Methuen Arms Wedding Photography - Carrie and Simon

Weddings

18 Jul

I was very excited when Carrie and Simon were in touch to book me for their wedding earlier this year. It was to be a very relaxed day celebrating at the Methuen Arms in Corsham following their ceremony at the local Church St Bartholomew’s.

Corsham is such a pretty town - recently put on the map by the TV shows Rivals and Poldark - I often pop in for a walk or a coffee and consequently know the place quite well. As such, a few weeks ahead of their big day, I arranged to meet Carrie and Simon at the Methuen to go over their wedding day schedule. It was so nice to meet them in person before the day - something I always try and do if possible - it makes such a difference in ensuring they are put at ease before having a camera thrust in their face (not that thrusting cameras in peoples faces is my style but you know what I mean)!

On the day, my first port of call was at their home to document Carrie’s preparations. As always, I had given myself plenty of time for the drive. And thank goodness I had. Turning a corner in Corsham I came face to face with a “Road Closed” sign - a burst water pipe apparently - and had to find another route instead.

I arrived to find Carrie having her make-up done and seeming completely chilled and enjoying the morning with here bridesmaids and her Mum. Hair styling came next and involved a 30 second walk from their back gate to one of their neighbours! I love it when bridal prep is so relaxed like this!

Before too long I headed on to The Methuen (diverting around the closed road once again!) to catch up with Simon and his groomsmen. Simon had a rather a lot of them but in a nice touch, they weren’t all wearing the same suits, the only thing that marked them out as Groomsmen was that they were all wearing the same tie.

Carrie arrived soon after and there was an amusing few minutes to ensuring Carrie and Simon didn’t cross in the corridors of the hotel! I then split my time between the two groups documenting Carrie’s final preparations and Simon enjoying a drink in the beer garden with the guests.

When it came time to depart for the church, I accompanied Simon so I could capture photos of him and the guys walking along the tree-lined avenue. I was then positioned so I could grab photos of Carrie and her Bridesmaids walking the same route 20 minutes later.

The ceremony itself was beautiful and emotional and contained two readings. I’ve become quite familiar with this church over the years (in fact, it might be the Church I have photographed most often during my career) so I was able to position myself in the best place for the various parts of the service.

Vows recited, rings exchanged and schedule signed, Carrie and Simon emerged from the church directly into the confetti throw. We then spent a bit of time capturing formal family photos before everyone decamped back to The Methuen for the reception.

The garden had been reserved exclusively for Carrie and Simon and so when we arrived (and after Carrie and Simon were announced in) we found all of their guests enjoying a drink in the sunshine.

It was such a beautiful relaxed afternoon with a buffet meal served partway through. I spent the majority of my time capturing candid photos of everyone interacting and looking for interesting angles and viewpoints to help capture the story of their day.

Of course, this being Corsham, we were visited by some Peacocks in the early evening - a great source of amusement for the guests!

The speeches happened outdoors and, again, it was all so relaxed and laid back. There were, of course, some happy tears and I really enjoyed moving around the garden trying to capture them as well as the smiles, laughs cheers and rounds of applause.

Carrie and Simon also chose to do their first dance in the garden underneath the festoon lights strung above. It really is such a lovely relaxed setting for a wedding and, when the weather is this good, it's hard to beat!

Throughout this blog post I have included some of my favourite images. To view the full gallery, please contact Carrie and Simon.

Below you will find a small selection of my favourite photos from the day. To view the full gallery, please get in touch with Carrie or Simon.