My first Gaynes Park wedding was for Jessica & Ross towards the end of 2018 (yes I know I’m mega behind with blogging weddings – this lockdown is certainly giving me the opportunity to catch up!). Gaynes Park Wedding venue was a place that I’d wanted to shoot at for quite some time. I’d seen a fair few examples of photos from weddings there and it always looked like such a great place. Gaynes Park is a stylish and contemporary wedding venue in the grounds of an historic estate in Epping, Essex. It has stunning grounds including a beautiful walled garden along with a couple of different buildings from which your wedding can take place.
Jessica & Ross chose to have their ceremony in the Orangery which is located within the Walled Garden. The Orangery is a beautiful bright and contemporary space perfect for ceremonies regardless of the weather. One of the key features of having the ceremony here is the long ‘Garden Aisle’ walkway, it must be an incredible moment for bridesmaids and definitely for the bride and her father to be making that walk.
During the ceremony guests were asked to join in with a bit of a sing-a-long which brought plenty of smiles and joy. Jessica & Ross actually had their legal marriage the day before at their local church in Sherington, Buckinghamshire. This ceremony was for close family and a few friends. I was very happy to be asked to photograph the church ceremony along with a few formal group photos at the church. The ceremony at Gaynes Park was still conducted by the same vicar as the day before but was a less formal service and very in keeping with the planned fun of the main wedding day.
After the ceremony the drinks reception took place in the Walled Garden and in the Orangery. I had a limited amount of light to play with due to the time of year so we quickly did a few informal family group photos as well as the bride and groom portraits. I really lucked out with the light… absolutely stunning light as the sun went down, it was very magical. To bring to a close the drinks reception guests were asked to line up along the Garden Aisle path and shower their bride and groom with confetti. There’s a great shot below of Ross getting a right face full of confetti!
Speeches and the wedding breakfast followed over in the Mill Barn. Prior to the full on evening party Jessica and Ross had organised a cocktail hour for guests serving up Pornstar Martinis and Espresso Martinis. One of those shock horror moments happened during this time when Jessica had a full glass of Espresso Martini spilt over her wedding dress (yes there is photographic evidence below!). Jessica simply laughed it off and carried on with the fun and partying.
Evening entertainment was provided by one of my favourite wedding bands, Mansfield Avenue. They got the dance floor filled, not that guests needed much encouragement after those cocktails, and great fun was had by all. You know its a great wedding party when the ‘Wet Floor’ warning sign is being used as a guitar and microphone by some overly enthusiastic wedding guests. Below are a few photos from Jessica and Ross’s wonderful wedding day.
I would absolutely love to be back at Gaynes Park to shoot a wedding. So if you’re planning your own wedding there then please do get in touch and we can chat!
