When Fran and Damir contacted me to inquire about my availability to be their Ely wedding photographer at The Old Hall, I was very happy. Not only the childhood sweethearts are in many ways a lovely couple, their choice of wedding venue was superb as I had been hoping to photograph there for many years now! Situated about 16 miles from Cambridge, the Old Hall is a superb country retreat about a mile from the heart of historic Ely in Cambridgeshire. This recently renovated Jacobean manor house is sitting by a lake and green grounds which made it a great venue for such a big day.
I started the day at the couple’s home in Cambourne, to capture Fran’s bridal preparations before heading to the church right across the street from the Old Hall in Stuntney. The ceremony was really lovely and emotional, with a few tears shed, and I’m always a big softy myself when it comes to capturing those moments. I seem to involve myself in the heat of the moment and feel as much about the day’s events as if I was involved in that family story.
Once the wedding ceremony over, everyone drove the short distance to the Hall for a well-deserved drink. The Old Hall is magnificent, surrounded by shrubs, lawns and trees with, in the distance the unmissable very imposing Ely Cathedral which reminds us of the city’s heritage. I felt very lucky being an Ely wedding photographer that day.
From then on, we got many photo opportunities, between the heart-shaped group photograph, to the ‘compulsory confetti throw’, to the informal photos of people having fun followed by some quick family group photos, the drinking reception went pretty quickly. We took the couple away for a bit but made them promise to go back out around the lake around sunset.
Everybody then retreated into the Old Hall’s marquee for dinner. The main lighting feature was a piece of antique cast iron bought from an antique dealer that really caught my eye. It seemed like a very fitting piece of history in such a location. The speeches were dished out at the beginning of the meal and after the wedding breakfast, we managed to get the couple back out in the dusky light for some amazing arty couple photography, think reflections, lights, bokeh, veils, mystery… We could have stayed out there all night. We really had a ball.
That is why it makes sense to book an all singing, all dancing, whole wedding day photography coverage with us because we are not hurried and we will find time to get the best out of the location and the venue surroundings. The couple played the game and followed us around the lake, it was great to be able to experiment, to get some of the best photographs of the day.
The cutting of the amazing trio of cakes then took place. The evening guests started to trickle in, and the ‘hidden’ dance floor was revealed which concluded the day in a superb fashion.
Congrats to Damir and Fran for getting married in such a great wedding venue. If you’re planning to get married at the Old Hall in Ely, do not hesitate to enquire about my availability as I would love to go back to be an Old Hall Ely wedding photographer again!
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Venue for wedding: Old Hall, Ely
