Rockley Manor Wedding Photography: Lisa, Conor and I first met on Minchinhampton Common for their pre wedding shoot when we had a lovely morning marrying together (no pun intended) the gorgeous location with their charmingly playful nature, willingness to ‘give it a go’ and fearlessness in front of the lens. A heady mix and one that proved to serve us all very well indeed at their Rockley Manor wedding near Marlborough in Wiltshire a few months later. So here goes…
I’m a real sucker for a beautiful house and a great location and Rockley Manor ticks both boxes and then some. I hadn’t shot here before in fact I hadn’t even heard of the place until Lisa’s initial enquiry so I had no idea what Rockley Manor had to offer. Combining extensive grounds worthy of a Constable painting, a secret garden, ponies (how the children love ponies…) with a fabulous barn for both wedding breakfast and evening bash, Rockley Manor was quite special.
The day began in the main house with Lisa and the girls getting ready and seemingly having the house to themselves. Having arrived early, I’d already got lots of pretty shots of the house and gardens prior to wandering up to Lisa’s bridal suite. Given the capricious nature of British weather, Lisa and Conor had contingency planned for an indoor ceremony but as luck would have it we had glorious sunshine and were able to go ahead with their first choice: a pretty portico ceremony with everyone able to enjoy it seated outside.
Following this, everyone made their way around to the back of the house for drinks on the lawn and a game of hoopla or croquet for those with a competitive spirit (quite a few actually). I used this opportunity to prise Lisa and Conor away for twenty minutes or so for some shots of just the two of them with the house providing an impressive backdrop.
Before no time it was on to the wedding breakfast, cake cutting after in the secret garden and then back for the first dance. Now I’ve seen many a first dance, some better than others, but I must say Lisa and Connor’s almost balletic moves were quite wonderful to watch and to photograph. I liked Lisa and Conor instantly when I first met them both months back so I wasn’t surprised at all to see their warmth and good humour permeate throughout their wedding day.
And one final note: if you are reading this blog and are perhaps yet to choose your wedding venue, I should also mention that in Beth, Rockley Manor’s event planner, organiser and person who keeps the train on the tracks, they have a fabulous, professional and charming person at the helm. Apart from looking after me far more than I’m used to, observing Beth run the day was really very impressive indeed and her attention to detail contributed hugely to its success.
I’m done. Hope you like the pics!
