Hands up who thought the Summer of 2021 was all over in August? What a grey month it was! And then, come September, this happened! Glorious late autumn sunshine and warmth! And speaking of warmth, Maisie and Chris - a lovelier couple you couldn’t hope to meet, tied the knot in a wonderful ceremony packed with family and friends whose spirit of warmth took the thermometer off the scale.
Maisie booked a lovely AirBnB farmhouse for her prep, which was standard bridal prep chaos, but with more intimacy and fun and less stress than usual. There was even time for some first look bridal prep photography, and even a couple of portraits of nieces and nephews.
Highcliffe Castle is not only a beautiful and historical building, with direct access to both a wonderful sandy beach and the unspoilt nature reserve of nearby Steamer Point. A grade 1 listed building, Highcliffe Castle has been described as the most important surviving house of the Romantic and Picturesque style of architecture. It is built mainly between 1831 and 1836 by Lord Stuart de Rothesay and located just 10 miles from Bournemouth and 3 miles from Christchurch.
Maisie arrived in style in a classic Beauford wedding car, looking cool and delightful in white.
The Ceremony room floods with light, making candid wedding photography a real joy. There is no need for flash here, or crazy high camera settings.
The day was remarkably hot, but despite this, Chris and his groomsmen managed to stay cool in their tweed three piece suits. The ceremony was short, sweet and flawless, though on such a hot day, there was a little bit of a collective sigh of relief to escape out onto the lawn for group shots and couple portrait photography.
After the blizzard of confetti as they walked down the aisle, we were ready for some group portraits and beautiful wedding couple portrait photography. Highcliffe Castle is south facing, being built within skipping distance of the sea, so we had plenty of gorgeous sunlight, while the lush trees that surround the castle meant we could take shelter, and group shots in some very welcome shade.
After the sumptuous wedding breakfast, it was time for speeches. Then Maisie and Chris were super keen to slip off down to Highcliffe Beach for their romantic wedding portrait photography session. Although it is only a ten minute walk, we had to think on our toes to capture that gorgeous golden sunlight before it slipped below the cliff tops, only just catching that light in time. But that is all part of the excitement of being a wedding photographer, and well worth it, dont you think? It looks like they could be in the South of France or the Algarve!
Time for first dance and Maisie and Chris were game, as were their guests, to party on into the night. Thanks for a brilliant day, guys, it was amazing!
