Farbridge Wedding Photographer | Natasha & Neale
You may remember the Pre-wedding shoot I did with Natasha & Neale at Petworth Park? I spent much of the time not believing the little specs in the distance were indeed hundreds of deer, until we got closer and I had to concede that Neale’s eyes where indeed better than mine! Here’s a link back to that shoot…
I first met Natasha and a big gang of her girlie friends at a wedding fair put on by The Bridal Planners, which is a great online resource for those planning their wedding. We arranged to meet up pretty soon after to have a more indepth chat about the wedding she was planning with Neale. Wedding fairs are great to meet people and get an initial feel, but there’s nothing like taking your time over a cuppa or a glass of vino to really ascertain if you are a fit for eachother.
Natasha and Neale chose Farbridge, near Chichester as their wedding venue. It really is a stunning location. With views out to the South Downs of a landscape that changes with the seasons, as well as a perfect blend of traditional barn settings with a modern contemporary look, you’d be hard pushed to find something you didn’t like. What really sets this apart is that there are also rooms available for guests, not just the one main Bridal Suite. The Bridal Suite is, however, absolutely gorgeous. Natasha & her ladies got themselves primped and made up there, Hollie Turner being the incredible Make-Up Artist. There was plenty of room for all and enough variety to ensure the girls could take their selfies in good light, even if it meant the help Natasha had to get into her Wedding Dress was left up the only man in the room! Natasha’s wedding dress was a full Princess style gown from Proposals in Chichester. It fit like a glove and looked beautiful on her.
While the girls were getting ready there was plenty happening elsewhere. Caroline from Nordic Twigs was busy preparing an abundance of floral displays, while The Toast Events wrestled in a heavy, bespoke wooden arch they had created for the wedding ceremony, which would later be part of Natasha & Neale’s garden furnishing. The team at Farbridge were setting up the main hall and ceremony room, which was also adorned with a cake display created by one of their friends Gill. Neale added a number of creative, personalised touches before dashing off back home to retrieve the rings that had been forgotten! We made sure Natasha was oblivious to this minor detour!!
Neale and his best Man Dan wasted no time in getting their suits on and hot-footing it to the ceremony room ready for the arrival of the Bridal Party. The colour theme was a lovely soft sage green and pastel pink, which complemented the soft colours in the flowers and greenery throughout. The girls looked beautiful as they paraded down the aisle to Neale, as he waited patiently.
After the ceremony, the guests enjoyed the lovely outdoor space which, in the height of a summers day, was lovely and warm! With drinks flowing, canapes seemingly never-ending and lawn games for all, it was a lovely spot to create some portraits previously requested by Natasha and Neale without taking them too far from the party! While the guests were ushered into the Main Hall to be seated for the wedding breakfast, we used a few moments to take some portraits of the Newlyweds before they made their grand entrance.
It is lovely to see the individuality put into each wedding. As a Farbridge Wedding Photographer covering Surrey and Hampshire as well as Sussex, you see a lot of variety and unique spins in the way the day is presented and ordered. Here, rather than starting with the meal, Natasha and Neale walked in together to cut the cake first before diving straight into the speeches. I have to say, Neale’s rendition of how Natasha “wooed” him after meeting at Sheiks Nightclub one Christmas weekend had us all in stitches!! Needless to say, Natasha got exactly what she wanted, but it made for the most hilarious story. Dan, the Best Man didn’t go easy on Neale either! I’m not sure its a wise thing for a camera to be brought on a stag do….
Farbridge served the most delicious meal of chicken and vegetables cooked perfectly and finished with a flavoursome jus. The team there really do look after all the guests that are being catered for, and the service providers like myself, the videographer, DJ etc. It’s a real treat to shoot there.
The interim time after the meal, before the evening party really kicks off, is a perfect time to pop away for some quick portraits with the couple. Natasha and Neale had always known that they didn’t want a zillion formal group shots, but rather just ensure them, their immediate family and bridal party were captured intentionally, the rest being candid and documentary style. This is a great way to capture the vibe and flow of the day without spending too long keeping guests waiting for “their turn in a shot” but still ensuring those important portraits aren’t missed either.
On my rece of Farbridge I had noticed near the disused dairy (which is a popular photo spot) was another derelict space. I fell in love with it and knew we needed to make some time to take Natasha & Neale up there. Thankfully, the rest of the Bridal Party hadn’t quite started hitting the tequilas so were up for it as well. The light was just perfect, my second shooter, Lee, and I split up while there so we could work on double the amount of combos at the same time. We are always aware that most bridal parties would rather be back at the bar or hitting the dancefloor than spending too long having their photo taken!
For this image below, I just wanted to do an edgier edit of one of the portraits. I just loved the juxtaposition of this beautiful couple in all their finery, alone, in the midst of a disused and derelict space. The love they have for one another surpassing surface beauty, enduring through cracks, bumps and hurdles. Exactly what marriage is about.
All said and done, however, a Farbridge Wedding Photographer cannot fail to include the natural beauty of the location itself. The rolling hills as the sun lowers in the sky, the green land, pastures and fields in the distance. All creating the beautiful Vista that is the Farbridge Estate.
The evening party continued with music from Epic Lyte Sound, Mike spinning the tunes on the decks and guests enjoying the last of the warm sun. It became apparent that Lee’s beard had also attracted a lot of attention, many guests wishing to pose with him and his beard (it is a very nice beard!)
Natasha and her Dad kicked off the dancing with a lovely Father/Daughter dance, before Neale joined for some quick moves! It wasn’t long before the rest of the party joined on the dance floor!
As the moon rose from behind the hill, we left the newlyweds to the last part of their celebrations and started our processes of backing up and importing the images. The editing process is just as important part of the job as the planning, prep and shooting. It’s so important to know that the images you deliver to the couple are the best document of their day. All of my photography collections include an album. On this occasion Natasha and Neale had toyed with the idea of having their images printed on Fine Art Paper or Deep Matte (depending on the album style). When they came over to discuss specifics so I could start the design, I recall Neale saying he remembered the album that contained everything printed (The Duet) and he knew he didn’t want that. With a subtle arch of Natasha’s brow we looked at the options….
Naturally, Natasha & Neale chose to upgrade to The Duet!! An A4 30pg Fine Art Young Book containing just their portraits plus a 100pg Primo Book, a magazine style A3 album, containing every element of their day. A true story telling album. The albums sat together in a colour coordinated Design Box, finished with an ennoblement on the lid which I designed around their wedding invitations. As you may know, for me a photograph is not a photograph until it is printed, so having the whole day in a tangible, hard copy form is always the best option in my opinion. Something to treasure forever. A digital image is similar to a negative from a film. A back-up of the photo you truly value. Something to post on Facebook, or email your Australian Aunt.
Once you include the extra Parent Copies of the Primo, Design Boxes to house them and some Fine Art framed prints for gifts and their home, Neale certainly did get everything printed (but I have a sneaking suspicion Natasha knew that would have been the case all along!)
It has been so lovely to have got to know Natasha and Neale further, as the journey from choosing their photographer to receiving their photographs took it’s time over the year or so. I feel like I have genuinely made new friends! I’m really looking forward to seeing the next stages of their life together and hopefully photograph some babies in the next couple of years!!
Big Love,
xX Fiona Xx
FionaMillsArt | Photography | Farbridge Wedding Photographer