Marquee Wedding in West Sussex

11 Jul

What do you get when you mix a Marquee Wedding, a fantastic country church, a rugby-mad groom, a famous tenor from the Royal Opera, some rain, some sunshine, a magical double rainbow and 120 happy people?

You get a fantastic wedding. And I was lucky enough to photograph it. Anna & Seb got married at the stunning St. George's Church in Trotton, West Sussex followed by a marquee reception in a nearby private residence.

“Hi, KevinThey are absolutely fantastic. You are very talented and have managed to capture the day and the feeling. Thank you very very much.”

— Anna & Seb

I've photographed a lot of Marquee Weddings in my time, and each one offers a different angle for me as a documentary wedding photographer.

I try to remain as unobtrusive as possible when shooting. I'm not the kind of photographer who will shoot 10,000 frames at a wedding. Instead, I like to observe and try and make the best use of composition, light and moment to create my wedding pictures.

I started my day with Anna and her bridesmaids (and lovely family Labrador) before heading over to the remarkably beautiful and ancient St. George's Church in nearby Trotton. This is a church with rustic character, and I believe it dates back to Norman times.

The pregnant skies burst just before the ceremony, but almost miraculously, ceased for the crucial times when Anna needed to get from the car to the church. Once we stepped out of the church, the skies were clear (though the moody clouds returned later) and the newlyweds and their guests made the short journey to the marquee. Here I could explore for a couple of hours during the drinks reception before the guests were serenaded by Anna's father, a very accomplished musician, and a tenor from the Royal Opera no less.

There was a very Italian undercurrent to the wedding, and the evening festivities started with some gutsy singing of Italian opera favourites such as O Sole Mio.

Everybody joined in, of course, and there were much foot tapping and napkin swinging.

After dinner, and speeches, my time ended with the First Dance, and I headed off leaving the guests, Anna and Seb in beautiful voice.