Confident that if the weather worsened we would be able to travel to the wedding in Hereford in the Landrover rather than by car although it would take considerable more time as its top speed is 50mph at a push! So, upon getting up early on the 22nd we could see there had been no more snow overnight and we travelled to Tristan’s house which is west of Henley with Mark in the Landrover and Tris in his car. On reaching Tristan’s house we decided the roads were much better and there seemed to be less snow the further west we went so we travelled to the wedding in Tristan’s car. It seemed the Thames valley had been worst hit and thankfully we were going to be ok in getting to the wedding.
Upon reaching Eastnor Castle we were met by this magnificent site of a grand building just covered in a dusting of the white stuff. The views were incredible and we just knew this was going to be a fabulous Christmas wedding. With most of the guests travelling from High Wycombe and the Reading area it was understandable that our bride and groom had concerns about them getting there. Not long after our arrival Suzanne, the bride arrived with her family ahead of Kirk who would be arriving later. Suzanne was relieved to hear that everyone who had said they would attend would indeed be there despite the weather conditions. Later in the day we heard stories of guests arriving at 4am in the morning having left their homes at 11pm the previous night! Generally this journey would take about 2 hours from the High Wycombe and Reading area.
Eastnor Castle is a beautiful setting for a wedding and we cannot speak highly enough about the venue or the staff. The grounds offer beautiful views of the Malvern Hills and a gorgeous lake making some unique opportunities for photography. The interior of the castle is lavishly furnished and you are really made to feel welcome and that it is truly yours for the day. Many venues limit the number of rooms the wedding party can use but Eastnor Castle offer exclusive use with people able to relax in several rooms most with large wood fires and large sofas to lounge in.
The ceremony was held in the drawing room before guests followed the bride and groom into the Octagonal room for a drinks reception. Afterwards, we did a few group shots on the grand staircase as it was too cold to take guests outside. Suzanne and Kirk were always up for doing some photographs outside regardless of the conditions. We got this impression from their pre wedding shoot when they turned up in their wellies with their dog Buster! Unfortunately Buster was not there on their wedding day but the four of us ventured out into the cold with Suzanne being especially brave to get some photographs. The light dusting of snow accentuated the landscape surrounding the castle The wedding breakfast was a great success with exquisite food for all to enjoy followed by speeches form Suzannes dad, Kirk, his bestman and then Suzanne who gave a wonderful gift to Kirk.
This amazing day was crowned by fireworks being set off from the far side of the lake with guests watching from the terrace. The fireworks lighting up the frozen lake beneath creating some breathtaking pictures for us and those guests who were taking photographs. From the moment we arrived to when we left we had the time of our lives. The staff were friendly and polite could not do enough to accommodate the guests. We cannot recommend Eastnor Castle enough and certainly hope to get the opportunity to photograph more weddings there in the future.
Here are a few pictures from Suzanne and Kirks wonderful winter wedding!
