On Saturday I was back in Tunbridge Wells for the beautiful wedding of Hannah & Spencer at The Spa Hotel. I've photographed many weddings at The Spa Hotel over the years but this was the first since they added the new 'Temple' outside ceremony area. I'm impressed; the structure itself is beautiful, but so also is the landscaping around. They've created a truly stunning area for weddings that has to be one of the nicest in the region. Of course, it also helps when you're blessed with good weather and Hannah & Spencer enjoyed perfect sunshine the whole day.
I started my photography coverage of their wedding by joining Spencer and his 14 (!!) groomsmen in the Zagatos Brasserie where they were enjoying a pre-ceremony pint or two. Whilst here, Hannah's bridesmaids entered the room with a surprise gift for Spencer from Hannah. This was a beautiful moment, and Spencer was over the moon with the gift. After a few portraits of the guys, I headed upstairs to join Hannah and her bridal party for the prep'. It was so nice to be able to go out on to the balcony area of her room, to enjoy the sunshine and also appreciate the gorgeous autumn colours of the ivy adorning the walls outside.
The ceremony was absolutely beautiful. Hannah and Spencer looked amazing anyway in their respective outfits, but in that setting, in that weather, they looked like movie stars.
After drinks, canapés, and lots of group photos, everyone moved inside to the Orangery for the wedding breakfast and speeches after. The speeches are always a favourite part of the day for me, and this wedding was no exception. The love felt for the couple from everyone there was undeniably strong, and I knew it would turn into a great party later on.
We (just) made it outside for a few pictures before the sun disappeared entirely behind the trees. I was very keen to get some shots of Hannah & Spencer at this time of day as I knew how much Hannah loves my photos taken at a similar time from other weddings.
Spencer had told me the guys all had cigars so I persuaded him to wait until it was a little darker and I would get some cool photos of them all. As much as they probably didn't like the wait, they got right into mood for the photos. I wish I was recording audio with the photos though, as the various 'Peaky Blinders' quotes that were shouted out with proud Birmingham enthusiasm would've definitely added a little something extra to the images. Saying that, I'm not convinced Hannah would want to hear those phrases every time she opened the wedding album. hahaha
I had a great day with Hannah and Spencer and can't wait to share more from their wedding (including a very cool selfie gif with them).
Congratulations Hannah and Spencer and thanks for having me a part of your day.
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