Apton Hall Wedding Photography
So it’s been a while since I last wrote a blog post, November 2019 to be precise. I know, I have been quiet, however, work was still busy right through until Christmas and I also had a couple of trips too. One of these took me to Las Vegas for WPPI (the largest photography conference in the world). I behaved myself and didn’t buy any more camera equipment. Trust me, I have quite enough! :P Anyway, I am back now in the UK and just as I thought I would make the most of the early spring weather, Coronavirus has hit! I am in LOCKDOWN! It’s been a crazy few weeks already, and I have to admit I am missing even going to the gym! I never thought I would hear myself saying that. I hope that you’re all keeping safe and staying healthy. I thought what better use of my spare time, than writing a new blog post to keep you updated with more of my wedding photography work. So I have dug through my list of weddings to blog, and today I have decided to share the wedding of Kerry and Sam. They tied the knot at St Peter and St Paul’s Church in Hockley and then enjoyed their wedding reception at Apton Hall in Rochford. You may have read about me photographing there lots of times before, including this post here. This is because I am one of the recommended suppliers there and know the venue really well.
Gary made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera and fitted into the day like part of the wedding party. We were so pleased with the photos – Gary captured the day perfectly.
Kerry and Sam
If you scroll down the page you will be able to read some questions that I put forward to Kerry and her answers to them. This will give you a little insight into her and Sam’s day. I will also throw in some of my favourite pictures from the day, I hope that you enjoy looking at those too! I always love photographing weddings at Apton Hall, and I was especially chuffed by the sunset images that I managed to capture!
How did you meet?
We knew of each other through mutual friends but had never actually spoken to each other. We had a chance meeting in London at lunchtime and it went from there!
How did he propose?
We were in London for the weekend and Sam was insistent on going to the champagne bar at St Pancras. I (Kerry) wasn’t so keen as we had just had lunch but then suddenly realised what was happening. We finally made it up to the champagne bar for Sam to pop the question.
What Wedding Venue/s did you choose and why?
We got married at St Peter and St Paul Church in Hockley. Sam’s mum and dad got married at the same church over 30 years ago so the venue meant something to us and we thought it would be a good omen. We chose to get married in September as Kerry’s mum and dad got married in that month. We chose Apton Hall as our reception venue as it was close to where we first lived together in Rochford, local to us and it’s such a lovely venue! Once we visited once we knew it was for us.
Where did you buy your dress?
Precious Moments in Rayleigh. I found dress shopping stressful but everyone in the shop was really nice and helped me to relax. I knew the dress was the one as soon as I tried it on – nothing else compared.
What about the grooms suit?
Anthony’s Formalwear in Billericay. Sam was keen to go for tails as he wears a suit every day for work and chose an ivory waistcoat as part of the suit. Anthony’s provided the shirts and cravats as well.
Did you have a theme or colour scheme for your wedding?
Yes, we had a rustic and dusty blue theme to fit the venue. We tried to do a lot of the decorations ourselves and enjoyed making personal bits for the day. We chose dusty blue with the view of this being versatile if the weather decided to be summery or autumnal in September – lucky for us it chose summer.
What source did you use for wedding inspiration?
We used wedding magazines, wedding fairs, and of course Pinterest!
If you could turn back the clock before planning started, what advise would you give yourself?
Definitely to relax, enjoy the planning phase, and that everything will be perfect in the end. We were pretty organised but were quite stressed and worried that all the finer details wouldn’t come off but we needn’t have worried at all.
What was your favourite photograph from the day?
It’s so hard to choose as all of the shots are beautiful. However, we loved the shots of us coming out of the church and in the grounds at Apton Hall in the evening – the sky was so beautiful during the day and we got an amazing sunset!
What song did you choose for your 1st dance?
We chose Kodaline – The One as it’s such a beautiful song and it was the perfect tempo. We were so nervous about our first dance so we were lucky that our band was able to perform the song for us to take the pressure off.
Was “Gary Derbridge Photography” the right photographer for you?
Yes definitely! We had no doubt in Gary’s photography as he was the photographer for Sam’s sister’s wedding a few years ago. For a couple that doesn’t love photos or PDA Gary made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera and fitted into the day like part of the wedding party. We were so pleased with the photos – Gary captured the day perfectly.
Your Suppliers?
Venue: St Peter and St Paul Church, Hockley & Apton Hall, Rochford.
Wedding Dress: Precious Moments
Men’s suits: Anthony’s Formal wear
Bridesmaid dresses: WED2B
Florist: Made you look flowers
Cake: Finesse Cakes
Hair: Peri Orrin Bridal Hair
Make-up: Leanne Perilly
Videographer: Three Cheers Media
Car: Lewis Car Hire
Violinist: Music by Violin
Band: The Shakedown Function Band
Light up letters: KMS Hire
So I hope that you enjoyed finding out a little more about Kerry and Sam’s special day. I loved being their wedding photographer and visiting one of my favourite venues, Apton Hall.
If you would like to find out more information about my wedding photography services, then please do scroll around my website. You can view more of my work and see some more recent weddings that I have featured on my blog.
If you would like to have a chat with me about your wedding day, then you can get in touch either by filling in my online form or calling 07852 457661. I also have an email address, gary@gdphotographer.co.uk
I look forward to chatting to you soon, and learning all about your big day!