The Orangery, Maidstone Summer Wedding with Ben & Rhyanna

To round off a very busy August, I returned to one of the premier wedding venues in Kent, The Orangery in Maidstone, for Ben & Rhyanna's wedding day. The last time I was here was for Dan & Sarah's wedding, so it was lovely to be back again on another sunny summers day. Rich was once again assisting me today as my second photographer.

After arriving in good time and getting lots of beautiful photos around the venue, I headed over to the newly renovated Wisteria Suite to see Rhyanna and the girls. The room looked incredible - a big improvement since I last saw it, and it made for a luxurious space for the bridal party to get ready. The hair and makeup artists were really on the ball today, and had already finished with Rhyanna before I had even arrived! Thankfully, they still needed to do a few touch ups before she got into her wedding dress, so I didn't miss out completely.

One good thing about having all the bridal prep done early, is there was plenty of time for some bridal portraits and a first look with Rhyanna's dad, who sadly was not in great health at the time, but was adamant he was going to walk his daughter down the aisle on her wedding day. Over with Ben, Rich was getting some groom prep photos on the Isle of Sheppey, where the boys even headed to the local pub for a swift pint before heading down to the venue to greet guests before the ceremony.

As the sun was shining, the ceremony was outside today, with Ben & Rhyanna opting for the gazebo. With the guests seated and ready, the ceremony began, and there were some really emotional scenes as Rhyanna and her dad made their way down the aisle to a waiting Ben and his dad as the best man. After the ceremony and a great confetti throw, there was time for everyone to enjoy the sunshine on the expansive patio area before some group photos backing onto the river that runs through the grounds.

Inside the main building, the team had done an amazing job decorating the space. With delicate pastel colours and florals, the whole room just looked fantastic. After their guests greeted the happy couple with rapturous applause, the wedding breakfast got underway. Between courses, Matty Evans, an award winning close-up magician, was on hand to entertain everyone, and he did a fantastic routine for Ben & Rhyanna as the top table looked on in awe - all interspersed with the speeches, which included a photo slideshow of the happy couple growing up.

With the sun starting to go down, I took Ben & Rhyanna out for some couples photos around the grounds. With somewhere like the Orangery, choosing places to utilise can be quite tricky, as there are just so many opportunities for amazing photos! When they were all photo'ed out, we headed back inside to cut their stunning cake and hit the dancefloor. After Ben and Rhyanna had their first dance, Rhyanna's dad had his turn, and it's fair to say there were lots of damp eyes in the crowd.

As the evening started to wind down and with their coverage coming to a close, I decided to set up one last 'wow' photo for Ben & Rhyanna, placing them in one of the large bay doors at the front of the orangery for a great end to their wedding day.

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.