It is 13th October 2018, on the Norfolk coast, Fleur is enjoying her birthday holiday with our hero Carl. Little did she know that Carl had secretly arranged her family to join her on a surprise birthday celebration. It was on this day that Carl went down one knee and proposed to Fleur with her family present.

Then towards the start of 2019 at a wedding fair in Cambridge, organised by Truly Scrumptious Weddings, a new wedding venue started to get mentioned quite frequently from brides–to–be, The Old Nene Golf and Country Club in Ramsey. The Old Nene is naturally a golf club with a public 9–hole golf course, which is nestled in 88 acres of land. It only recently said “I do” to weddings at the club. With a newly built clubhouse, three specially designed wedding rooms and impressive lodges, The Old Nene started to appear in my bookings. In fact, I had so much interest with this venue that I thought that Fleur and Carl booked me from the wedding fair in Cambridge, but in reality, it was an organic booking.

The next plan was to carry out a recce, to map the venue and to absorb the details. Although the site consists of naturally manicured grounds in pristine condition, it is not a venue for a beginner photographer or for one that relies on a variety of romantic backdrops. The Old Nene predominately has a very green backdrop with plenty of trees. But, as a professional creative photographer, anything is possible. Styles can vary depending on the couple itself and the type of wedding dress. I was very confident with the circuit that I had in mind for my couple’s post–ceremony shoot and where the formal shots would take place. A month before the wedding I met with Fleur and Carl at the venue to run them through the circuit. Their response was simply that they trusted me, and my creativity.

On a very warm, blue–skied wedding day with fluffy clouds, Fleur was getting ready in the Cambridgeshire market town of Ramsey, which is about 5 minutes from the wedding venue. For this new venue, I brought with me two new lenses to further broaden my creative skills. I have lenses that strictly compose and project my artistic visions. It is like having a picture in your head of what the final piece will look like and the lenses literally compose it instantly. Introducing the Olympus 45mm f/1.2 and the Olympus 60mm f/2.8 macro lens. These played an exciting part to the imagery. The rings were already at the bride‘s quarters that morning, so I had time to test the lengths of the macro lens. I had already practiced with this particular lens on spiders and insects with outstanding results. The 45mm lens was played a major part in the preparation shots and was really tested after the ceremony.

Now enough of the geeky part. Another new experience or one that wasn‘t common, was that the groom was the one getting ready at the venue rather than the bride. When I got to see Carl and the boys at the Old Nene, they were just relaxing with a bottle of beer in the hot tub watching the cricket. Weddings are a celebrations and not only does it bring a couple together to commit their hearts to one another, but to bring all those they love closer. The Old Nene was the perfect choice as it was within a heartbeat‘s distance of the people they wanted to share their wedding with. Couple‘s always tell me that it is also vitally important to see their guests having a good time too. Ultimately the bride and groom are having the time of their lives and want to not only have the people they love with them, but to make sure they are enjoying the vibe. After the wonderful ceremony, the procession followed outside for a heart–shaped group shot featuring all the guests. We then proceeded with a confetti shot at the ridge of the lake and then it was showtime for Nikos. The beauty of photography and my personal ethos is simply this; never sacrifice, try all ideas and learn from things that didn’t quite work. However, a good old bricked building never fails either. Then came the willow tree from heaven which was one of my favourite shots of the day. There is also a bridge on the course too, which I decided to approach this at many angles.

I really can’t wait to return to this lovely venue. Treat it like a blank canvas, paint the interior and exterior with your dreams and let the story be told by your photographer…