Helen & Jonathan — Hodsock Priory, Blyth
Helen and Jonathan married at Hodsock Priory on a bright Saturday in May, a day of brickwork, gardens and the people they love, with friends playing guitar on the lawn and a dance floor that filled up long before it was meant to. They'd asked for a story of their day rather than a set of poses, and Hodsock gave me plenty to tell it with.
The Morning — Hodsock Priory
I'd already spent a relaxed couple of hours with Helen and Jonathan around Neepsend and Kelham Island for their Before the Day photos, so when I arrived at Hodsock that morning Helen knew me, we'd already talked through the plans for the day, and there seemed to be a certain comfort in having me around, even with a camera in my hand.
“Neither my husband or myself felt super confident in front of the camera but Andrew is so calm, lovely, and easy going that he put us right at ease with a pre-wedding shoot.”
The bridal party had started the day in one of the rooms before Helen moved across to the bridal suite, and it was a buzz of activity: the dress being steamed, a good breakfast, gifts being swapped, everyone in matching robes moving between the mirrors. Then it quietened down, Helen had some time with her mum and her maid of honour, and it was her maid of honour who fastened the back of the dress.
Helen wore separates from Kate Beaumont, which she'd found at the designer's first sample sale: the Primrose, a silk camisole top that's clean and minimal with a low open back, and the Hyacinth, a tiered silk skirt in silver that moves when she does. It was a simple top paired with a softer, more romantic skirt, and it suited the day, and her, very well. In her own words, she "felt gorgeous in it and truly myself".
Jonathan got ready in the Courtyard, a row of apartments in the old dairy, with his brother, who was best man, and two groomsmen who'd flown in from the US. Helen's dad was there too, and one of my favourite photographs from the morning is Jonathan doing up his bow tie for him.
The Ceremony — The Gardens, Hodsock Priory
The ceremony was outside in the gardens, with Helen's Aunt Cathy playing acoustic guitar and the house standing behind everyone. Before it started Helen had a sort of quiet nervousness about her, and you can see it as she comes down the aisle with her dad. By the time she walked back up it as a married woman hand-in-hand with Jonathan, it had gone.
Confetti and Portraits — The Gatehouse, Hodsock Priory
From the gardens everyone gathered at the Gatehouse for confetti, and then the afternoon opened up into drinks on the lawn. Robyn and Oli, two of Helen and Jonathan's friends, played guitar and sang, it went down very well, and the dancing started out in the gardens hours before the band arrived.
It was a very bright mid-afternoon, so for portraits we kept things simple and took a stroll around the grounds. The only real posing was a kiss under the Gatehouse, which they fell into naturally once I'd asked them to stand in that spot. The rest was a walk. I stayed a little further back and let them talk, because it was the first time they'd had any time alone together in almost 24 hours.
The Gatehouse arch is a natural frame, and I think it's one of the things that makes Hodsock Priory what it is. It frames a couple well, and the brickwork controls the light, so on a day as bright as this you get less glare and a more balanced picture.
Helen and Jonathan chose Hodsock because it's splendid and expansive, and I have a real love of brickwork, so I wanted the building to have its say. Placing them small against the house is one way of showing that scale, and I also like the flattening, almost two-dimensional effect you get when you photograph a building straight on.
The Reception — Hodsock Priory
The meal was followed by four speeches. I don't remember the exact words now, but I remember that the best man's speech, from Jonathan's brother, was caring, funny and full of character all at once, and that I had to hold back both a laugh and a tear while I was photographing it.
Golden Hour and the Evening — Hodsock Priory
As the light dropped we went back out, a stone's throw from the terrace, for a couple of photographs with Jonathan's daughter, and some of the two of them shot into the low sun across the long grass.
Inside, Seven Day Soul took over, and the dancing that started on the lawn that afternoon picked up again where it had left off. I'd planned to leave around the end of the band's first set, but I stayed until they'd finished and Helen went off to change her shoes, which is quite common when there's a full dance floor. The last thing I photographed was Jonathan's family enjoying the band.
Why I'd Go Back
From where I stand, Hodsock is a wonderful place to work. Everything is in one place, and the staff couldn't do enough for Helen and Jonathan, or for me. Small changes to the schedule for photographs were no trouble, and when I asked if the cake could be moved for the cake cut so it would be a clearer focal point, that was no trouble either.
As for Helen and Jonathan, I think their own words say it best. They wanted a story, they wanted candid, and they weren't especially confident in front of a camera. But they let the process work and got on with being themselves, which meant the photographs couldn't have been anyone but them.
“We couldn’t be more pleased with the end result and marvel at how perfectly he’s captured the story of our wonderful wedding day.”
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Venue: Hodsock Priory
Bride's dress: Kate Beaumont
Bridesmaids' dresses: Maids to Measure
Groom's suit: Hawes & Curtis
Groomsmen & father of the bride suits: Moss Bros
Hair & make-up: Jenn Edwards
Bride's shoes: Manolo Blahnik
Groom's shoes: John White Shoes
Bridal hair accessory: Debbie Carlisle
Groom's cravat: Cravat Club
Flowers: Meadows and Mulberry (Karon Breckon)
Signage & stationery: Inviting Writing (Vicky Daws)
Food: Hodsock Priory
Music during drinks: Robyn & Oli (@robynhaddon, @olivermanningorangeguitar)
Photography: Andrew Heeley Photo
