Coltsfoot Country Retreat Wedding, Hertfordshire | Rosie & Adam
The thing I love most about photographing weddings at Coltsfoot is that it’s tucked away in a beautiful part of the Hertfordshire countryside just outside London, but fully contained. You want lovely fields and landscapes? Tick! You want on-site rooms for guests and getting ready? Tick! You want a great space for your ceremony and reception, no matter what the weather or time of year? Tick. Heck, they even have alpacas, should that be your thing! Not only that, but their food is fabulous and the way they help organise the day means that weddings here genuinely run better than a Swiss watch.
This particular occasion was to celebrate the marriage of Rosie and Adam and began with Rosie and her bridesmaids getting ready in Room 6, a large spacious setting perfect for prep photos. I don’t usually start photographing straight away, preferring to introduce myself first and having a little chat with everyone present before getting the camera out. I also generally begin photographing details such as the dress, rings, invitations and other items that are of sentimental value rather than pointing my lens at people, as this gives everyone a chance to get used to me and the click of the shutter, yielding far more natural photos. Rosie was keen to have a ‘first look’ with her dad in the room, so when she was in her dress, I asked him to enter with his eyes closed and open them on the count of three. Meanwhile I angled a floor length mirror at Rosie so I could capture her expression when her father saw her for the first time and it made for a truly emotional moment captured perfectly.
By this stage Adam had arrived at the venue with his party and were settling into a separate annex affectionately known as ‘The Don’. I used some nice soft window light to take some groom prep photos before some beers were consumed and we ventured outside to take a few group photos on the decking and very well groomed lawned area. However, not long after, we were all ushered into the ceremony space with the rest of the guests to await the arrival Rosie and her father, who would be walking her down the aisle.
As ever, the ceremony, the vows and the exchange of rings seemed to pass by in a flash, and once the register had been signed we all headed out to the quiet lane in front of Coltsfoot for the confetti toss. The schedule after this was to take a bit of time out with Rosie and Adam for some couple portraits around the gardens and grounds while the rest of the guests tucked into some drinks and canapés, however, I always like to give the bride and groom 10-15 minutes after their ceremony to mingle, hug and also enjoy a drop of something cheerful before taking them away for their couple photos, even though these rarely take more than twenty minutes or so to achieve. On this particular occasion, Adam had requested additional photos taken during golden hour and, as luck would have it, the early afternoon clouds parted just in time and we did have an absolutely wonderful sunset with gorgeous photos to boot.
Following Coltsfoot’s usual sumptuous wedding breakfast, interspersed with some truly captivating speeches, it was time to venture outside again for the sparkler tunnel. Thankfully, Adam and Rosie had ordered the extra long sparklers with a decent burn time so they stayed lit for a good few minutes - ample time for everyone to get ready and the couple to take their time and pause for a little kiss at the halfway point. Then it was back inside for the cake cutting, first dance and general merriment long into the night.
ARE YOU GETTING MARRIED AT COLTSFOOT COUNTRY RETREAT?
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