The Ravenswood Hotel

I visited The Ravenswood Hotel back in March, when the forecasters were hyping about how warm and sunny the  summer would be.  I  want a refund for the disappointment dropped on me when they changed their minds. I probably talk about the sun and the rain too much, but it’s a large deciding factor in how I work. In this case, the wedding at Ravenswood was unfortunately a rainy affair.

Jazz and rain

When I visited the Hotel prior to the wedding there was a jazz lunch event on, which apparently this Hotel is famous for. I saw little of the surrounding grounds because, like the wedding day itself, the rain was falling like stones. However,  Photographs of the grounds can be found on the Hotel’s website

Inside Ravenswood

The wedding was held in a large octagonal hall at the centre of the hotel. Despite the rain the abundance of windows gave me plenty of light to work with, and so I didn’t need to use flash. As I was enjoying the light, the poor Bride had about 10 metres to dash from her car to the hotel entrance, thankfully a  network of umbrellas gave her an effective rain shield.

After the wedding a drinks reception was held in a smaller room, complete with a staircase and large fireplace. This room was, as I often say, “lit in a cosy way” which is my language for a photographers nightmare.  As a result I used a number of wireless flashes in this room, which helped me keep mobile and out of the way as much as possible.

This smaller room was very much used as a stop-gap, so that the Hotel could convert the main hall for the evening function. By this stage the windows provided only a moonlit scene, so I again used numerous wireless flashes strategically placed throughout the room.

Further Information

You may have found your way onto the Ravenswood Hotel website earlier with the photograph link, if not you can find it here: The Ravenswood Hotel.

The Fennes Wedding Venue

The Fennes is a Georgian Manor House in Essex, just outside Braintree.  Like many country venues,  you’ll get exclusive use of the venue by default. So you’ll avoid having awkward moments of “is this person a long lost aunty?”

My orders for this wedding put me in my preferred working style – staying subtle and blending into the background as much as possible. I also only photographed in black and white, which was brilliant as I’m a massive fan of this style of image!

The interior of the house is quite small, the front only consists of two small rooms. To the rear, a semi-permanent and seamless marquee is the main space for the wedding and wedding dinner.

Rain and Photography

As we discovered on the day, this small space can be a problem if the rain strikes! After the main wedding ceremony, a small army deploys to work on transforming the marquee area into a dining venue. Unfortunately during this period, there was nowhere to go apart from the front rooms, which were cramped. To be honest, from a guests point of view this lack of space is unlikely to be a problem. From a photographers point of view though, it was very difficult to move around. I love to fade into the wallpaper and let weddings flow without having to navigate through conversations, so my flow was subdued somewhat for 20 minutes.

And once we were able to enter the marquee – the sun came out!

Since The Fennes is out of my usual zone of Hampshire Venues, I won’t go into massive detail. But if you would like to know more, I’m happy to answer any questions you have. Get in touch!

The wedding venues website is: http://www.fennes.co.uk/

A Wedding at Langrish House

Wedding venues love to claim they’re “unique” but I usually raise a cynical eyebrow when I hear it. If you feel the same way, let me justify my view that Langrish House is worthy of holding the title of a “unique” wedding venue.

Candle-lit Vaults

The venue is owned and run by the Talbot-Ponsonby family, which I think makes a massive difference in general attention to detail. It also features a “vault” under the house, which was used to hold prisoners during the English Civil War. The vault has a spooky feel to it, especially when lit by candlelight. My imagination took me down the haunted route (who knows?), but I’m not setting the best picture here! Add some wine and nice food, and the spooky-ness will soon warm to an intimate and cosy atmosphere.

In a way, I was actually sad when it didn’t rain on the day, because the vaults use became redundant; as everyone spilt outside to enjoy the sun. Rarely will you find a venue with such an interesting “if it rains” option.

Langrish House

The house itself a relatively small country hotel, with a highly rated restaurant attached (2 AA Rosettes) . It successfully hits the sweet spot between being homely and being in a hotel. More precisely, you don’t feel like you’re intruding into someone’s private life nor do you feel like a processed name on a list. The history of the house and the Talbot-Ponsonby family are referred to throughout, with the occasional historical artefact and newspaper cutting.

Outside you’ll soon make friends with the numerous chickens running around the spacious grounds. The hotel staff  “de-chicken” the front lawn to make sure it’s wedding friendly. What exactly this involves, I never asked – however chicken is on the menu!…

If you venture beyond this front lawn area, you’ll have to watch your step, as from time to time your feet may encounter a chicken “surprise”.

The Talbot Room

Weddings are held within the Talbot Room, which can easily be divided in two, depending on the size of your wedding. The larger section contains a balcony overlooking the lower level. This type of height is always useful from a photography perspective. And from a party perspective it also serves a role – as the all important bar area.

An All-Weather Venue

There’s no way of covering it up : rain is never welcome at a wedding.  However, should inclement weather strike, I would definitely want to be photographing a wedding at Langrish house. The photographic potential of the interior would warm the mood. It’s the type of place  where it would be nice to sit and enjoy some wine, whilst the rain soaks the unlucky chickens outside!

Further Information

Further information on Langrish House can be found on their website: http://www.langrishhouse.co.uk

If you would like any further information from me, either ask below or send me an email.

My relaxed approach to wedding photography allows you time to enjoy your day without hassle.

Thanks to my reportage style, I can take photographs that embrace the personality and emotions of everyone at your wedding. This approach removes the need for formal and group photographs, so I can work without disrupting or disturbing your day.

Prices

Currently. I offer a unique wedding photography package. This gives you the freedom to use your wedding photographs as you like. There is no need to pre-pay for albums or prints.

• Photographic coverage – from morning preparations until the end of your wedding speeches.
• Two personalised DVDs or CDs of your wedding photographs (see below).
• A DVD/CD Album (as below).
• Edited digital photographs at full resolution, which you can print to your hearts’ delight – and at no extra cost.
• Black and white and colour photographs.
• Piece of mind organisation, from a photographic plan to scouting of your wedding venue.
• Your own online, and password protected, viewing gallery.

For this service I charge £1000.

This price applies for wedding photography in Hampshire and Berkshire, but I often move beyond these counties at no extra cost. Every wedding varies, so I’ll do my best to deliver an ad-hoc service to you. For example I can also cover your evening celebrations after the speeches.

> Additional Information <

Professional Photographic Prints

These are often offered by wedding photographers as an additional extra, with premium prices that don’t match quality. Photographs are simply printed by high-street printers rather than professional labs. And yet you’ll pay a professional price.

Please avoid paying extra for this. With my services you are able to print and share your wedding photographs as much as you like, without any extra cost. That includes your friends and family.

Wedding Album Design

Due to demand, I now offer premium quality, hardback photo books, produced by Loxley Albums. These products are only available to professional photographers, so unlike prints they cannot be purchased on the high street. I charge a small fee for album design on top of the cost of production.

Flexibility

No wedding is the same, so if you have any particular requirements or requests, I am happy to try and accommodate them. If they are beyond my capability, I will try to help you find someone who can help.

Questions or Enquiries?

If you have any questions you can email me at Alex@afweddings.co.uk or phone me on 0118 9814117. You can also use the contact form on this website.