When Heather and Ollie came to see me and discuss their photography they told me of booking Calke Abbey. Having only one aborted visit to Calke Abbey (it gets very busy on Bank Holidays) I had no other vision other than a very grand venue with a country feel and something quite traditional. Whilst there is nothing wrong with mourning coats, pretty little bridesmaids and page boys (I did a wedding with all of those trimmings just last weekend and it was a gem; soon to be featured on here) but this year I’ve been lucky enough to photograph some real alternative treats. Of course as with all couples I talk through details of their day and the plans that they have but there is often only so much that can be said and the reality is I often don’t really get it until the day unfolds. I do however where possible do a “venue reccy” and as Heather and Ollie chose to have a pre wedding shoot as part of their package they chose to have it at Calke Abbey.
We met on a weekday evening just as the venue was closing. As luck would have it the “riding school” was open so we had a sneak peek at what was to be their venue. Suddenly my creative juices were at near gushing levels. Lime mortar brickwork and huge timber king trusses supporting a huge open span of perhaps 100 feet long and 35 feet wide. With an abundance of natural light blazing though large windows this was going to be anything but traditional. That summer evening in August was glorious and warm with golden sunlight dropping over the horizon that brought the reds of the brickwork to life along with the wonderful red of Heathers hair. It was clear when I started to work with them that they had an eye for creativity and Heathers studies in photography showed when she also spotted changes in the light as I was taking pictures of Ollie. We walked away from the main site and out towards the pasture land and the two of them were quite at ease with the camera pointed at them so I was confident we were going to have some great pictures from their wedding day.
Honeysucke and Castle dressed the venue and made the Diamond that it is sparkle and Black Peppermint looked after the food.