Royal Crescent Hotel Wedding Photographer

Here is an intimate outdoor covid-secure wedding at one of Bath’s most prestigious locations: The Royal Crescent Hotel. The setting is world-famous for its magnificent sweeping architecture by John Wood which attracts tourists year-round. Pass through the hotel’s Bath stone entrance and you are transported to the hidden garden beyond.

Natalie and Tom chose this stunning location for their summertime wedding and were adamant that covid was no longer going to spoil the show! With guests numbers limited to 30 at the time, it proved to me once again that weddings don’t need to be grand events where vast sums of money are spent. Weddings should be treasured for what they are truly about: the commitment and celebration of two people joining together in legal union. What this pandemic has brought home to me is that no matter what is going on in the world, love will always prevail. Weddings may be under the cosh at the moment, but I know that there will be a time when we are able to celebrate and come together without fear. The parties, large gatherings and simple human contact will be with us again. For now, make the most of what you have and if you do choose to get married now, know that it will still be amazing!

Ok, that’s enough of my thoughts, back to the wedding itself! The girls got ready at Natalie’s family home with makeup handled by the awesome ByAnnabella (read her guest post here about choosing the right makeup artist) and hairstyling by Abigail Constanza. Tom was in place welcoming guests (check out that dog face mask!) at the Royal Crescent Hotel and the decision to hold the ceremony outside was touch and go at one point, but the rain held off and it was go go go!

Natalie and her mum made their entrance accompanied by the delicate melodies of harpist Ruth Kenyon and groom Tom couldn’t have looked happier to have his soon-to-be-wife next to him! A wonderful ceremony proceeded, culminating in vows and ring exchanges as the sun peeked through the clouds. Confetti adorned the newlyweds as they made their way back down the aisle and drinks on the lawn followed.

Taking the couple off for some photographs is always one of my favourite parts of the wedding day. I am not one for posing, I want to take images that show real expression and emotion. To do this I want couples to think of this time more as a chance to hang out together whilst I capture the essence of their relationship. With a series of activities and games that I adapt to every couple I work with, it is in these interactions that moments of joy, tenderness and love can be shared. No fake smiles, no doing things just because they ‘look’ good; I want ‘feeling’ to be at forefront of the couple shoot time. The experience and feelings you have during the shoot are essentially impressed upon those images when you view them. If the moment was posed and fake it will carry little or no real value to you. If instead, you lose yourself in a moment of connection this feeling will be reimagined when you view the resulting image. Not only will it be a great-looking image, but it has real emotion attached to it and the value of it sky-rockets.

Needless to say, Natalie and Tom were a delight to get to know and photograph, they don’t stop smiling and just glow in each other’s presence. We explored the hotel’s gardens as well as taking a stroll across the front lawns of the Royal Crescent. Fast-forward to the speeches which were a delight and we were even able to organise a socially distanced sparkler tunnel to send the newlyweds off in style! Good weather, a perfect union and a world-class setting. What a wedding!