This wedding was my first of 2014 and special for a number of reasons.  Soushila’s brother Gavin is a close friend of mine, and after he put me in touch with her and Matt we met up to discuss their wedding day. Once I had heard their plans I knew it would be a great opportunity to take some awesome shots. I also knew it would be a challenge, as Soushi is  5ft 5 and Matt is  6ft 4! The venue they chose was the lovely Batch Country House in Somerset, in Lymphsam near Weston Super Mare. I hadn’t visited this part of the country before, but I have to say, its absolutely stunning and the perfect setting for a country wedding. Matt and his family are from the nearby village of Wrington, which is a beautifully picturesque, and the local church, All Saints, was where the ceremony was to be held.

An early start..

However, the day started with bridal prep back at Batch Country House, which I was on hand to capture. Once complete, I set off just before Soushi and the girls to shoot some images of Matt at All Saints, where he was nervously waiting. When Soushi arrived in her vintage car she looked absolutely stunning, and throughout the ceremony she didn’t stop smiling. Afterwards the newlyweds made their exit and this was the perfect time to capture some relaxed natural images, as friends and family gathered to congratulate them. It was now time  for me to travel back to Batch Country House and await Matt and Soushi’s arrival in a horse drawn carriage. This was followed by group photo’s on the  lawn, and coming from a large Mauritian family it was important to Soushi that every family member was captured. This is where a traditional English and Mauritian Wedding may differ. Normally I shoot around 8-12 group shots, but on this occasion there were 46, and being the longest and hottest day of the year it was quite a task. However, with some help from Gavin, and my assistant Ben, we got the shots done and managed to have some laughs along the way. The wedding breakfast followed and afterward I took Matt and Soushi out in to the beautiful grounds to capture some couple portraits. I’d already scouted out some locations and were able to get a variety of images in a short space of time.

A Mauritian Twist

Heading inside I set up my lights for the first dance, and by using off camera flash I was able to take some really stunning first dance wedding photographs.  Soushi had earlier informed me that after the first dance there would be some traditional Mauritian wedding entertainment known as Sega dancing. My initial thoughts conjured images of Sonic the Hedgehog doing the Cha Cha, but this, as you may imagine, was far from the truth. In fact Sega dancing involves a man banging a wooden drum whilst three agile young ladies twist and gyrate in a fusion of flamenco and salsa. Not a hedgehog in sight…. With the party well and truly underway, and the sun sliding slowly toward the Somerset horizon, it was the perfect time of day for the style of romantic wedding photography that I love to produce. With that in mind we headed off once  again for some couple portraits in a different area of the gardens. At this time of day, with the sun setting, the sky was really colourful and dramatic, and this allowed us to shoot some amazing images. Back inside everyone was having a really great time, with the photobooth proving particularly popular. There were also some legendary and gravity defying dance moves being pulled out the bag, and a fantastic array of foods laid out for the evening buffet. As usual, I provided all day coverage and stayed until midnight, capturing the fun and craziness as it happened. An amazing wedding from start to finish!

Are you getting married?

If you’re planning on getting hitched at Batch Country House and are looking for a wedding photographer, please get in touch on 07976 741 248, or email me at peter@peterdenness.com to discuss your wedding plans. You can also check out my price and packages here Alternatively, if you like the photo’s in this post and are getting married elsewhere I’d also love to hear from you. You can see more weddings like this on my blog.  

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