Bank holiday wedding fun - Anna Rainbow Photography

Bank Holiday Magic at Edes House

A perfect day with a little twist

Some days are meant to be party days and this wedding was definitely one of those. We’d planned everything from pre-ceremony family shots in Bishop’s Palace Gardens, to some fun street photography after the couple had said their vows.

The British weather had other ideas.

Black & white image of two grooms standing on steps turned to look at each other

Being flexible makes the world of difference

The original plan was to meet both families in Bishop’s Palace Gardens ahead of an intimate Ceremony at Edes House. These had to be put on hold. The forecast for the day turned from warm and sunny to windy and wet. And let’s face it, if there’s no need to get soaked before you get married, not ruining your wedding suits is definitely the best option.

I knew the couple was staying locally, so jumped straight on to a call with them and pivoted our plans. Gone were the pre-ceremony portraits, but with available time a couple of days later, we agreed to meet then. It was such a great decision and I’m so grateful they were happy to give up their time to get the best photos.

Such an emotional day

In spite of the unpredictable weather, this was a super happy day. The couple decided to keep their wedding suits a secret from everyone. Again not the original plan. Both their families gathered in the ‘golden’ Richmond Room ahead of the ceremony. Once everyone was seated, the Registrar welcomed the grooms into the room. Cue happy tears and a few blown kisses as they walked up the aisle.

It was an emotional ceremony with both grooms reading very personal vows to one another. Their young nephews had the very important role as ring bearers and they did a brilliant job.

Young boy bringing wedding ring up to the groom

Family reception

Ceremony complete, hugs all round and the newly weds headed downstairs for a short reception in the main hall. Calls we made to grandparents overseas to share the happiness and show off their new wedding rings.

We got lucky for a few moments during the reception to gather everyone together for a few formal group shots outside. The rain had finally passed so we made the most of it. Once again the youngest stole the show

young boy running in front of the camera, everyone laughing

Then the magic happened

It’s fair to say that in the UK, couple portraits are often limited to minutes not the hours photographers get in the US or Australia. Being able to move the couple’s portraits to a different day was really exciting. Add to that, they were happy to go with some of my more creative ideas. We had so much fun. We returned to Bishop’s Palace gardens to get some formal moments. Then I asked them to simply be themselves and ignore my camera and they totally took me at my word. The results are my most favourite unformal, formal portraits.

The love they both have for each other is totally natural and having an hour of their time without any time pressure meant we could really enjoy ourselves.