The Green - Hannah & Alex

I love seeing the new year in and reflecting on the one that has just passed. Granted, some are easier to say farewell to than others but nothing quite gleans hope and happiness like getting married and then seeing the new year in! This is exactly what Hannah and Alex did this New Year at The Green, Cornwall.

There are so many spaces at The Green that can be used for getting ready, the cottages, the main house and also Preen at the Green, a recently renovated shepherds hut which is purpose build for your hair and make up artist to get to work in. Hannah was hiding in the main house and preparations were well under way when I arrived. I have known Hannah and Alex for a couple of years and have also bumped into them at various other weddings and through mutual friends. I felt as though I was greeting old friends when I arrived and got straight to work snapping all of the details, big and small. 

I like to catch some landscapes of the venue on the morning of the wedding as well as some of the interiors that have been set up and that make this wedding uniquely yours; before anyone touches any of it; before it is meddled with and moved or changed. This way you can see that your perfect vision became a reality and you will have that lasting keepsake of your vision come to life.

There were plenty of details to photograph and keep me busy as well as Alex getting ready on site too. This is always the perfect scenario for me as capturing some of these moments helps me to tell the story of the build up to the ceremony in the wedding galleries that I deliver. If you are not both getting ready on site, do not fear! I often advise the ‘other half’ to save some of their getting ready details until they arrive at the venue and we schedule in some time for this before they get to official wedding duties. For example, button holes are a great idea to save for this moment. It gives me a chance to photograph you doing something from which I can get a set of natural getting ready photos! Granted, 90% of weddings I photograph I end up actually pinning all of the button holes anyway..I should have 'Professional Button Hole Pinner' on my CV!!

Hannah took a short while with just her daughter to get ready. I love to make sure there is time for this, especially if the children are younger and have just been swept along with the bustle of the preparations. It gives mum a chance to slow down and just appreciate what a moment and a day this is. To make the little ones feel like a princess too and to get some one on one time with mum who has most likely been very busy with hair and make up and other last minute details. And of course, the photos are some of the most precious that will be captured on the day.

Hannah and Alex’s ceremony was beautiful. The wedding barn is such a romantic setting at The Green, complete with fairy lights and lace drapes to add to its wistful atmosphere. One of the things that The Green insist upon (as well as many other venues) is confetti must be thrown inside or you can use an alternative in the outside spaces. In the past I have seen pom poms, ribbon wands and bubbles being thrown or waved instead of confetti and all of these work incredibly well. Hannah and Alex opted for indoor confetti and followed one of the tips that I dish out in my Welcome Guide (sent out once your deposit is paid and your date is secure). They had the best confetti; paper circles and lots of it! Other than Alex getting a really good mouthful of it and making Hannah laugh most of the way back down the aisle, I also got some crazy good photos and genuinely, I am always super glad when a couple follow that tip (and so are they once they see the photos!)

The reception took the general format of greeting guests, group shots and then I managed to get some family shots of Hannah and Alex with their two children and their dog, Bella. I always suggest this as it really is one of my favourite parts, to get some photos of the whole family together. I understand the strains of photographing small children and animals and so it is always very low key; we just go on a walk and do lots of talking and smiling while I snap away and get lots of great relaxed and natural shots. It works every time!

We opted to cut the couples shoot slightly shorter than I usually would take. This was for two reasons. Firstly, it was bitterly cold and while Hannah looked incredible in a lace jacket that she had bought (on a whim) to match her dress, we were all starting to feel the effects of that bitter moorland chill, despite the still blue, sunny sky. We had also planned to get some more shots later after the wedding breakfast and speeches in The Really Rustic Barn. I love this space at The Green. It is literally what it says on the label but just so much more beautiful than you could imagine. I think almost every time I have walked in there with someone who hasn’t yet seen it, their response has been ‘wow’. And it really is a wow! Festoon lights draped from corner to corner. Rusty corrugated walls which glow in the haze of the lights. You can choose to get married in this room but often it is saved for photos on a cold and rainy day, just like it was on Hannah and Alex’s wedding. 

I had seen a fun and cheeky side of the couple during the couple shots and also in the speeches. Alex did admit to me at one point in the day that he cant take anything seriously and there were a lot of laughs at key points throughout the day. I decided to take advantage of this and make this photo session of the couple a little more fun and upbeat. Along with playing around with some different light set ups, we got some music on the go and the two of them danced, swirled and swayed their way across the barn, laughing with almost every step (despite Alex’s quite painful slipped disk!!) The photos are great and show a different dynamic of the newlyweds on their day and what a fun way to end a New Years Eve wedding!