OLIVIA & JAKE · EDITORIAL MEETS CINEMATIC
Iscoyd Park wedding photography.
Olivia and Jake wanted an editorial feel to their photographs. Iscoyd Park gave us the house, the staircase and those beautiful gardens; they brought the connection, the laughter and a very good party.
A country-house wedding on the North Wales, Shropshire and Cheshire borders, photographed with elegance, movement and a cinematic feel.
Editorial shape. Cinematic feeling.
Olivia had shared photographs she loved before the wedding, and we talked about what drew her to them. We brought that influence into the portraits: a little direction, elegant movement and room for the dress to flow. I kept the soft backgrounds and sense of closeness I love in my own work. The result feels like them.
A very good room to begin in.
The Library gave Jake and the lads a morning with real character. Rich colours, books, window light and a few dramatic portraits before heading down. I loved the photograph of Jake with his mum, too. Groom preparations deserve that same attention: the room, the people and everything happening between them.
The dress. The veil. The girls around her.
Olivia’s Pronovias gown, from My Funny Valentine Bridal, looked beautiful against the house’s interiors. The bridesmaids helped with the dress and veil while I photographed through the soft fabric and caught the moments around them. There’s something lovely about this part of the morning, before everyone is quite ready to leave it behind.
The reaction you only get once.
Olivia’s dad seeing her ready was one of my favourite moments of the day. His face, the bridesmaids behind him, everyone trying to keep it together. We’d made room for this beforehand, so I could be ready when it happened. A little planning leaves space for something completely unplanned.
Down the aisle. Then back together.
Olivia arrived with her dad, with friends and family close on either side. From the back of the room, their first kiss sits inside the whole setting: the windows, the aisle and the people watching. Then the expressions changed as they walked out together. That’s the lovely thing about a ceremony; the story keeps moving.
The room belongs in the story.
I wanted a photograph that held onto the scale of the room as well as the kiss. Iscoyd’s interiors have so much character, and a wider view gives the people and the place their part in the moment.
And just like that, everyone could let loose.
Confetti outside the house, the girls inspecting the ring, and plenty of cheering. After the stillness of the ceremony, I love this change of pace.
Champagne, with an audience.
A tower of glasses, everyone gathered around and the two of them pouring together. This was a lovely little pause in the celebrations—and a very good excuse for a photograph.
Three generations. One lovely photograph.
Olivia, her mum and her grandma. Among the big portraits and all the celebrations, I always want room for photographs as simple and important as this.
Seeing it all come together.
Flowers, candles, glassware, and that first look around the finished room. The wide photograph shows everything coming together; the closer one gives those smaller choices a little attention of their own.
The staircase deserved a moment.
The gardens are a lovely part of Iscoyd, but I was just as drawn to the house itself. With Olivia on the staircase, the doorway gave us a frame, the light gave the dress shape, and the interior brought its own warmth.
A little space for the dress to do its thing.
We made a few photographs here before moving on. When a venue gives you interiors like these, there’s plenty to work with inside as well as out.
A walk, a little direction, and the two of them.
For the couple portraits, we used the gardens to give them space to move together. I’d guide a position or a walking line, then watch what happened between them. The softer backgrounds bring your attention to their faces, their hands and the way they look at one another. That’s where the editorial influence meets my cinematic approach.
Then the room found its voice.
Handkerchiefs in the air, laughter across the tables, and a few tears during the speeches. These are the photographs I want alongside the composed portraits. An editorial feel still leaves plenty of room for the day to be loud, emotional and completely itself.
From the first dance to the proper party.
The first dance brought everyone close again. Then came the selfies, the laughter and people throwing themselves into the dancing. I like seeing a wedding story through to this part: the portraits are beautiful, and the party tells you just as much about the people.
This is part of it, too.
The girls taking a selfie between songs. Little moments like this keep a gallery feeling like the day you actually had.
Good people behind a very good day.
Esther and the Iscoyd Park team were calm, helpful and lovely to work alongside. That makes a difference: everyone can get on with their part while the couple enjoy what’s happening around them. These are a few of the suppliers who helped bring Olivia and Jake’s day together.
A few things you might be wondering.
If these photographs feel like your sort of thing, here’s a little more about how we could approach your day.
Planning your own day at Iscoyd Park?
If you like the idea of elegant portraits with a cinematic feel, alongside all the real moments, I’d love to hear what you’re planning. Tell me your date, what drew you to Iscoyd, and the people you want around you.