Based in Hertfordshire, I shoot weddings across the 3 county area of Herts, Beds and Bucks, well, right up and down the country to be honest! This is the story of Johanna and Sam’s beautiful wedding day at Horwood House near Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire.

Two of the best things about being a Buckinghamshire wedding photographer, are getting to work with lovely couples like Johanna and Sam and getting to capture wedding photography at Horwood House.  Their sunny autumn wedding was a joy to photograph from start to finish.

I started the day catching up with Johanna and her bridal party, who were all getting ready at Johanna’s mum’s house. Bride Johanna is a devoted runner. So dedicated is she, that she had already completed a park run that very morning! WOW! With the long distance running completed, everyone enjoyed a leisurely brunch in the kitchen. There were cards, presents, balloons, co-ordinated pyjamas and a little bit of bubbly to get the celebrations started.  The bridal party consisted of Johanna, her mum, Johanna’s sister and maid of honour, and Johanna’s best friend.  The atmosphere was so chilled out which really shows in the photos. 

Johanna looked stunning in a Jesus Peiro dress that she bought at the Ellie Sanderson Bridal Boutique.  It was a backless dress with delicate lace detail and a beautiful A-line skirt that gave Johanna a stunning silhouette in all of my images.  She wore it with a sheer veil at the back.  Johanna’s hair had been elegantly curled and braided to cascade down her back by hair stylist Amanda from Fountains Hair Salon. Johanna looked the epitome of elegance and really suited her dress.  She beamed with happiness all day.  Us Milton Keynes wedding photographers do love a smiley bride!

Her look was perfectly complemented by a beautiful bouquet of flowers in white and soft blue hues, with pops of gentle pink and green foliage.  The bouquet was the clever creation of Rebecca Marsala who did all the flowers on the day.  The bouquet had two photo charms on it to remember loved ones lost.  It’s always lovely to see those you will miss on the day incorporated into the wedding in this way. The maid of honour and bridesmaids wore elegant baby blue dresses.

Experienced Horwood Hall wedding photographer

Before heading off we got some pictures of Johanna with her gorgeous red setter dog.  Johanna is a vet and her pets are part of the family. We couldn’t leave without making sure that they were featured in the wedding photos!

Everybody then headed to St Lawrence Church in Winslow for the wedding ceremony, with Johanna and her bridal party travelling in a super cool jet-black Land Rover hired from His & Hers Wedding Cars.   

When I got to the church, I caught up with Sam and his grooms party who were all looking very smart in dark blue three-piece suits with grey check waistcoats, baby blue ties and brown brogues.  They were already in the church and in good spirits.  

Now, it’s always lovely to meet up and work with other professionals in the wedding industry. And this is never more so the case than when I work with videographer Kelly Southby who was there to capture the wedding film. We work seamlessly together and even though she is based in Norfolk she works nationwide, just as I do.

The wedding procession started with the maid of honour and bridesmaid, then the sweetest page boy and flower girl who performed their duties perfectly.  Finally Johanna and her dad took to the aisle.  At this point I captured one of my favourite images of the day, it was the look on Johanna’s face when Sam turned and they got their first glimpse of one another.  Here, take a look!

Storytelling wedding photography at Horwood House

Johanna and Sam’s ceremony was so sweet, filled with so many moments of love, emotion and joy.  It was without a doubt my favourite part of their wedding day.  After it, guests lined up outside to congratulate Johanna and Sam and there was a fun confetti moment.   

I then captured some great natural candid images of guests outside the church as well as some group images of the wedding party.  I really love the photographs of Johanna and Sam under her veil, we had such a giggle taking these!

With confetti thrown and our bride and groom thoroughly hugged and kissed by their nearest and dearest everybody headed to Horwood House for the reception, with Johanna and Sam travelling in that impressive Land Rover.

Horwood House is a stunning Grade II listed arts and crafts manor house built in 1911.  Having recently undergone a £6 million refurbishment, it has retained all of its period charm yet offers all the luxury and modern comforts you would expect from a premier wedding venue.     

Its interiors are simply stunning with sweeping staircases, stone fireplaces, chandeliers and beautiful bay lead light windows that flood the rooms with lots of natural light that can be used to create even more beautiful images.  Us Milton Keynes wedding photographers can never have too much natural light!

On arrival we took some images of the wedding party outside the grand entrance of the house, as well as some great images of Johanna and Sam walking along the House’s majestic driveway to greet their guests.  Then everybody enjoyed a drinks reception to live musical entertainment provided by super cool, Jake Mackay.  And as the weather was dry and bright, we were able to take some great images of the wedding party outside in the gardens.  As well as some romantic portrait images of Johanna and Sam, their favourite of the day being this image taken by the fountains with sunlight reflecting through water drops. 

Creative and Natural Milton Keynes wedding photography

The wedding breakfast was held in Horwood House’s lovely Eyre Suite, and Johanna and Sam were welcomed in rapturously by their guests. A delicious wedding meal provided by the talented in-house chefs at Horwood House was served. Dinner was followed with some very well received speeches by Sam, Johanna’s father, the bride herself and her sister, and the best man. The speeches were heartfelt and entertaining, there were real tears and there was hearty laughter throughout the crowd.

After the meal, with guests happily milling about enjoying exclusive use of the house, I gathered Sam and his grooms party in Horwood House’s stylish art deco bar.  I loved supercool images we got that really suited my style of dramatic wedding photography. 

Dramatic wedding photography in Buckinghamshire

Horwood House looks great lit up after dark, so I also took a couple of dramatic images of Johanna and Sam.  I love this style of epic wedding photography, using portable studio flash on location at weddings enables me to create striking and dramatic pictures that couples really love.

Evening celebrations started with the cutting of a delicious three-tiered naked wedding cake that was made by  Jessica Brown's Classic Cakes.  Followed by a romantic first dance for Johanna and Sam, accompanied by live band The City Folk who quickly had the dancefloor filled.  Not that Johanna and Sam’s guests needed much coaxing.  These guys were really up for a party and I took to the dancefloor myself to take some really fun images.  The perfect images to close the story of Johanna and Sam’s amazing wedding day. 

A gorgeous wedding full of love and laughter. Johanna and Sam’s wedding was a joy to capture from start to finish.  I’ll leave the last words to them.  Here’s what they had to say about me.

“Stephen is a great photographer and for somebody that doesn't really like their photo taken, he made us feel so comfortable on our wedding day. He is quick, polite and clever in his shots and you will hardly know he is there. Would definitely recommend him to anybody.”

If you are planning a wedding at Horwood House, at another 3 counties venue, or somewhere further afield, please don’t hesitate to get in touch to discuss how we can create epic wedding photos together!