Brighton Pangdean Wedding | Nat & Ollie
Although it seems like absolute eons ago (thank you Covid), I met Natalie and Oli at their wedding venue, Pangdean Barns in Brighton, for their engagement shoot. Ollie was sporting an incredible black eye courtesy of a football injury that week. Here’s a flashback from that session in 2019!
The Preparations:
Due to the various lockdowns that have plagued our recent years, Nat and Ollie postponed their Brighton Pangdean Wedding until 2021. Thankfully, the celebrations were in full flow when their day finally arrived!
The difference in preparations between Natalie and her bridesmaids and Ollie and his groomsmen was hilarious! As you can see here, while the girls were in synch with hair, make-up and bubbles, the boys were in full on chill and drink mode! I do love capturing all those little details that make up the final outfits midst the chaos of a busy preparation time!
It’s incredible how fast the time comes when it’s finally time to put on your wedding day outfits. Hair and make-up is complete, deodorant applied, aftershave spritzed! All those plans are ready to come together.
I think you’ll agree how stunning Natalie looks in her Fross wedding dress, and how dapper Ollie is in his suit… thankfully minus a giant shiner this time!!
Due to renovating their home (remember how so many of us took on big lockdown projects!) Natalie was getting ready at her bridesmaids house, while Ollie was at his groomsmens pad. When Natalie’s dad arrived, it was a great opportunity to capture him seeing his beautiful daughter for the first time. She looked absolutely stunning, perfectly befitting their Brighton Pangdean wedding. I love how coordinated and stylish both the bridesmaids and the groomsmen are! It’s always important to get those shots that are instagram ready too!!
The Ceremony:
Pangdean Barn is located in the midst of the downs in Brighton. It’s a truly beautiful venue in the most stunning of settings. The venue have nailed the art of hosting weddings… they are so accommodating and flexible, ensuring that the needs of the couple are catered for. They are also so welcoming to us as suppliers every time we have shot there. Always going above and beyond, resulting in a perfect day for all.
I especially love the grounds and garden games that are on hand… you can never be too old to have a game of Connect 4 or a cheeky cruise on the go carts!! Seeing all the guests arrive and marvel at the venue whilst sipping on a cold glass of bubbles brings the start of those butterflies (that I’m sure most wedding photographers have), where the much anticipated action is about to start! Cue the arrival of the bride and it’s all systems go!
Being a Brighton Pangdean wedding photographer, isn’t just about capturing the epic shots, it’s about the small and intimate moments too. Just before Natalie was about to make her entrance, Ollie and his brothers spent some time with their mum who was unwell. It was so endearing to see these moments of tender love and care.
Pangdean Barn has the flexibility of offering both an indoor and outdoor ceremony space. In the height of summer, outside was the way to go here. I often shoot with a second photographer to be able to capture moments from a variety of angles. This certainly helps too when one of us find ourselves a little stuck and unable to move positions without disrupting the ceremony! Our main goal is to be as unobtrusive as possible whilst shooting a variety of perspectives.
Once the groomsmen had ensured Ollie was looking ship-shape, and the rings were definitely there, the ceremony was good to go! Preceded by her bridesmaids, Natalie glided down the aisle to her besotted looking groom. A wonderful ceremony filled with joy and laughter. How wonderful for all to witness Natalie and Ollie tie the knot after the long period of lockdowns and postponements. How else to celebrate this new union with an explosion of confetti as they walk back down the aisle as Mr & Mrs!!
The Portraits:
The next order of the day was drinks, canapes and some family group photos! As the sun was high and hot, we picked a spot under a shady tree to protect everyone from the harsh elements… there is another reason for avoiding the high sun. Although it may be wonderful to feel the sun and its warming tingle on our skin, when it comes to group shots it can actually be quite unflattering to have everyone squinting to avoid the brightness. Also, the contrast between the highlights and shadows is far more extreme. We save those creative camera settings in the high sun for when it’s just the couple, getting the brightness working in our favour!
The guests dutifully played, drank and socialised to Tobias’ crooning while we set to work. There was entertainment a plenty to keep their friends and family occupied, so we nipped off to spend some time with Natalie and Ollie and the fabulous car they had hired for their day! We even managed to convince the driver to bring it up the hill so we could capture the grounds and scenery in all its glory!
Once the car continued on its merry way, it was time to focus on just Natalie and Ollie, back in the place we had earmarked all that time ago during their engagement shoot! With a view like this, it seemed a waste not to use it for some newlywed portraits! Summer flora was in high bloom and the rolling hills in the background did not disappoint!
On our way back down the hill to the barns for their wedding breakfast and speeches, we couldn’t resist one more cheeky set of portraits outside the the different backdrop of the rustic barn!! I love how varied we can be in capturing the newlywed portraits, and the Brighton Pangdean wedding venue certainly lends itself to those opportunities. The nature of these frames made me think of the fun had in photobooths when your strip of film came out of the bottom!!
The Wedding Reception:
Pangdean Barn has a great seating area for the wedding breakfast. Filled to the rafters with fairy lights coiled around the beams. The guests dining together on well dressed round tables. Everyone in prime position to watch the groom get thoroughly roasted by his best men!!! What more could you want??!! Oooodles of bubbly, that’s what… and it was certainly delivered!
After the ties were loosened, and inhibitions lowered by a few measures of carefully curated shots and drinks, we were able to encourage the bridal party out for a few portraits using yet another area of the grounds. The industrial barn backdrop!! By this point, these guys were hilarious!! Herding cats is probably a good comparison…. full of giggles and mischievousness, it was a really fun filled part of the day! As you can see by the way the bridesmaids had hold of Ollie, they were taking no prisoners!! The guests had also continued to be on fine form as they carried on celebrating!
Natalie wanted a shot with her Hen-Do girls (including the mask of their friend who was unable to make it due to having Covid) It quickly got out of hand, but don’t worry, no hens (or grooms) were harmed in the making of these images!!
The evening went off to a bang with Tobias and the Hustlers performing! The dance floor was pumping after Nat and Ollie’s exquisite first dance. The band definitely brought the party tunes to the stage! The tie around the head shot epitomising the evenings events…. sadly our time was drawing to an end, but we left safe in the knowledge that the party would continue long into the night.
Natalie and Ollie completed their wedding photography collection with an Italian handmade album by Graphistudio. As I’ve perhaps mentioned before, all my couples will receive an album, afterall, an image remains an image until its printed… only then it becomes a photograph….
For Nat and Ollie, we personalised the box and album cover using their colour theme of the day with rich burgundys and blues and a stylish maple finish. Something that they can continue to treasure and look back on with the best of memories.
Thank you so much Natalie & Ollie for having us capture your day! We had an incredible time and are so glad that despite the lockdown setbacks leading up to it, your wedding day was in no way restricted or compromised when it finally came!
Brighton Pangdean Wedding | Nat & Ollie
Venue: https://www.pangdean.com/
Wedding Dress: https://www.frossweddingcollections.co.uk/
Rings: https://www.rtfj.co.uk/
Band: https://www.instagram.com/tobiasratcliffe/?hl=en
Flowers: https://www.lydiedaltonfloraldesign.co.uk/