Emma + Sam | Abbeywood Estate

I will never forget meeting Emma + Sam on our first video consultation because we all got along so so well, in fact we were chin wagging for an exceptional amount of time, mainly about everything other than wedding photography! It was lovely to have had the enquiry because I had photographed Emma’s sister and brother-in-law’s wedding a few years ago. So fast forward from us setting the worlds to right and talking about our favourite music and food, it was time for their beautiful Cheshire wedding at Abbeywood Estate and Gardens. Emma and Sam picked the venue because of their love of Autumn and the Autumnal colours that would be in abundance at this lovely venue, especially since the ceremony was to be an outdoor ceremony on the lawn.

I arrived at Abbeywood and was instantly greeted by smiles and waves through the lovely big windows from Emma and her bridesmaids who were getting ready. A great super chilled atmosphere to walk into and meet everyone, Emma had quiet a few bridesmaids as well as nephews and nieces there for bridal prep, so there was a lovely hum of activity. I popped across to see Sam and the chaps next door along with Sam’s sister who had a surprise present to deliver from Emma. It was lovely to witness Sam opening this special hand crafted book to mark the start of their adventures together and to add to throughout their lifetime as a couple, needless to say Sam was obviously very touched as you’ll see below in the photos.

Sam had done the same for Emma with a beautiful card and perfume which Sam’s sister played courier again for the return trip. Emma trying desperately not to cry having had her eye makeup done but thankfully failed and there were tears to photograph; my number one thing to capture at a wedding is emotion! Boy did this wedding deliver on the emotion front as I hope you’ll see when you have a look at the photos below.

After Emma and her mum had got Emma into her beautiful dress it was time to do the reveal to the bridesmaids and children, all of them clearly approving Emma’s stunning dress choice. She really did look a million dollars and I think Sam thought the same as he saw Emma walking down the aisle to meet her at the alter. Their outdoor wedding at Abbeywood was just picture perfect set on the manicured lawn under some beautiful tree cover with some delightful gardens as the backdrop.

They had both written their own vows which made for a beautiful moment to witness how dearly they both feel for each other. Emma’s dad also doing a great job of being chief veil keeper to stop it going everywhere in the wind; also little did I know that I was photographing this veil for the second time. A lovely gift from Emma’s sister Sarah who had worn it for her and Luke’s wedding day. After their gorgeous ceremony we set up a nice long confetti tunnel in the formal avenue of trees at Abbeywood gardens, I came away with no shortage of stunning confetti photos for Emma and Sam.

After the canapes and blasting through the group photos in the gardens I grabbed 10 minutes with Emma and Sam to create some relaxed and fun portraits of just the two of them while all the guests settled down in the orangery. Abbeywood gardens are perfect for couples portraits with so many interesting areas and I made sure we captured the Autumnal vibe that Emma and Sam wanted to capture, all in some beautiful soft evening light too.

It was great to see the music theme in the wedding breakfast with their favourite vinyls used to decorate the tables. It was straight into the speeches which were a mixture of love and laughter, but the person stealing the show and clearly his wife’s heart was Sam. Not only did he make a great speech but segued into a heartfelt song that he had written for Emma and before we all knew it Emma was off again with the tears and amazement in her face; the whole thing was a beautiful moment on it’s own.

During the meal I scouted an interesting woodland area and when we got 5 minutes after the meal I stole Sam and Emma to capture them some beautiful forest portraits with a setting sun to add to the drama. It was soon time for the desserts table to be devoured by the guests; including the kids, which made for some great chocolate covered faces in the gallery. Emma and Sam started the evening off cutting their cake in front of all their guests before gracing us all with their first dance to kick off the party and the dancing. Anyway enough from me, have a watch of their photo highlights video below or you can always scroll through the images underneath. Enjoy.