Huntsmill Farm Wedding Photography

Last year I had my first experience as a Huntsmill Farm wedding photographer for Charlii & Pete’s big day on a hot and sunny Saturday in June. The weather meant we got the perfect conditions for an outdoor ceremony in one of the most idyllic settings I’ve ever seen for a wedding ceremony. The Shed is nestled amongst the trees with a view across the fields, without any outside noise interrupting proceedings, bar the odd bird song or the rustle of leaves in the breeze. Many venues have a jewel in their crown, the unique thing that sets them apart from other venues and for Huntsmill Farm it’s The Shed. For any couple planning an outdoor ceremony it’s a perfect spot and is licensed for legal ceremonies. Charlii & Pete didn’t need it to be licensed though as they elected to do the official bit a couple of days beforehand. I am a big fan of couples doing this and have written a blog recently about my love of celebrant-led ceremonies. Using a celebrant gets rid of a potentially stuffy and formal ceremony with a registrar and brings the occasion to life with a more personalised ceremony. It also removes a lot of the morning tension, because all the legal faff is out of the way. Charlii & Pete asked family friends to conduct their ceremony. Charlii’s mother had passed away and her best friend and her husband took the ceremony which made it so much more meaningful than using Karen and Sue from the local council. You can read more about my love of celebrant-led ceremonies here. Whether you use a professional celebrant or a friend, I highly recommend them.

Onside accommodation at Huntsmill Farm

Another aspect of Huntsmill Farm which I loved was the amount of on-site accommodation. This meant that key people could stay on site at Huntsmill Farm before and after the wedding and it meant that both Charlii & Pete could get ready there in the morning. This meant coverage of both sides of prep was easy, but also, since so many people were around in the morning, there were lots of little things to document. Such as some of the younger guests watching kids TV and people getting The Shed location ready for the ceremony. I love documenting things like this as it makes for a richer and more diverse set of images. In the years to come when the pictures are what you’ll be using to take you back to the day it’s best to be able to see the complete story, not just the main headline moments. Often the best moments are the ones which come during the quieter or less traditional parts of the day. Being there to capture them is a key part of documentary wedding photography.

A unique wedding at Huntsmill Farm

The day continued with unique themes. Charlii and Pete made sure their Huntsmill Farm wedding was completely tailored to their tastes, from the lego model centre pieces on the tables, to the shoe choices (they both wore flip flops!) everything was customised to reflect them. There were even some board games which kept some guests entertained in between the meal and evening party. As a big game board fan this was an aspect of the day I certainly appreciated. However, my favourite addition to the day was certainly the alpacas. I’ve seen alpacas at weddings twice now and they are always a big hit with guests. They look very smart in their little bow ties. The weather was perfect for an outdoor drinks reception, but I think everyone was glad to get inside to get some air conditioning when it was time for the meal. As is often the case with hotter wedding days, the best weather is in the early evening where the temperature rolls back and everyone can enjoy a drink outside in the sun without an oppressive heat. It’s also a great time for some couple shots, if that’s something the couple want to do. It’s always a good idea to take 10 minutes away from the hustle and bustle of the day, slow down, take it all in and enjoy some time together.

The wedding was rounded off with some dancing and a pizza truck (you can always lure me to a wedding by providing pizza!) before lots of hugs goodbye. I love being at a wedding early and late and I alway encourage couples to book my full day package, this means I can really tell the full story of the day by getting all the little things going on around the main stuff and all the extra bits at either end of the day. I had a second photographer working for me at this wedding, Connor, who was able to get extra angles during the ceremony and cover things like the guest arrivals. This is an option you can add on to your package. Thanks to Connor for his help on the day, a couple of the ceremony and speeches pictures are his. During the speeches having a second meant I was able to stay in one spot in front of the couple at the top table while Connor captured guests and alternate angles.

A huge congratulations to Charlii & Pete. I had such a brilliant day with them and their family & friends and I’m very much looking forward being a Huntsmill Farm wedding phototgrapher in the future.

Here are a selection of photos from their day.