Rita and Stephen | Marrying my Scottish Man | Stoke Rochford Hall | Stoke Rochford, Lincolnshire | 20th July 2019
“I am not kissing you in this car park!”, said Rita. I hear some hilarious stories during the speeches that sometimes it is hard to literally keep focused. Stephen’s son, Charles, narrated this wonderfully humourous, yet romantic story of Rita and Stephen’s first date. Rita and Stephen met on the popular dating site ‘match.com’. Their first date sounded magical and when Charles was explaining their first kiss, the quote from Rita had everyone in stitches. Now, it is time for me to tell you their story in photographs…
They chose the splendid Stoke Rochford Hall which although close to the busy A1 near Grantham, it is tucked away enough from the fast life. On my recce to the venue, the first thing I noticed was the lovely bridge and 2 ruins, which may have been follies. The house itself is marvellous and has the perfect orangery for wedding ceremonies. Exploring further, I decided to let my artistic mind do the work, absorbing all the elements that make the perfect story. It is also necessary to build a connection with the couple too. From their background to the wedding dress itself, it is fundamentally important to understand your couple, even if it includes bumping into each other in the alcohol aisle at Morrisons. I could have 5 weddings at the same venue but the photography style and compositions would be different. Yes, of course, feature the style that defines you, but stylise it to the couple’s vibe. My masterpiece confetti shot was carefully planned to have all the elements of their day; colour, love, fun and detail.
Rita and Stephen are a couple that when I think about them I smile. They made their wedding theirs. From native Scottish thistles to tartan detailing, this wedding also had a lot of hidden details too. Rita’s father sadly passed away, but was with us throughout the whole wedding. A charm was specially made and attached to Rita’s garter. The photos of the rings were positioned in a way that her father’s reflection was on the wedding rings.
Stephen, our Scottish groom from Glasgow is an ex-military officer and his attire was a traditional Scottish one. Kilts and a bagpipe player featured at the wedding. It turns out that George, the Bagpipe player, lives down the road from me! Stoke Rochford Hall actually has a connection with the military. The War Office requisitioned the house in 1940 and become the headquarters of the Second Battalion, the Parachute Regiment.
Stoke Rochford Hall’s natural lighting inside is sublime. The main hall itself has superb lighting for portraiture, which adds depth and mood. The library, where the wedding breakfast was held, had the warm natural light and the magnificent orangery needs no words to describe how wonderful it was. This really is a stunning venue for weddings and still contains enough blank canvas for a photographer to create their own way of telling a story. And so, this is mine…