The Walled Garden is beautiful at any time of the year but I don’t think I have ever seen it looking or smelling as lovely as it did yesterday! Katie and Nathan’s wedding was one I had been looking forward to since I met them for the first time in June last year. I knew from our first meeting that this wedding was going to be fun and I was not disappointed!
I met Katie at the Angel Hotel in Midhurst for the final stages of her bridal preparations and she was one of the calmest, most relaxed brides I have ever met. At Cowdray, Nathan was one of the most excited and animated grooms! The ceremony included the lovely reading “Your Walled Garden”, which is so appropriate at the venue:
Your marriage should have within it a secret and protected space, open to you alone. Imagine it to be a walled garden, entered by a door to which you only hold the key. Within this garden you will cease to be a mother, father, employee, homemaker or any other of the roles which you fulfil in daily life. Here you can be yourselves, two people who love each other. Here you can concentrate on one another’s needs. So take each other’s hands and go forth to your garden. The time you spend together is not wasted but invested – invested in your future and nurture of your love.
During the drinks reception, I took Katie, Nathan, his ushers and Charlotte, Katie’s Bridesmaid to the Cowdray Ruins, which are a fantastic backdrop for wedding photographs. I certainly didn’t have any problem getting the boys to relax in front of the camera – I think a career beckons for them all if ever there is a need for stunt models! Throughout the day the light was constantly changing, which gave me plenty of opportunity to photograph some great signature images and Katie and Nathan were brilliant and gave me plenty of time with them and I think the results will be well worth it!
The speeches were both heartfelt and hilarious at the same time, which just about sums up the whole day. I had a great time and I am really looking forward to showing Katie and Nathan their photographs when they get home from their honeymoon. Here is a small selection – I hope you enjoy them!
About The Walled Garden at Cowdray
The Walled Garden at Cowdray is a three-acre Georgian garden in the grounds of Cowdray Park near Midhurst, West Sussex. The restored garden is enclosed by original flint-and-brick walls and planted with a rotation of perennials, fruit trees and specimen plants, with glimpses of the ruined Cowdray House beyond.
Walled gardens are some of the most forgiving venues in the country for photography. Old brick walls soften the light and hold warm tones all afternoon, so even a bright summer day avoids the harshness you’d get in an open field. Portraits can happen almost anywhere and still look right.
