Little Silver Country Hotel Wedding - Chloe and Greg

Over the last few years weddings have been disrupted by the Covid Pandemic; plans altered, rearranged, venues changed and guest lists updated and updated again. I am now down to only a couple of weddings left out of all the weddings that had to be rearranged and so now I am looking ahead to a post covid world of weddings. However, with covid lingering there are a few little curveballs that it throws. And so there I was one Thursday afternoon when I get a message asking if I was available to shoot a wedding....the following weekend!!! Turns out the photographer had covid and couldn't do the wedding. And it was right on my doorstep too. Chloe and Greg's Little Silver Country Hotel Wedding would turn out to be a gorgeous day in the sun.

There really wasn't much time to get to know Chloe and Greg or research or do venues visits. This was fly by the seat of your pants planning. However, I managed to get as much info from Chloe as possible in the week leading up to the wedding and come the wedding day itself I was prepped and ready to go. It was a bright sunny day; a change from the recent weddings where the wind and cold dominated. And weirdly for me, I managed to get a lay in. A 20 minute drive from Ashford to Tenterden meant I wasn't getting up at the crack of dawn to drive for miles to get to the wedding which has been par for the course in recent years following my move down to Kent and I transition from the North East to the South East.

I'm still finding my way around Kent but the drive from Ashford to Tenterden was gorgeous, down twisting country lanes. I arrived at The Little Silver early and had a quick scout around before bumping into one of the wedding coordinators who showed me around the grounds and the hall. Kent Hall was busy being prepped ahead of the ceremony and upstairs in the bridal suite Chloe was getting her make up done. The suite was a hive of activity with her kids and bridesmaids dashing about getting jobs done around the hall.

I was going about the hotel planning my shots for the day when Greg arrived. Having never met each other before , as we walked towards each other we gave that "Are you?" look. "Greg?" "Jamie?" The guests were arriving and checking into their rooms ahead of the ceremony before sitting on the terrace in the sun enjoying a couple of cool drinks before the ceremony.

Kent Hall was now ready for the ceremony. The registrar and celebrant were here now and we stood chatting about the ceremony and our respective days ahead. The guests were taking their seats so I headed back upstairs to check on everything in the bridal suite. Excitement factor 1 Million!!! The room was literally buzzing with excitement. Chloe took a final deep breath and made her way downstairs whilst shouting instructions to the page boys and bridesmaids about the order to walk down the aisle.

The celebrant started the ceremony, Chloe made her entrance, the guests took their seats and we began. "Is there anyone here who know's why these two cannot be married?" Normally at this stage there's a nervous comical look around and chuckles. Today? Screams. A wasp chose that moment to make it's presence felt as it flew by the bridesmaids who suddenly jumped up waving their arms around screaming. I should note that in over 20 years of shooting weddings I've still to see somebody legitimately stop the wedding at that point. And long may it continue.

From here on in the day just flowed seamlessly. Baring in mind I'd only just met these guys I felt like I'd known them for years. We laughed throughout the day and the process of capturing everyone was pretty much seamless. For a small venue Little Silver has so much in the way of opportunities for a wedding photographer. In that one day I found so many nooks and crannies to use. Chloe and Greg were amazing throughout the day, happy to go with my suggestions.

The light was dimming as the evening entertainment kicked in and Kent Hall was now lit up with disco lights of different colours. First dance was done, guests were on the dance floor and dressing up for the Photo Booth and the tunes were banging. This was a fly by the seat of your pants wedding and I loved every second of it. And in Little Silver Country Hotel I have found a wedding venue right on my doorstep that oozes character. And the staff are so lovely and helpful. Fingers crossed this was the first of many weddings I photograph there.

Have a wonderful life together Chloe and Greg. It was an honour to shoot your wedding for you.