An intimate wedding, at a boutique hotel, with fine dining in the Cotswolds. That pretty much sums up Chris & Nicky’s day at The Rectory last weekend, where I was on hand to capture some beautiful wedding photos, in the glorious summer sunshine ……ahh scratch that! I mean, in the rather damp and slightly overcast conditions that are now typical of a British summer (anyone would think we were in Scotland….you’ll get that comment as you read on).
At this point I should probably tell you about this wedding venue. The Rectory Hotel is somewhere I’d not been before (I know, shock horror) yet it’s only 40 mins from my house. It’s close to Malmesbuty, in the village of Crudwell, Wiltshire, and is a charming Cotswold Country House, run in a relaxed style. Every room you go in to you can’t resist but want to sit down on their comfy sofas and flick though a magazine or book. Even when you walk around, you have the visual delight of looking at all the artifacts that adorn the house. It’s pretty much like home from home getting married here.
Anyway, the wedding day. Chris & Nicky had apparently been going out FOREVER, so it was about time they got married. Busy lives in the legal world and working overseas probably kept them occupied for the past few years, and who could blame Chris not rushing into things…..us men like time to think things over and make sure we’re making the right decision!
The wedding had a Scottish theme, with Kilts a plenty and a piper playing as Nicky walked down the aisle. It was a small wedding, by some standards, with around 45 guests including many children, most of whom were obsessed with throwing stones into the pond in The Rectory gardens!
So, without further ado, here you have The Rectory Hotel wedding photos from Chris & Nicky’s wedding in the ‘summer’ of July 2012.
Yep, that’s The Rectory Hotel. Also handy to know, for those of you planning a wedding here, the local parish church (All Saints Church, Crudwell) is about 200 yards to my right, so perfect if you choose to have a church ceremony followed by your wedding reception at The Rectory. In fact there’s a sneaky gate that let’s you nip through the gardens.
I mentioned comfy sofas right? Take your pic. This room, or the one below!
There are several rooms at The Rectory Hotel, so perfect for your wedding guests to stop over. This is the main bridal suite.
A hint of the Scottish wedding theme was detected in the bouquets….further reinforced when I caught up with the boys (below)
“So how do we put all this ‘stuff’ on?”…….
….apparently the ‘wiggle’ is the adopted move to get a kilt over your hips!
Swords in place, now lets drink – that’s what the Scott’s do so very well!
I’m sure something is missing in this picture?
Okay, back to the ladies, wedding hair all done, now onto make-up. Simply pull you’re face up like this and ‘snap’ Lovely!
More alcohol?
The caption should read “ta na”.
Let me tell you about this chap with his back to us…Alfie I think his name was!? He was a super cute kid…wearing a stylish flowery shirt (similar to a certain wedding photographer I know – ahh yeah, that’ll be me), had a bow tie and this wee jacket to finish off the look. He was the best dressed wedding guest of the day (wow try and say that after a few cocktails).
I figured therefore we had common ground (the flowery shirt) and moved in for a chat…. and, well, you know, a photo or two. Alfie however had other ideas, he wasn’t playing ball :-( In the end, my photo became all the faces looking back at him with his back turned to the camera.
Shortly after he went off to mums lap for reassurance, bless!
It’s not raining, everyone is smiling this IS gong to be a dry wedding……maybe?
At this point I did think perhaps the best man could retract his hand, as tbh I think one ring was more than enough for them to handle! :-)
Yay, jump in the air if it’s not raining! Watch your kilt doesn’t blow up though.
At this point, as it wasn’t raining’ I figured some super fast wedding photos in the gardens of The Rectory may just be in order. Thankfully I took this one window of opportunity as indeed shortly after British summer resumed and it started to rain!
I loved this birdcage wedding table plan. Really delicate and suited the room styling.
Dining inside the Rectory is perfect for smaller weddings. Cosy, intimate and atmospheric…..but from a photographer perspective, bloomin’ bright up one end and dark down the other ;-)
These boys spent a lot of time either feeding the fish, or throwing stones in the pond. I was in fact surprised to see them all still dry at the end of the evening.
After dinner & speeches I grabbed a quick opportunity for a couple more wedding photos of Chris & Nicky around The Rectory. Mainly inside still – damn you rain! Although this is, for anyone looking, a good example of wedding photos on a wet day!
If you have been looking for The Rectory Hotel wedding photos and are considering having your wedding here…. please contact Matt Davis Photography for a chat about your day. I’d love to hear from you.