pavillion gardens, buxton
debbie & j
PAVILION GARDENS WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
“WE ARE IN BUXTON AND THE WEDDING IS IN THE PAVILION GARDENS”
When Debbie & J contacted me back in January, one of the first things they said to me was “It will not be a conventional white wedding” and boy were they right!
I met up with them the following week, we quickly got chatting and learned that we both owned VW Campervans *grins from ear to ear* and that J would be driving them to the wedding himself in their beautiful Type 2. I was already excited by this point and the remaining details about their day were yet to be revealed.
As with all my packages, I offer a free engagement shoot and Debbie and J had taken up this offer. We arranged for a lovely Spring shoot at Solomon’s Temple as it’s a familiar local attraction. However, Spring shoot was not what we got!
PAVILION gardens WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
engagement shoot at solomon’s temple
Upon walking up it started to snow, I wasn’t too upset as you can get some lovely images with the big flakes floating around. Then the snow turned to sleet, ok so back lit raindrops, I can work with this… What happened next I don’t think any of us could have predicted, the most amazing orange fiery glow erupted through the sky. I ran around like crazy with them, making the most of the beautiful light, which just happened to compliment Debbie’s outfit perfectly.
bride/groom prep
On the morning of their wedding, Debbie and J had opted for a non-traditional preparation, as they both got ready together. It was a lovely refreshing change to see both the bride and groom preparing for their big day amongst each other with friends and family surrounding them. When I arrived, it was such a relaxed atmosphere, J was even adding the final touches to their campervan.
After J had done the finishing touches on the van, the whole family sat down to have breakfast, a typical Derbyshire breakfast – Oatcakes! Debbie made sure that J has had at least one baked bean to line his stomach! ?
After breakfast, Debbie and her bridesmaids headed upstairs to get glammed up in their amazingly colourful rooms. The colours of the bridesmaids dresses were admirable, each with contrasting shoes and shawls and when Debbie revealed her stunning wedding dress to me, I was in absolute awe!
Once everyone was ready, I took Debbie and J to one side to capture some photos of them in the quiet moments before they were due to tie the knot. The pair of them looked absolutely amazing, as did the bridesmaids. I did some stylised shots of Debbie before taking them both down to their campervan to make the most of shooting portraits in the van before they headed over to the Pavilion Gardens in it.
THE ceremony
It wouldn’t be a true type 2 campervan entrance wihtout a little breakdown, would it? Luckily with a few coughs and splutters they managed to get it started again and still arrived on time and in style!
The weather had been pretty good all morning, despite the forecast giving rain for most of the day. The rain held off just until the ceremony was about to start, which was unfortunate, but absolutely nothing could dull Debbie and J’s bright and colourful day.
The service was beautiful and was held by Ann, who was a long term family friend. Even though the rain tried it’s best to dampen spirits, everyone was thankful that the ceremony could take place outside on the bandstand, rather than in the conservatory.
PAVILLION GARDENS WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
GROUP SHOTS
After the ceremony we headed over to the bridge to do some group shots, Zach even pulled out his best rock star moves! He really looked the business ?
The Pavilion Garden’s even got the train running so we could have a few laps round the track and take some photos, it was great fun!
THE RECEPTION
By this point I think we all agreed that everyone had, had enough of the drizzling rain and we headed back inside to a lovely drinks reception. Everyone gathered in the conservatory catching up and chatting away to each other, whilst they were waiting to enter to be seated. Debbie and J sat to one side and I sneakily caught them on camera enjoying a moment to themselves.
FIRST DANCE
After the meal and speeches, it was time for Debbie and J to boost some moves on the dance floor! They have choreographed an exceptional piece all by themselves and had every one of the guests cheering and whooping as the performed in front of them!
I took the opportunity after the first dance to gather Debbie and her friends for a fun shot of them all on the dance floor.
COUPLE SHOTS
So there’s just one part of the day missing, the signature couples shots! I usually try to shoot these in the hour before sunset, however the drizzle had other ideas and was here to stay. Due to this, we opted to wait until it had got dark outside to get creative with flash!
It only makes sense to jump in the campervan for a few shots too ?
Overall it was a stunning day! Everyone had bags of personality, the bright colours and happiness far outweighed the rain and every element was great fun!
Congratulations once again Debbie & J!
Thanks for looking,
Are you having a wedding in the Peak District? If you’re looking for a wedding photographer, you can find more of my work here or contact me here.
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