Today, I'm taking a look back at a wedding I photographed 2 years ago. Amy and Alex's beautiful wedding took place at Normanton Church, which appears to be floating on Rutland water.
Normanton church is a really unique venue and one I would recommend to almost anybody.
Normanton church was once on solid ground, but when the surrounding valley was chosen as the site of a new reservoir in 1970, it was deconsecrated. (Meaning it's no longer affiliated with any church or religion.) Originally the church was going to be demolished but the local people didn't want to lose such a beautiful landmark. After campaigns to save the church they decided to fill the church with rocks and created a new concrete floor half way up the church, this is why Normanton church appears to be half sunk. It's bottom half is underwater.
Amy and Alex got ready and had their reception at Normanton Park Hotel (Best Western) I believe this is the go to reception venue for weddings at Normanton Church, but I will list some other venues that are close by and the end of the blog.
Amy and her six bridesmaids had their hair and makeup done in one of the hotels en-suite rooms and then moved over to the bridal suite for their final preparations. As you can probably guess the colour theme was sage green. I've never seen bridesmaids in sequin gowns, but it was a great choice, they sparkled so beautifully in the sun.
Alex and his two best men arrived and had a pint together before heading over to the church to meet their guests.
Here's the best dressed guest, Milo, their gorgeous dog, who I met as a tiny puppy at their enagement shoot.
Normanton church is only a short walk from the hotel so it's ideal for couples who want to have their wedding all in one place, rather than driving from venue to venue.
Amy's Bridesmaids entered the church ahead of Amy and her dad, who gave her away.
The inside of the church feels like it was designed for photography, it's so light and airy, I absolutely love it!
I was working alongside Grace from Visions of Grace Videography so we worked together to make sure we weren't in each other's shots as much as possible.
Here's the moment the registrar asked for anybody who objects to the marriage to speak now and Milo barked!
I will stop going on about Normanton church soon, but look at the backdrop of the first kiss photos, its so gorgeous, it made my job very easy!!
Here are Amy and Alex signing their marriage certificate.
After the ceremony we took a few moments to get some portraits of the Bride and Groom. This is one of my all time favourite shots. Is it just me, or does it look like we could be in Italy? The reservoir, beautifully reflects the blue sky on a sunny day.
Grace threw Amy's veil in the air to create this stunning shot, and I did the same for her film.
Then we took some gorgeous photos in front on the church on the Jeti.
Harsh midday sun can be difficult sometimes, but as these were full body portraits, harsh shadows didn't really matter. I simply brightened up the shadows on their faces when I edited their photos.
We worked with the silhouette of Amy's dress to create her portraits, with the church as the back drop. It was VERY hot so Alex and Amy did really well to stay in the sun for their portraits.
I knew that the photos we took in front of Normanton Church were THE photos of the wedding, it's such a good feeling nailing the portraits of the bride and groom this early during the day, and allows me to relax into the rest of the day and have fun.
To view Amy and Alex's whole wedding gallery you can visit my portfolio here https://natashajamesphotography.pic-time.com/portfolio
All of the guests migrated back to the Normanton Park hotel before for reception drinks, with a view of Rutland Water.
If you're wanting amazing confetti photos then I recommend medium to large tissue paper confetti like this.
The trees in the hotel garden allowed to us take group photos in the shade with Rutland water as a backdrop.
Here's what some photographers call the 'grandma shot.' Both the Bride and Groom smiling and looking at the camera, essentially the photo their grandparents are likely to put on the wall.
During the reception, I like to put on my long lens and lean in to a documentary style of photography and get lots of candid photos of guests having a good time. As well as taking photos of any friends, couples or families, who'd like a photo of themselves.
The speeches at Normanton Park Hotel were great, funny and emotional. I aways think if I ever get married and my partner doesn't make me cry in his speech I'll be annoyed.
After the meal and speeches we took the opportunity to get some portraits of Amy and Alex. The steps here were perfect for showing off Amy's beautiful train and veil.
We couldn't leave the groom out, so here are some great ones of Alex in that golden hour glow.
His best man really wanted to pick him up but then decided they might not be able to lift him so they settled on lifting the smallest best man instead!
Amy and Alex where a really fun couple to work with. I think the fact that we had an engagement shoot before their wedding really helped them to feel confident in front of the camera.
Their evening reception did not disappoint, the DJ and Saxophonist (Vicki Watson Music) got everybody up and dancing, which is exactly what I like to see!
Normanton Church is lit up in the evening. I walked over to the water after saying goodbye to Amy and Alex before heading home and had a peaceful few minutes sitting by myself and watching bats fly overhead.
I hope you have enjoyed this blog post . And I hope I've given you an idea of what your wedding can look like if you get married at Normanton Church and Normanton Park Hotel. If you like my work and you'd like to inquire about me photographing your wedding please get in touch via my website https://www.natashajames.co/about
Vendors I mentioned in this blog:
Visions of Grace https://www.visionsofgrace.co.uk
Vicki Watson Music https://www.vickiwatsonmusic.co.uk
Normanton Church https://anglianwaterparks.co.uk/venue-hire
Normanton Park Hotel https://www.normantonpark.co.uk
Normanton Park hotel is a short walk away, other local wedding venues include, Barnsdale Hall Hotel, Barnsdale Lodge, The William Cecil Hotel, Greetham Valley.
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