Deer Park Country House Wedding | Lauren and Dan

Latest WeddingsWedding HighlightsWeddings

Jul 17

LUXE MEDITERRANEAN INSPIRED WEDDING AT DEER PARK, HONITON

EDITORIAL WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY AT DEER PARK, COUNTRY HOUSE

Lauren and Dan were the epitome of the phrase ‘embrace your wedding!’. Brimming with ideas, inspiration, a detail-orientated vision mixed with heart-felt moments, Lauren and Dan gave me all the creative space and trust I needed to really, really, fulfil their editorial wedding photography desires.

It can be easy to get caught up in all the ideas and inspiration, but Lauren did a great job of bringing all these things into a cohesive vision (with the help of Verity at Fior Collective, find out more below), without losing touch of the things that really matter when it comes to a wedding. This was a dream day to photograph, enjoy these previews, more to come soon.

MORNING MOMENTS & LITTLE LUXURIES

Adding a second photographer to your day is honestly such a bonus, you have a second pair of eyes across your day and it also means you can capture both of you getting ready. I was able to focus on Lauren and her girls, making sure the first look with her dad was a private and special moment while my second photographer Faye captured the boys clay pigeon shooting and helping Dan into his tux.

I adore taking some time to capture the little luxuries that you have care about, have decided are important to you. The Jimmy Choo’s you spent ages tracking down, the scent that reminds you of a special date, your mother’s pearls, your grandfather’s cufflinks. These are not frivolities, they are treasures.

INTIMATE CEREMONY IN THE SUN

Lauren and Dan chose the stunning gardens at Deer Park Country House for their ceremony, with nothing but the view of the Dorset hills in front of them. The focal point for the ceremony was the beautiful fountain, surrounded by a minimalistic floral arrangement of roses and hydrangeas by Beacon Bloom.

Lauren was such a vision walking down the aisle with her veil delicately framing her silhouette, accompanied by her lovely dad. Dan could not believe his eyes when he first saw Lauren. I love being able to capture this moment, and recommend a second photographer to help make this happen as the aisle walk can be short and sweet.

Following their ceremony and confetti, Lauren and Dan escaped to say some private vows, just for the two of them.

ELEGANT STYLE FROM THE FIOR COLLECTIVE

If you have a vision for your day and a passion for the finer details like Lauren and Dan, you need a wedding stylist in your life. I whole heartedly recommend the wonderful Verity at The Fior Collective.
Verity’s work is chic, elegant, trend-led without being trendy for the sake of it, with an impeccable eye for style.

Bride Lauren desired a super chic Italian inspired wedding, featuring a styled cocktail bar, table-scape, and on the day stationery, with some carefully chosen items for guests including customised fans and parasols. Verity took the brief and absolutely ran with it. Styled with florals by Beacon Bloom and stationery by Samantha Colling Creative Studio, I was simply stunned by the elegance and quality of all the suppliers involved.

Verity curated all this and more, totally elevating the already stunning venue.
A minimalistic table-scape for their wedding breakfast featured deconstructed arrangements, lemons, pearls, neutral draping, and bespoke stationery. Let’s not forget the statement champagne tower!

TRUST THE PROCESS, MAKE THE MAGIC

One of the things I loved most about working with Lauren and Dan, was the complete and utter trust they put in me. I knew certain moments and shots were really important to Lauren, I knew her Pinterest board inside out, but come the day, these things became in the natural flow of the day. ‘We got the shot’. ‘Let’s do this shot on the board now hun’, ‘Let’s do that one later when the light is better’, all that jazz.

‘Trust the process’, trust your suppliers and particularly your photographer to give you space to be yourselves, to let them subtly bring your relationship to the fore, to capture it as you are, to elevate the seemingly ordinary space, to understand the moment, to give the time. If your photographer says between courses or during cocktail hour ‘you know, the light is really awesome right now’, go with them, give them the five minutes.

It only results in utter magic, and it absolutely did for Lauren and Dan.

ALL YOUR FAVOURITE PEOPLE IN THE SAME PLACE AT THE SAME TIME

Your wedding day is likely going to be the one opportunity you have in your lifetime to get all the people you love the most, in one room at one time. Embrace this! Laugh at the jokes so your double chins show (literally, double chins at the sign of a good time), cry so many happy tears those laughter lines appear, touch the hands, hug the longest. At dinner, when the speeches are done, take a breath and just look around the room. There are a rare few moments in your day when you won’t be doing something, greeting someone, nipping for photos, your dinner is the perfect time to soak in all the people around you.

& THE EVENING TRICKLES IN WITH THE STARLIGHT

Following a sweet first dance to Godspeed by James Blake, Lauren changed into her second dress. A statement evening dress if ever I saw one! Obviously I had to take advantage with some gorgeous shots in their room, Aperol, Jimmy Choos, and a killer lace corset dress. The couple also decided to get the evening spirit flowing with a stunningly styled champagne tower. Of course, I also suggested a champagne spray as knew that would pop with some flash against the evening sky! After some more dancing and a quick little ‘paparazzi’ photo session, I left Lauren and Dan to dance the night away.