Hotel du Vin, Poole in Dorset

Hotel du Vin is a fairly new addition to the harbour area of Poole in Dorset. I was visiting for a small family wedding, with the bride and groom keen on reportage photography. This warm family wedding also featured a  second day on Brownsea Island, for a larger group of  friends and family (read more about this day here).

A Lucky Break with the Weather

Rain had been forecast, but thanks to a bit of luck the only things that fell from the sky were rays of sunlight. The bride and groom had two private rooms at their disposal, and a courtyard which was partially covered by a Millennium Dome type canvas (That’s a terrible and very inaccurate description to use!)

Due to the weather this is were most of my photographs were taken. I really had a photographers smile throughout.If the forecast rain had materialised,  the aforementioned rooms would have been harder to work in due to their cosy lighting and small size.

Discrete Wedding Photography

Later in the evening dinner was served, and I photographed the speeches and post-dinner moments. The room was candle lit, not photographically friendly, but perfect for the relaxed mood. With the small group size, I set my stealth abilities to full – not using flash was key to this.  Such environments are technically difficult to work in , but exactly the type of scenario where a professional photographer can really prove their worth.

Which raises an interesting point – always ask a photographer if they can work without flash – if the answer is a straight no, alarm bells should ring.  As I would argue this is a key skill any photographer should possess.

Further Information on Weddings at Hotel du Vin

Hotel du Vin own a chain of Hotels around the UK, although I’ve only visited their Hotel in Poole. You’ll find more information, and photographs of these on their website http://www.hotelduvin.com