With its picturesque combination of traditional thatched and modern barns, Blackwell Grange in Warwickshire is a really lovely venue to photograph and I was delighted to be there one crisp October Saturday last year to capture the wedding of Emma & Matthew. Guests arrived with groom Matthew on a vintage bus while Emma and the girls got ready in the venue’s Potting Shed rooms. Emma then made the chilly walk through the grounds to the lovely ceremony barn and I have to say she looks so excited on the photographs! The sun shone all day in that lovely way it does in Autumn - warm and low - and we made full use of it, along with the interesting stables and outbuildings for photographs while guests enjoyed pre dinner drinks.

The best photographs come when couples are at ease in front of the lens and Emma & Matthew were so chilled on the day, I think the results speak for themselves. It’s my objective to get to know my clients well in the lead up to the wedding and I remain calm and supportive during what, for many, can seem a really daunting experience. I always say to my clients that it’s best not to perform but to be totally focused on each other - it’s about me capturing a moment between two people, not two people performing to the camera.

My first wedding photographing at the lovely Blackwell Grange near Shipston on Stour became the hottest I've ever experienced. With temperatures close to 40 degrees, heatstroke apart, it was a delight to photograph. Gemma looked beautiful as she arrived for the ceremony at Treddington Church and the happy couple were cheered by guests as they ran through a confetti tunnel to make their way over to a reception at Blackwell Grange.

The venue made the perfect setting for a hot sunny day with drinks in the thatched barn and on the lawn outside. As guests enjoyed a few glasses of bubbly, I headed over to photograph the main barn which was decorated ready for the wedding breakfast - a really impressive space, with bifold doors opening onto the lovely Warwickshire countryside.

Just before they joined their guests for a lavish feast, Piers and Gemma spent a few minutes with me for photographs outside the old barn doors which resulted in a some beautifully intimate and delicate images.

As the band played out to guests later on in the evening, I headed home....for a cold shower!