Coombe Lodge - A few words about one of my favorite venues.

I love this venue. I kind of grew up in this area, went to school just a couple of miles away, my mate owns the butchers just up the road in the village - it’s familiar and I love it. I’ve photographed 5 or 6 weddings here over the last few years and I look forward to it every time. The venue has everything you need for the perfect wedding, lots of space but without cavernous rooms that look empty even when 100 people are in them, different backgrounds so all the images don’t look so uniform and shot in one place, a grand piano, an open fire, surrounded by stunning scenery, a walled garden, vintage green houses… I could go on and on, I just love it. The images say it ll really, it’s just perfect.

Even though it is one of the nicest venues, what trumps it all is the way the staff take care of everyone involved at a wedding day. As one of the vendors at weddings I have experienced all kinds of treatment from venues - mostly good to be honest, a few bad ones that I won’t mention, but there are some that go over and above, the guys at Coombe Lodge have done that every time. I really appreciate that. I don’t think you can go wrong booking Coombe Lodge and I can’t wait to come back. Cheers guys!

This wedding was one to remember. It felt like it was just ready to happen, everyone was just up for it, you could kind of feel it. Maybe it’s just a bit like that after lockdowns and postponements etc. Whatever the reason I could just tell it was going to be fun and it was, there seemed to be a lot of energy. A lot of the guests seemed to be Vegan, and the wedding breakfast was Vegan, maybe that was why?.. I did go Vegan for about 2 months and never felt better, should try that again maybe.

Although the wedding had loads of energy there was a lot of intimacy too, lots of small things like the veil ceremony and traditional touches that featured throughout the day.

Ruth and Tom didn’t want much posey stuff, which is what I am all about. I honestly think you get the best images when you capture people being themselves. That’s not to say I don’t get a few shots of the couple of their own, but I’ve not done any more than ask them to “stand over there, face each other and forget about me". It works every time. Sometimes posing comes naturally to people, sometimes not at all, I’m fine either way, but I promise I won’t get you to do a load of stuff your future kids will cry laughing about when they see your wedding photos! To be fair Ruth and Tom could have posed all day long and it would have worked - they just didn’t want to, and didn’t need to. By the way Ruth and Tom have recently had a baby - they look far too good and far too awake for that to be true, but it is! It could be the Vegan thing…

To top off an already fantastic day, I found myself surrounded by some super gifted people,

Florists: www.thewildebunch.co.uk Just stunning.

Videographer: www.cjlfilms.co.uk Great video’s and a super nice chap to work with.

Band: www.velvetsoul.co.uk Filling the floor all night.

The Bravo Singing Waiters: https://www.bravosingingwaiters.co.uk/ These guys should be booked - even if you don’t understand the concept. They are waiters that sing, and it went stratospheric, just book them!

Darren Campbell Magic: https://www.darrencampbellmagic.co.uk/ Mind-bendingly good magician.

Nanny Nutmeg: Taking care of the little guests less interested in wedding ceremonies, but love to play instead: Find her on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/nanny_nutmeg/

All hosted by Coombe Lodge Weddings: https://www.coombelodge.co.uk/weddings/wedding-ceremonies/

It was a good day. Hope you enjoy the images.