Ashford Wedding Photography - Linda and Mark

I moved to Ashford in Kent just over a year ago to set up home and make a fresh start with things. It's been challenging and a lot of fun and at times it has felt like starting a new business despite doing this for over 20 years. Slowly but surely I'm getting there and beginning to get a foothold in the Ashford Wedding Photography market and the wider area of Kent and the South East of England. Not long after I settled in Ashford I was contacted by Linda who found me via the Walk the Mind group on Facebook. This would be a gorgeous, low key intimate wedding, with the ceremony in Canterbury and the celebrations in Ashford.

It was the first hot day of the year so far. Gradually the weather had been improving and the mercury slowly but surely increasing as the weeks went by. On the morning of the wedding I was afforded a bit of a lay in as I only had a 20 minute drive to get to Canterbury and I'd be going straight to Wellington House Registry Office in Canterbury. I had a short walk from the car park to the Registry Office, crossing the Great Stour and stopping on the bridges by the old mill to watch the fish dart about.

Wellington House is a gorgeous 19th Century building and was ideal for the intimate nature of the wedding today. Mark arrived and was met by the handful of guests who were already waiting. Button Holes were popped into place before Mark was whisked into the ceremony suite to go through the details and wait. In the shelter of the garden outside it was hotting up. Linda arrived and went around greeting everyone. Inside, Mark was told to stay away from the windows.

The guests were ushered into the suite to wait for the ceremony to start. Once Linda had gone through all her details with registrar, everyone stood and in came Linda, "given away" by her son.

I was stood in the window capturing everything as it happened. The sun was streaming through the net curtains onto my legs and back. I was melting!! But this was a typical registry office wedding which was short and sweet with a reading before vows and rings were exchanged and the nuptials complete.

Rather than do group shots at Wellington House, we opted to head to The Conningbrook Hotel where the celebrations would take place and where there was a bit more room to manoeuvre. As I headed back to Ashford, the clouds were coming in and then the spots of rain began. This wasn't in the forecast. This changed things from baking hot to humid.

At the hotel we all made our way through to the Parklands Suite where the tables were set and ready to welcome the guests for the wedding breakfast. Outside was a bouncy castle and the kids (and some adults) headed straight for it to build up a sweat. In the gardens we grabbed some shots and then everyone was ushered in to take their seats for the meal.

The rain was holding off.....just. With the plates and cutlery tidied away we gathered for the speeches just in time for the evening guests to arrive. The DJ kicked the evening off with Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill". Everyone, including me, were clearly big Stranger Things fans. Then the pace dropped for the first dance and everyone gathered round to watch.

There was a lovely relaxed feel all day and this was such a pleasure to capture. I made my way back to my car and the 5 minute drive home just as the heavens opened. I ordered fish n chips to be delivered just before I left the Conningbrook and got in just as the delivery driver was arriving. Feet up and my favourite take away. The perfect end to an amazing day!