Orsett Hall Hotel, Essex Autumn Wedding with Kevin & Lucy
One of my earliest weddings at the start of my career as a wedding photographer was at the beautiful Orsett Hall Hotel in southern Essex, so it was great to be back here again for Kevin & Lucy's big day last October. While the autumn can often bring settled weather, the clouds were looming in the morning and it sadly wasn't long before they broke and the rain began. I'd been quite fortunate up to this point to not have had many wet weddings, but I guess you can't avoid them forever!
Lucy and the girls had a stunning room to get ready in, and the champagne was flowing from the get go to ease any shaky nerves. There was even time for some lovely bridal portraits before heading over to the 'chapel' in the hotel grounds. Meanwhile, Warren (who was my assistant on the day) was with Kevin and the boys getting suited and booted, before greeting guests downstairs in the bar before the ceremony.
Arriving in a black London-style cab to avoid getting wet, the girls arrived at the ceremony in style, with Lucy literally dancing down the aisle to greet a smiling Kevin, much to everyone's delight and applause! The rest of the ceremony was similarly upbeat, with the newlyweds dancing back down the aisle at the end before a very quick confetti throw before heading back to the main hotel and the dry. With the rain ruling out having group photos outside, we had to compromise a little and find some space to one side of their reception room - next to some big LED love letters.
After the breakfast and no doubt a good amount of wine, the speeches were certainly full of enthusiasm, both from the speakers and the audience, and were probably some of the funniest I've witnessed for some time! With the daylight now all but gone, photos of Kevin & Lucy outside was a non-starter now, but the main staircase and elaborate hanging chandelier provided a great spot for some quick photos of the two of them before the evening party began in earnest.
Back in the reception room, the couple took to the dancefloor for the cake cut and their first dance, with everyone else soon joining them for lots of classic hits and club bangers. Given the past year and a half or so, I think their guests had a fair amount of steam they wanted to let off, and this proved the ideal time and place to do it! A great end to a great day, despite the less than ideal weather.
Whether you're planning a big lavish wedding, or something much smaller, head over to my wedding photography page for prices and lots of information on how I can help make your day as memorable and as awesome as possible! You can also get in touch to enquire about your wedding date to see if I'm available.
