Manor House Castle Combe Wedding Photographer

Nestled in the Bybrook Valley, this 14th century manor house is set in 365 acres of countryside. I joined Alice and Jamie as their Manor House Castle Combe wedding photographer in one of the prettiest villages in England. It really is the perfect location to capture award winning wedding photography.

With no new houses built there since the 1600s, the honey-coloured Cotswold stone Castle Combe village is steeped in quintessential English charm, a real chocolate box village. Blockbuster films such as Spielberg’s Warhorse, Stardust and even Downton Abbey have made the most of the historic and perfectly preserved streets

Manor House Castle Combe Wedding Photographer

Alice and Jamie originally visited The Manor House for Alice’s birthday, sampling the delicious Michelin starred food and wandering around the idyllic Castle Combe village, they fell in love with the place. Nothing even came close to it when they were deciding on a wedding venue. As soon as they made their booking with me, I started dreaming about ideas for beautiful Manor House Castle Combe wedding photography. This place is full of opportunities for stunning portraits!

Rich was really fun to be around and this makes a huge impact on the day! His style and personality
meant that we enjoyed the time spent doing couple shots. We didn’t feel like we were
away from our guests for too long or missing out on anything.

Castle Combe Manor House Wedding Photography

Alice and Jamie – Getting Ready

I joined Alice as she was getting ready with her bridesmaids and her mum in one of the cute period cottages on the Manor House estate. Their hair and make-up being expertly taken care of by CJ Beauty and Co.

Jamie and the boys were preparing for the day in Castle Combe village, at The Castle Inn. They made their way to the Manor house to check everything was running to plan for the day. The Toastmaster for the day assisted with some last-minute adjustments to their ties and suits from Moss Bros as they waited nervously for Alice to arrive.

Alice’s sister had hidden a handwritten letter from Jamie upstairs and handed it to Alice to read. There was so much emotion and happiness as she read the letter and prepared to leave for the ceremony with her dad – we all shed a few tears when he saw her for the first time in her wedding dress. I can’t get enough of the emotional moments of bridal preparation, its really important to me to capture those special memories and reactions so Alice and Jamie can relive them for years to come.

The Ceremony

The bridal party were delivered to the venue on the back of a golf buggy, met by their Toastmaster and smuggled in to the venue to avoid being seen by the guests – it felt like a bit of a secret service mission to protect the President!

Accompanied by her dad, Alice followed her bridesmaids down the aisle to Jamie. It was clear to see he was absolutely in awe of her beauty as she walked towards him in her stunning Pronovias ‘Dacey’ dress from Chobham Bride in Surrey. As part of their wedding they also has a traditional hand-fasting ceremony performed by the celebrant in front of their family and friends.

Showers of confetti were thrown over Alice and Jamie in front of the Manor House before we walked around to a huge marquee on the lawn, where everyone was able to enjoy drinks and canapes as they celebrated with the newlyweds.

I captured some group portraits inside the Manor House, making use of some of the gorgeous interior features and vogueing it up with the bridal party! There were a few fun portraits as we all laughed together, one of the bridesmaids making a spectacular save as Alice’s super long veil got caught on the back of one of the chairs!

Rich was great at reading the room and judging when to do the formal photos, working through them as quickly as possible so that nobody was stood around waiting without a drink in hand.

Alice and Jamie – Castle Combe Wedding Photos

I took Alice and Jamie for a short walk for some Castle Combe wedding photography around the village, meeting a beautiful dog on the way (there always has to be a dog at a wedding!). We made the most of the beautiful blue sky and explored some of the historic landmarks of the village including the Market Cross.
As we strolled through the village admiring the floral displays a massive group of cyclists were getting ready to pull away, so I dashed across the road to get some interesting portraits of the couple as the peloton pedalled by!

Alice and Jamie were keen to recreate a photograph taken on the iconic Cotswold Stone bridge over the River Bybrook shortly after they were engaged. As we looked at the river, I had an idea…and I manage to talk them in to getting their feet wet! The newlyweds removed their shoes and we jumped down for a paddle across the river, receiving huge cheers from tourists in the town!

We also enjoyed exploring the gardens of the Manor House for a few final portraits as we wandered back to join their guests and continue the celebrations.

Manor House Castle Combe Wedding Reception

After our walk, we were once again greeted by the awesome Toastmaster, who had fun helping me with Alice’s super long veil for a portrait at the entrance. We arrived just in time, as a massive rainstorm was breaking overhead as the couple were announced in for the wedding breakfast.

Alice was handed a gavel by the Toastmaster to attract everyone’s attention… I think she quite enjoyed her new found power! There were tears and laughter during some heartfelt speeches and everyone enjoyed the delicious, Michelin starred food provided by the Manor House’s Bybrook Restaurant.

The evening began upstairs with their first dance and cutting the cake made by @_RosieBakes. Guests relaxed outside as the rain cleared, enjoying the magnificent view of the gardens and towering trees surrounding the Manor House. As the sun went down, I made use of the dramatic evening skies to capture some low light portraits using off camera flash to contrast with the blue skies earlier in the day.

We were treated to entertainment from Get Lucky an impressive band with bags of character and style, which created the perfect atmosphere for an evening celebrating with family and friends. Alice and Jamie I honestly can’t thank you enough for inviting me to this gorgeous venue as your Manor House Castle Combe wedding photographer, it was an absolute pleasure to join you and capture your day!