A gorgeous Hotel du Vin wedding in the lovely Dorset city of Poole. Diana & Tim celebrated their marriage in an intimate ceremony with family and friends, with all of the day’s celebrations based around the hotel and its wonderful accommodation, catering and hospitality. And wine.
The Hotel du Vin in Poole is a superbly located wedding venue, bang in the middle of the old town with all its charms and tucked just around the corner from yachts and cruisers of unimaginable scale down at the harbour. Like all of the hotels in the Du Vin family it’s housed in a beautiful building, and just oozes character and sophistication. Perfect for Diana & Tim’s fab wedding: an intimate occasion with closest friends and family with a big focus on good food, great wines and very good times.
An all-in-one-place wedding, this of course meant I was able to capture it all through the course of the morning: bride, groom, guests arriving… It’s a really lovely, cosy hotel and lends itself extremely well to lounging in the bar or out on the terrace with a pre-ceremony drink. Especially if your speech needs just a touch more work…
The ceremony room at the Poole Hotel du Vin is a lovely space; I love it when venues have rooms with character and interesting features. This was all enhanced with the absolutely stunning floral displays which Diana had brought in for the occasion. Plans and flowers are a big deal for this couple (have a look at the lupins which feature as wedding favours, and the display on the staircase further down in the photos too) and these ones really were beautiful, adorning the mantlepiece above the fireplace and the sills of the large windows. Such a cosy space, and just right for the number of guests. Stopping en route for a couple of photos on that grand staircase (also perfect for sweeping down in a wedding dress with huge veil flowing behind!), guests made their way through the winding corridors and upstairs to take their seats ready for the arrival of the bride…
Immediately after the ceremony, through the grand front entrance for confetti and group photographs on the steps, before heading to the bar and terrace for drinks and canapes. The food, as you would expect, is a particular highlight here, and the drinks speak for themselves obviously. It was a beautifully sunny day – perfect for an hour or two of soaking it all up with glasses of fizz before making our way back upstairs for the wedding breakfast, back in the ceremony room which had now been turned around ready for private dining.
A couple of short speeches, then after the meal and before evening guests arrived I was able to take Diana & Tim out in the evening light for couple portraits in the neighbourhood around the hotel. I spend a lot of time taking photographs with soft natural backgrounds – most of the wedding venues I work at tend to have an abundance of greenery and surrounding countryside – but I do also really enjoy making use of more urban backdrops. The area around the Hotel du Vin in Poole is really charming; when I say urban I’m not exactly talking gritty industrial here. This is all about the close, winding streets, stonework… the old town. There are also trees and grass to be had with a churchyard right on the doorstep and if you feel like something a little different it’s just a few steps down to the waterfront. Loads to work with here photographically – I’d love to come back and do more.
As we moved through into the evening further guests started to arrive, and it was back to the bar for cake cutting and the start of the party.
I really loved photographing this wedding. Diana and Tim were such a great couple, and all their friends and family were so fab – there was just such a nice buzz to the whole day. And what a cracking avenue Poole’s Hotel du Vin is – I’d definitely like to come back here for more. Congratulations to the very happy couple, and wishing you many wonderful years together as husband and wife.
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The photos above are just a small selection from the day. Friends and family can view the full set in the online gallery but you’ll need to ask Diana & Tim for the password first. I hope you enjoyed this little blog post. Be sure to come back soon for more photos from other fantastic real weddings.
Making it happen…
Venue & catering: Hotel du Vin, Poole
Hair: The Industry, Ashley Cross
Florist: Edwards Flowers
Suits: Isobel’s Bridal & Groom
Cake: Patisserie Mark Bennet
If you are currently planning your Poole wedding and would like to know more about my wedding photography services, packages and prices, please do get in touch to check availability and ask me any questions you might have. I’m only too happy to help however I can.
Thanks as ever for reading, and come back again soon for many more photos from many more beautiful weddings!
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