As a West Midlands Wedding Photographer I love the unique touches and special surprises that a couple can bring to their preparations and marriage ceremony, Claire and Stephen certainly had all of those elements as we discovered when we met the couple a few weeks before their big day.

The couple had chosen Lemore Manor in Herefordshire West Midlands, which is close to the Welsh border and set in 11 acres of gardens, this Manor house offers an elegant backdrop for that perfect wedding. Chatting to Claire and Stephen, we learnt that the couple planned to have a small intimate wedding with close family and friends, this all seemed straightforward, however, they then told us of the big surprise they had in store for their guests who had been invited to attend the Manor the day before their marriage for a birthday party and that not one of the guests had any idea that they would also be attending the wedding between Claire and Stephen the very next day! Our first thought was ‘how on earth are the guests going to be able to prepare for this occasion?’ There was no need for concern, as the next surprise was that Claire and Stephen had also organised dresses and suits for the wedding party to wear!

The day after the birthday party on the morning of the wedding, the bride made her preparations in the Bishop Coke room and it soon became apparent that this was a wedding with care and attention given to every single detail, not only did the bride look beautiful but Claire’s professional touch to the Menu’s, invitations, cards and decorations looked amazing! I am very fortunate to be a Wedding Photographer here in the West Midlands; I come across many talented and creative brides and grooms to be!

A few challenges are expected as a West Midlands Wedding Photographer, given that each wedding is unique with different venues, settings and lighting conditions, this wedding was no exception as Claire and Stephens wish was to have a candlelit ceremony and reception with little or no other source of light, the ceremony had a few electric lights but the reception was solely lit by about 200 candles if not more! So although this was a test for my photography equipment as the light conditions were far from ideal, the results were absolutely stunning. After the ceremony a string quartet played whilst the guests enjoyed a glass of bubbly or two to celebrate the marriage between Claire and Stephen. At the wedding breakfast toasts were made and the speeches had some very moving moments and of course some witty funny tales, all given by candlelight, which I loved as it all made for an atmospheric romantic experience.

The evening ended up with a spectacular outdoor fireworks display which was another surprise, this time from Stephen. The weather was kind and the wedding party thoroughly enjoyed all the surprises that this imaginative couple had made special on their wedding day.

The complete gallery of wedding photography is available to view for friends and family via an online password protected gallery.