 or use the contact form here.