Sunny & Tom, Stourhead Garden

Stourhead Gardens
Stourhead Gardens

From what started as pretty last minute enquiry from a recommendation from a guy I knew from school turned out to be one of my favourite weddings of 2022! Just look at that backdrop for couple portraits, it really doesn't get much better than that! Stourhead Gardens belongs to the National Trust and is set amongst the extremely picturesque Wiltshire countryside, what made this even more perfect is that this was an autumn wedding, the trees were golden with hints of red, the leaves were falling which offered a lovely touch to some of my shots - never planned but nature has its way of gifting you, and when I was back in the studio going through the footage, seeing Sunny walk towards Tom at the Apollo's Temple with leaves falling in front of the camera was one of those moments where you just think YES!!! the lighting was perfect all day. It was just a dream.

Apollo's temple
Apollo's temple

Arriving at Sunny & Tom's beautiful home just on the outskirts of Tisbury for Bridal prep I just knew it was going to be an awesome day, I walked into a super calm living area where the bridesmaids were having their hair & make up done by the very talented Beth Cox Beauty & Bridal hair in Hampshire. I was so in awe of the house, a modern barn conversion with so much natural light pouring through all the windows, the perfect setting for bridal prep! I actually had no idea it was their home, I originally thought it was a venue! Sunny was upstairs in the bedroom doing her own make up so I went up to say hello and all the details were laid out ready for me which is always a bonus. She was positioned in front of a big open window looking over the courtyard with plenty of mirrors for me to get some epic shots

Bridal prep
Bridal prep

Bridal prep
Bridal prep

Bridal prep
Bridal prep

Bridal prep
Bridal prep

Meanwhile my second shooter Rob was with Tom and his Groomsmen whilst they made their preparations for the big day ahead, the guys were at the Spread Eagle Inn which is situated on Stourhead grounds, so nice and close to the ceremony location. The guys all looked extremely dapper, I loved Tom's choice of suit. Beige and burgundy compliment each other so nicely! And with the perfect finishing touch of the button holes from Pamplemousse Florist they were all set to make their way to the ceremony.

Stourhead Gardens
Stourhead Gardens

Stourhead Gardens
Stourhead Gardens

The Spread Eagle Inn pub
The Spread Eagle Inn

Buttons holes by Pamplemousse
Ceremony

Back at the house everything was still super chilled, a lovely moment to catch on camera for me is when the bride opens her wedding day letter from the Groom. It's always a personal moment so I try and stay as unnoticed as possible, but just a few seconds of the reaction really helps evoke emotional in the final edit. This was one of those moments

Bridal prep
Bridal prep

Bridal prep
Bridal prep

Now let's talk about the dress! WOW, I swear Sunny brought back the sleeves, I'd filmed many weddings before this and was yet too see a bride wearing sleeves, but since this wedding I have filmed 4 more with very similar style dresses. Im all for it though, it looks insane and adds so much for detail and elegance to the dress!

Bridal prep
Bridal prep

Bridal prep
Bridal prep

Bridal prep
Bridal prep

Right ok, now let's take a minute to admire this backdrop for a ceremony!!!

Apollo's Temple Stourhead Gardens
Apollo's Temple ceremony

Apollo's Temple Stourhead gardens
Apollo's Temple ceremony

It's like something you see in a movie right?! And this is what you see when you take a look to the left and look over the lake - just incredible!

Stourhead Gardens
Stourhead Gardens

Sunny, her bridesmaids & her parents all made their way through the woodland area to meet Tom at the end of the aisle, which again offered some lovely shots. In fact this was probably the longest aisle walk I have seen as they made their way through the garden outside Apollo's Temple. But it gave us plenty of time to cover various angles which was a winner as usually it all happens so quickly!

Stourhead weddings
Stourhead ceremony

After Sunny & Tom say the "I do's" and everyone was preparing to head back to the Marquee at their home, Tom has one last surprise for Sunny, She thought they were heading back to the marquee in Toms beloved *old (sorry Tom) ford pick up truck. But as Sunny was waiting for him to pull up around the corner in said truck, you hear the rev of an engine from a vintage Jaguar. The look on Sunny's face was priceless, she was gobsmacked! But the look on her face tells you how happy she was to be arriving in style!

The spread Eagle inn weddings
The spread Eagle inn

Couple portraits
Couple portraits

From the moment we arrived back at the marquee the drinks were flowing, everybody was in high spirits and the party was started! We had the opportunity to take Sunny & Tom out for some more couple portraits and were once again gifted by nature with an incredible sunset - although it being extremely cold brrr! It was an incredible evening for everyone, including us! another one of those weddings you just really don't want to leave.

Couple portraits sunset
Couple portraits

Couple portraits sunset
Couple portraits

Thank you Sunny & Tom for being such an incredible welcoming couple and treating us like friends on your big day, it's a wedding I will remember that's for sure!!

Please take a moment to watch the full film from this beautiful wedding by following this link