C&R // Hockwold Hall Wedding

If there’s one moment which stands out from this incredible same sex wedding day at Hockwold Hall it has to be the vast amount of bubbles we were able to play with! In place of a confetti exit after their beautiful outside wedding ceremony, our two fabulous brides opted to give their guests lots and lots of bubbles. Add some glorious sun into the mix and it formed just the perfect backdrop for this fabulous couple to walk back down the aisle and kick-start their celebrations. Turns out that bubbles work just as well for an incredible night time photo in the dark too – but read on for more about that.

First though, let’s jump right back to the start of this awesome day. With both of our beautiful brides opting to get ready at Hockwold Hall, one using the Sandringham Room and the other the Bridal Preparation Suite, I was able to make the most of the time during the morning to document both sets of preparations. I’m often asked how I can possibly cover both sides of the morning when so many other photographers make a big song & dance about needing a second photographer for this – and the answer is simple. It just needs a bit of planning! I’ll go through this when we chat through plans before the big day itself but essentially as long as you’re both not putting dresses or suits on at the exact moment and not getting ready a million miles away from each other, all is usually fine.

Back to this fabulous day though! With everyone ready and waiting in Hockwold Hall’s dedicated outdoor ceremony space, our Celebrate in Norfolk Registrars in place and one of our brides waiting patiently at the end of the aisle it was full-steam ahead to tie the knot.

After the formalities, it was time for those awesome bubbles! When chatting about their plans I’d commented that if going for a bubble exit, just like confetti the trick is simply to have plenty – it’s very hard to have too much on the day and from a photo perspective if nothing else, more is nearly always better as it means your photos will be AWESOME! Generally speaking, the more confetti or bubbles we can get into the air at the same time; the better the results. Looking back through these photos, I think it’s safe to say this advice was heeded! Turns out that bubbles work very well in the dark too. As a bit of an experiment, we setup a shot in the dark with plenty of guests armed with bubbles, creative lighting and our special couple – with some fabulously epic results!

With formalities concluded, it was time for C&R’s guests to settle into the afternoon sun and celebrate their marriage. With drinks flowing, garden games at the ready and a bit of highly competitive outdoor archery, much fun was most definitely had.

A little later in the afternoon, our wonderful couple had an opportunity to do something different on their wedding day – and headed off feed the merecats. Definitely unusual and made for some fabulous photos – despite the merecats best effort to avoid posing. Next stop was the wedding breakfast, held in Hockwold’s marquee and expertly served by the wonderful Shefs wedding catering.

Timed perfectly for a beautiful golden hour, we then ventured out into Hockwold Hall’s manicured gardens to ensure these two fabulous people had some time to themselves and create some of those wall-hanging moments to treasure forever. I often talk about the idea of unposed wedding photography but in essence, that’s exactly what my couples sessions are all about. We go for a walk, heading into the venue’s beautiful gardens, chatting about the fabulous day. Along the way we’ll track down the light, find somewhere fabulous and well… the rest is just magic.

My approach to photographing your wedding day is wholly inclusive and is the same for every couple whether cis or LGBTQ+. Wedding photos are supposed to full of life, energy and colour – celebrating two special people who have decided they’re perfect for each other. It’s not about reusing poses, recreating photos, stereotyping or trying to get you to fit into a wedding-shaped photoshoot that just isn’t you. Every single couple is wonderfully unique, and my goal as your wedding photographer is to capture and celebrate that uniqueness. Put beautifully, Love is love. It genuinely is that simple.

Jumping back into the celebrations, speeches and a cake cut finished off the formalities and we had the fantastic Party Starters wedding DJ on-hand to kick-start the party. With all sorts of funky dance moves very much on display including some rather expert dad dancing, our wonderful brides partied late into the night surrounded by the family and friends.

Keep scrolling for more photos and a little look at this wonderful couple’s simply perfect Hockwold Hall LGBTQ+ wedding day.