Beautiful winter sun shining down on Ettington Park Hotel

I have been to Ettington Park Hotel (near Stratford in Warwickshire) a few times now and it never ceases to impress with its grandeur and stunning beauty. Rita & Brian were married there on the 28th December and I have to say, I was amazed again! They could not have been more lucky with the weather. It was blues skies, frosty lawns and gorgeous, golden sunshine, all day long. I even saw a couple of deer running through the grounds…  The stage was set for a fantastic wedding and the families were both ready for it too.
I started in the Shirley Suite with Rita where there was a hive of activity. Everyone was buzzing around getting their hair and make-up done while the sun continued streaming through the window. The room they had for getting ready was a magnificent room which gave me plenty of space to let my creativity flow. I am often confined to a corner where things can be a little restrictive, photographically speaking, but this room was something special. If I wanted a different angle of Rita, I had it! A spoilt wedding photographer was I…
For the wedding itself, I had a pleasant and most welcome surprise. The Warwickshire Registrar’s have finally thawed…mostly! In the past, and you will find mention of them in previous blogs, they have been very strict with me (and every other photographer I might add). They imposed a “no photography” rule during the ceremony, only allowing shots of three key moments….walking down the aisle, the rings and the kiss.  No glances or looks, no tears and definitely no laughter…only the three key moments. In fact, I was once given a death stare for missing my queue to stop, by one shot, during the exchange of rings. Much to the amusement of the front row I might add! However, this has all changed, and I was free to shoot the whole way through the ceremony…as long as I stayed still mind you. In truth, my camera had a new, completely “silent mode” that I was looking forward to using for this wedding because of their strict authoritarian approach. I was going to be a naughty boy and take photos when I wasn’t meant to, quietly, without anyone knowing….but they went and changed the rules didn’t they. Ha ha!
After the wedding ceremonies, we headed outside for the family photos. It was too lovely to not have the wedding photos outside in this wonderful Warwickshire countryside…but it was COLD!  All credit to Rita, she was an absolute trooper and soldiered through it. It was completely worth it in the end though as the pictures turned out beautifully and will be with them forever as a permanent reminder of their glorious, winter wedding day. Congratulations Rita & Brian!

On a side note, you will notice there is few photos of people with strange reactions on the faces. This is due to the excellent Magician, Alex Robertson of Arcmagic. The best close up magic I have ever seen!

Video courtesy of Polka Dot Productions. A Worcestershire Wedding Videographer…and my wife! 🙂

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