Gorgeous Summer Wedding at the Five Arrows Hotel, Waddesdon
Like so many other couples, Emily & Sam’s special day had been rescheduled due to the pandemic. And the revised date they chose just happened to be soon after the easing of restrictions for weddings with a larger number of guests. So naturally they were in two minds as to whether they should reschedule one more time. Just a few weeks prior to their big day, they decided to go ahead. And I’m sure they were thrilled with their decision; they had a fabulous day, and the weather was sublime!
The Five Arrows Waddesdon
Intimate settings for a wedding don’t get any better than the gorgeous Five Arrows hotel at Waddesdon. Emily and Sam had booked the venue on an exclusive use basis, and it was a luxury to have the run of the place for the whole day.
This highly detailed property was built in 1887, to house the artisans working on the construction of Waddesdon Manor. The Rothschild family emblem is where the name of the hotel came from, and it’s apparent in their wine labels, the hotel signage, and even on the monogrammed garden chairs.
Pre Ceremony
If either Emily or Sam were at all nervous in the run up to the ceremony, they certainly didn’t show it! Both of them appeared as calm as can be as I captured a few pictures of them in the hour leading up to the service.
Civil Ceremony in the Marquee
This felt more like an outdoor ceremony with all the sides to the marquee being open, albeit the lovely flower borders were not going to distract anyone from the main event!
Emily and Sam’s eyes locked in one another throughout the marriage vows, and I had the perfect front row vantage point right next to the registrar. This couple were so clearly a perfect match for one another, and this was evident to everyone witnessing this very special marriage!
Drinks in the Garden
Emily and Sam made their way into the gardens through lots of cheering and a sea of confetti from their guests. The reactions in some these pictures from the confetti aisle are just priceless!
This wedding felt just like attending a lively garden party, albeit in the stunning gardens of the Five Arrows at Waddesdon. I loved every minute of it!
Wedding Photographs at The Five Arrows, Waddesdon
The backdrops at the Five Arrows hotel were stunning for photo opportunities, in every direction I was spoilt for choice. As always, I opted for a little bit of everything to showcase this magical venue. The flower borders through to the gorgeous building itself were a joy to work with.
I particularly enjoyed using the hotel’s first floor balcony for a few of the pictures. This vantage also point provided a lovely view of the whole building.
The rambling plants that cover much of the hotel’s brickwork also provided a fabulously lush backdrop for some of the portraits, it also provided the perfect respite from the harsher mid-day sun.
The Meal & Speeches
The sumptuous food at the Five Arrows never fails to impress, their standards are truly exceptional. The impeccable service and fabulous setting contribute to the hotel’s two AA rosettes for culinary excellence!
I have to say, the speeches were superb throughout! They each struck the perfect balance of fond memories and hilarious life experiences to shower Emily and Sam with!
Dancing the Night Away
As parties go, they don’t get much livelier this! With a fabulous live band and fun loving guests, we had the perfect mix for some serious partying!
Despite being a warm evening, the guests packed the dance floor all evening. Everyone loved every moment of the celebratory atmosphere!
Floodlit Photographs
I’d never photographed a wedding after nightfall at The Five Arrows, Waddesdon! I knew the ornate style of architecture would really lend itself to some really wow shots with the newlyweds.
Once Emily and Sam had disappeared back to the dance floor, there was just one more picture I’d promised to take! It was for a team photograph of the staff in front of the hotel under the dusky blue skies, after a few more lighting tricks my day was complete!
A truly amazing wedding, combined with the most appreciative and lovely couple, plus so many wonderful guests. It’s bookings like this that remind me why I love my job so much!
Kind Words
The coronavirus pandemic resulted in our wedding being delayed by a year. So, we had a huge amount of uncertainty right up until the day of the Wedding. Throughout the two years it took to finally arrive at our big day, Mark was consistently calm and understanding. He went above and beyond to accommodate the changes in dates and venue.
When it came to finally meeting up for the first time, the day before our wedding, we were immediately struck by how knowledgeable and experienced Mark is. Any nerves or worries we had were quickly calmed and we were left confident that everything would be expertly covered. Candid pictures were taken unobtrusively and the staged photos were very well organised. Many of our guests commented on how impressed they were with Mark’s work. In fact our Maid of Honour was so impressed that she’s booked Mark for her wedding too!
Emily and I are over the moon with the photos and we can’t recommend Mark highly enough.
