An outdoor wedding on the banks of the River Avon, at the edge of the beautiful New Forest. Sopley Mill has a wonderful outdoor ceremony area, tucked away at the far end of the grounds where the island ends. The bride and groom can make their vows surrounded by the most beautiful countryside, with views down the River Avon and across the water meadows. It’s such a lovely, self-contained space which the team at Sopley Mill have carefully developed and maintained, and it’s quite rightly a very popular option not only in the Summer months, but also whenever weather conditions might allow.
Natasha & Aaron took advantage of this set-up for their summery outdoor wedding on a gloriously sunny day, surrounded by friends and family who were really able to make the most of the gorgeous gardens and riverside terrace both for the ceremony itself and the celebrations afterwards. Outdoor ceremonies work so well here in particular because of the way the day flows around the site. With the outside bar opened and ready for action as guests arrive everyone can ease into the day. Upstairs, if the bride and bridesmaids are in the Avon Suite dressing room as Natasha and her crew were, they can keep an eye on all the comings and goings down below…
With guests seated and Aaron stood under the lovely floral arch at the end of the aisle it was time for Natasha to make her entrance on her father’s arm. Bridesmaids first, and one thing to factor in if you are planning an outside ceremony is that you’ll have plenty of time to soak up the walk across the lawns and down the aisle. Make sure you plan your music accordingly – you don’t want to be running out of tunes or quickening your pace when you’re only half way there! Not a problem for Natasha; with a pianist playing the tunes he could keep the music going as long as was needed. And when she arrived to be met by Aaron at the end of the aisle I don’t think I’ve ever seen a couple so happy to see each other.
One of the things I really love about an outdoor wedding ceremony at Sopley Mill is that there is so much space and freedom to move discretely around and capture things from every angle. While I don’t like drawing attention to myself at all when the bride and groom are tying the knot, it’s great when I can cover the occasion with a range of photographs. The set-up here means that I can get photos from the front and down the aisle from the back, with close ups and wide shot on the both the couple and their guests, all while staying tucked away in the background. (Important to make sure that I don’t step too far into the background though, or me and my cameras are going to get pretty wet! It hasn’t happened yet…)
Now officially husband and wife, with vows made, rings exchanged and the register signed, Natasha & Aaron had one last responsibility which was to lead their guests back down the aisle and over the lawn to where the drinks and canapes were waiting and where the celebrations could really begin.
As coverage for this particular wedding was slightly shorter than a full day we had agreed to fit all of the couple photographs in before the meal and speeches (usually I like to get back out with the couple in the early evening, just before the first dance and start of the evening party, when the light is low and glowing golden). Happily we already had the most perfect conditions for couple portraits and made the most of the sunshine and some soft cloud cover to capture our portraits as the rest of the guests made their way upstairs for the next part of the day – lots of laughter and a few teary eyes through the speeches and a total buzz through the room for the rest of the day to come.
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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 Natasha & Aaron 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: Sopley Mill (prep, ceremony, reception)
Decorations: Simply Flower
Hair & Make Up: Hair and Bloom
Live Music: Piano Hedgehog
Catering: Idelica
Drinks: Tom’s Bars
If you are currently planning your outdoor wedding at Sopley Mill 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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