
Wedding ceremony: Great Malvern Priory
Wedding venue: Eastnor Castle
Is it necessary for a professional wedding photographer to make a visit to see the wedding venue before hand?
When it comes to a wedding i.e Eastnor Castle which is 256 miles from Newcastle (where we are based), I prefer to arrive at least a day early. So that, I could make a visit to look around the place and to prepare lighting setup, test on locations. Having said that, I wasn’t able to see any venues at all i.e Malvern Priory church, Eastnor Castle. Therefore, I was a little bit worried at one time because I didn’t know how dark it is inside the castle, what are the rooms I could /allow to take photographs inside? Any restrictions? Will I allow to take any photographs during the church ceremony? What about the wedding coordinator at the Castle? Is he/she going to be helpful on the day? All these ? marks came in my mind. But then again I thought I was there to capture the lovely couple’s big day. It is always the wedding people who come first and the moments. So, I told myself “Just enjoy it and follow the flow”
Janet & Ernest have been planning this wedding almost one and half years ago. Having heard what they prepared for their wedding, I have been eagerly waiting for this day to come for a long long time. The first time to have the Chinese banquet inside the Castle and the last time which the castle allowed the Chinese Sky Lanterns to be released. After seeing all these, I got to be honest this is one of the best wedding I have covered so far for this year. I have done many castle’s wedding in the past i.e. Alnwick Castle, Dundas Castle, Wedderburn castle. The Eastnor castle is one of the best venue I have been so far.
Apart from the wedding items, from my personal point of view, it has everything which weddings should have. For me, Family, Friendship and Love. A life without love is like a year without a summer. Everyone was so happy and helpful. There were moments which I was deeply touched i.e the singing from the church, the speeches given by Eric and Edwin, the Chinese tea ceremony, the speech given by Ernest to Janet (“Trust” at the Pitch Black Restaurant, London). On the day itself, I felt like I was having many assistants to help me doing the job right. The wedding forecast mentioned that it was going to rain at some points on the day. Janet, Ernest and I were a bit worried when we were on the way to change to the horse carriage. As soon as we arrived, the rain stopped. Surely, it was meant to be. I believe God helps. It was such a perfect day !
Ernest & Janet – Wedding at the Eastnor Castle
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