Eastington park summer wedding
Eastington Park is a one of my favourite wedding venues to photograph in Gloucestershire. It’s situated just off the motorway so it’s really easy for your guests to get to, and it’s surrounded by acres of parkland so there’s so many options for outdoor ceremonies, family wedding portraits and of course - couple portraits.
I had the privilege of visiting Eastington Park one sunny day in July this year to photograph Chloe & Alex’s wedding which had the most gorgeous, classy monochrome styling. Every little detail had been considered and it was such a joy to photograph.
Bridal Prep
One of my absolute favourite parts of Eastington Park, is the fact it has a wedding suite which has two rooms, one for getting ready where all the mess and bags can be stowed away, and one for wedding photos, which is beautifully decorated and kept clear for gorgeous photos. This made the perfect backdrop for Chloe as she read her letter from Alex and saw to those final touches with her mum before her bridesmaid reveals. Having a clear getting ready space really does make all the difference for wedding photos and this layout made it so easy for the bride to get the photos she wanted.
Outdoor Ceremony
You know how I love to photograph a wedding ceremony outdoors. If you venue has such gorgeous surroundings, why wouldn’t you want that as your backdrop for vows? With the sun shining through the trees, the outdoor ceremony at Eastington Park, nestled within their grounds, was just dreamy and I had plenty of room to dart about the wedding guests to get candids, bride and groom reactions to seeing each other and nuptials without blocking anyone’s view as there’s so much more space when you’re outdoors. Not to mention the natural light available really helps those wedding photos to pop. Just look at Alex’s reaction to seeing his gorgeous bride walking through the trees towards him!
Group Portraits
After the wedding ceremony, which took place in Eastington Park’s grounds, the couple and their guests spread out around the venue for cocktail hour whilst we found a lovely shady spot for family portraits. I try to plan out family portraits with my couples ahead of their wedding day so we can have a clear list. This makes them a lot less stressful and means the couple have control over how long they’re stood for photos! I tend to recommend between 6-10 groups to allow you a good amount of time left for enjoying your cocktail hour and couple portraits.
As you can see below, I love to do a mix of formal family portraits, and some more fun, candid ones. Especially when we’re getting photos of your wedding party.
Couple Portraits
We were so lucky with the weather for this wedding day. It was a sunny day with a clear blue sky, and we got a good amount of shade from the surrounding trees so it wasn’t too harsh. It really was the perfect summer wedding.
The bride and groom had really wanted a mix of natural, candid couple portraits and some more posed, romantic ones. We didn’t have long to capture portraits before wedding breakfast, only 10 minutes, so we kept close to the venue as guests were being seated for wedding breakfast then went out again later for a second second set at golden hour.
Speeches & Reception
The speeches kicked off with an amazing entrance to The Greatest Showman, which had everyone on their feet laughing. There was a mix of emotional sentimental speeches and funny ones, the perfect blend, before starters arrived. Having your speeches before wedding breakfast is always such a great idea as your tables are still looking lovely and fresh in your wedding photos - showing all the hard work that had gone into styling them.
After wedding breakfast, everyone went out to enjoy the last of the sunshine whilst I took the couple out for a couple of golden hour photos before we went back in for an epic champagne tower (cake cut alternative) beneath Eastington Park’s epic staircase and then the dancefloor.
Alex & Chloe decided to go with a DJ set where the couple and guests can each have a turn behind the DJ deck which was SO much fun and it meant the dancefloor was always popping because no one was going to leave the bride or groom raving on their own! Such an amazing idea for a wedding reception!
Eastington Park Wedding Photos
Are you getting married at Eastington Park? I’d love to photograph your wedding! Head over to my contact page to check my availability, or have a look around at my style of photography over on my wedding photography portfolio.
