A Hornchurch Wedding: Faye and Rhys
It's been nearly 3 years since I headed south to Essex having spent nearly 20 years setting up and developing Jamie Penfold Photography as one of the leading Wedding Photography businesses in the North East of England. Effectively I was starting from scratch in Hornchurch. I had set my sights on my local venue, Langtons House in Hornchurch. And nearly 3 years later after a lot of hard work I've started to get a regular stream of weddings at this beautiful wedding venue. This is the story of Faye and Rhys' Langtons House Wedding.
So this was my second Langtons wedding in recent weeks and a venue I was fast falling in love with. I knew the park well as I take my kids there to feed the ducks and geese there regularly. But from a wedding point of view, this was still relatively fresh for me. My previous wedding there was on one of the hottest, sunniest days of the year. Today was warm, humid and a little cloudy. Faye opted for not having bridal prep shots so it was straight to Langtons for me and I arrived not long before Faye arrived. She was relaxed and chatted with the final guests who were arriving.
Inside, Rhys was talking to the registrar before taking his place in the East Room. While he did that, their three boys were running around excitedly. Faye patiently tried to ensure their suits remained intact and then stood in the bay window of the West Room waiting for the registrar to go through final details.
Now was the time for her to make her entrance. Rhys stood looking ahead out of the window and then as the celebrant started the music, he turned to watch the boys walk in followed soon after by Faye. Beaming from ear to ear she was grinning like the Cheshire Cat.
Throughout the ceremony she maintained this huge grin, peaking over her shoulder when the guests were asked if there was any reason why her and Rhys should not be married. I'm not entirely sure she knew what was being said to her by the celebrant as she just gazed into Rhys' eyes throughout. And then when the moment came and the marriage declared, she clenched her fists, punched the air and shouted "Yeaaahhhh, we did it!" before getting a kiss from her new husband.
Outside in the grounds, Faye, Rhys and the boys spent some time together feeding the ducks, geese and turtles who had now joined their avian friends. We had a bit of a wonder around the grounds, we then headed to Romford Golf Club....and not a moment too soon. By now the sunshine had disappeared and the dark clouds were starting to gather. We managed to get a few extra shots in the grounds of the golf club before the heavens opened.
Inside the quaint little club house, the guests mingled in the members lounge surrounded by cabinets of trophies, pictures from the club's past and golfing memorabilia. In the dining room the tables were set and the staff were putting the finishing touches to the tables before ushering the guests in.
The three course meal was outstanding....my plate was almost licked clear!!! Once the coffee was served, the speeches started. Now somehow, the boys were still going at a million miles an hour. I don't know where they got their energy from. They joined in with their dad's speech. But the crowning glory here were the three best man speeches. They spared no punches but Rhys' brother stole the show talking about his childhood. As a photographer I'm supposed to pay attention to what was going on around me. Unfortunately here I was wiping my eyes from laughing so much. Faye roared with laughter applauding each gag. Rhys just sat with a bemused face. Meanwhile, all around people were doubled over. I have never laughed so much at a wedding.
Into the evening, the room was quickly converted for the evening's celebrations as more guests arrived. Just as the DJ was setting up for the first dance, a waitress walked in with a tray of samba shots. This was going to be a fun night. Rhys and Faye took their place on the dance floor and began their dance. In what felt like 10 seconds they were frantically waving their guests over to join them which they duly did. And then the tunes cranked up and the place started bouncing.
I made my way through the narrow dining room and into the rain. This was a good day at two stunning venues on my doorstep. And I really fancied getting the clubs out of the car and going for a quick round of golf....maybe another weekend.
Thank you Faye and Rhys......what a day!!!!
