Steve Gemmell
Sep 2, 20203 min
Sunday, September 10, 2017
I have been a Hatfield House Wedding Photographer on so many occasions. On a very memorable day back in 2012 was this wedding where we had a Jewish ceremony in the riding stables. This was followed by a church ceremony in the church adjacent to Hatfield House, St Etheldreda’s. The evening reception was held in The Old Palace. So a very different day with so much happening! Devora & Simon’s wedding was the weekend of the celebrations for the Queen’s Jubilee. I had photographed a wedding the day before and that was the day when we saw the TV pictures of the Queen and the Duke braving the weather in their armada down the thames. We had some rain this day as well but the evening in the grounds at Hatfield House were beautiful.
However for this weekend my first wedding on Friday was with HollyAnn & Jonathan. It was a very busy weekend with further weddings on the Saturday in Essex and a third at Knebworth House on Sunday.
The day started at Whitehill Barn in Welwyn. A great little venue for HollyAnn and her wedding party to prepare for the day ahead. You can see Martin of Special Occasions Video in one of the photos. I have worked with Martin before and he is a good guy to work alongside.
We were blessed with some fantastic weather this weekend. As you can see it was clear blue skies and cracking temperatures throughout the weekend. Inside the Old Palace florists Jo & Mario of Floral Creations had decorated the setting beautifully. Jonathan arrived with brother and best man Adam together with his parents. Adam was keen to get a few beers in so everyone headed off to the catering facilities at Hatfield House. The family relaxed amongst the tourists in the sunshine to sup their pre-wedding beverages.Meanwhile more guests were arriving.
HollyAnn looked amazing when she arrived with her parents. In a different twist on tradition HollyAnn wanted both of her parents to walk her down the wedding aisle. Toastmaster Paul Deacon insisted on getting in the photo with HollyAnn’s beautiful bridesmaids. Best Man Adam posed for a family shot. His little daughter had a role as a flower girl. However she soon got fed up with scattering petals down the aisle and went to have a chat with someone she knew! Much to the merriment of all the guests.
Ceremony over everyone headed out into the blazing sunshine. Fuzion a cello & piano duo provided music for the afternoon. Usher David was on hand to distribute some much needed shade via umbrellas. I certainly needed some shade to take a few group photographs. The only option was under some trees in the gardens at the back of the Old Palace.
Huge credit should go to HollyAnn’s mum Gilly who arranged for the big group photo in the shape of a heart. Not an easy task to achieve by any means and she had certainly put a lot of effort into it. After the speeches and cake cutting Martin and I took HollyAnn and Jonathan for a walk around the stunning grounds at Hatfield House. The weather had cooled slightly by this time and we had some good lighting for these portraits. Then into the evening with music by a really tight soulful band Pure Orange.
HollyAnn & Jonathan surprised everyone with a fantastic Tango for their first dance. HollyAnn even changed her dress for the dance. A very impressive finish to my day as the Hatfield House Wedding Photographer for this wonderful day.
Congratulation HollyAnn & Jonathan!