THE BARN HOTEL WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER
WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY AT THE BARN HOTEL
I was absolutely delighted that Magna and Kevin trusted me to be their Barn Hotel wedding photographer in Ruislip. The Barn Hotel is a luxury boutique-style London hotel. Set in 3 acres of landscaped gardens this picturesque venue is the perfect place for a wedding.
NATURAL RUISLIP WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
A wedding day long in the planning, Magna and Kevin had originally intended to get married in sunny Portugal. Flights had been booked, hotels had been booked, venue had been booked. But you can guess what happened next, the dreaded C***D-19 hit, and everything was off. A Ruislip wedding in April isn’t quite the same as a wedding in the sunny Algarve. It’s colder obviously, it’s more expensive and it’s a touch more urban. But in the end, COVID failed to make an impact, all the main players were there, and Magna’s family brought all the warmth of Portugal with them via their sunny dispositions and Easy Jet. Absolutely lovely people to be in the company of on a wedding day.
The day began in Hayes with the prep photography, arriving to a house full of Magna’s family, and the type of hushed excitement you get on the morning of a wedding. Magna and Kevin got ready just a few doors apart from each other. Very photographer friendly. I approve! Magna looked stunning in her wedding dress, and hints of tears started to appear as her mother fanned out her wedding dress in the living room.
Magna travelled in style to the ceremony in a fully restored vintage Bentley Mark IV from Lux Wedding Car Hire. With the original ebony and burr walnut wood features and luxury ivory interior, it's a wedding car full of character. Arriving at St Raphael Church, the bridal party were running about 30 minutes late but Kevin looked unworried at the top pew. The priest less so. Photographers seem to get the blame if anything runs late but as a documentary wedding photographer 90% of the day is shot as it happens. I don't delay anybody, and well, the photos are just better that way. The priest put myself and the videographer a fair distance from the altar, with the 70-200mm lens coming into it’s own to save the day. I did drift quietly behind the couple for some wider shots. The church had a bit of atmosphere, so I just had to get as many wide shots as I could to mix the coverage up a bit.
SPRING WEDDING AT THE BARN HOTEL
From the church it was onto The Barn Hotel in Ruislip for the wedding breakfast. Kevin, Magna and Maid Of Honour Paula all took turns on the mic delivering some animated speeches before the couple took their first dance to Forever After All by country singer Luke Combs. Magna and Kevin have a love of music and Nashville so as well as signing a book they also passed around a white guitar for guests to sign which was a cool twist. There was also a Portuguese tradition where a guest “robs” the couple of their cake topper after the cake is cut. The couple who stole the topper then give it back next year at the same date to the bride and groom during a surprise dinner.
RUISLIP WEDDING VENUE
The Barn Hotel in Ruislip is a quite secluded wedding venue and you wouldn’t know it from the road but it actually has a total of 73 bedrooms. Modern buildings are in the rear yet don’t interfere with the hotel’s old world charm. It is also home to Hawtrey’s Restaurant home to award winning modern European cuisine. They also serve a wide variety of afternoon tea, and on this Saturday afternoon it was packed with people tucking into smoked salmon and scones with clotted cream. It looked really good! Worth checking out if you are local.
This was my 4th wedding of 2022 in a pretty busy year and spending days with people like this makes it a pleasure from start to finish. Thank you to Magna & Kevin for both for being so great to work with.
If you are looking for a wedding photographer for The Barn Hotel, or any other venue, then please get in touch to tell me about your plans. My style of photography is best described as documentary or candid, which means I do not stop and pose anything but of course you will get group shots. I just want you to get the maximum amount of fun from your wedding day, and enjoy your wedding day with family and friends. Laugh More, Pose Less.
