Hamps Hall & Barn, DIY Marquee Summer Wedding Photography | Waterhouses, Staffordshire, Peak District Wedding
Kjella & Tim got married at Ashbourne registry office and celebrated their wedding at Hamps Hall & Barn in the Peak District, described as a party house…all I can say is that it most certainly was!!
Before I go any further I would like to share a few images from their day, I say a few but I think there’s probably around 150 there, SORRY!!! I always struggle to choose pictures to show people I like them all!
Here are ‘a few’ photos from their amazing DIY summer wedding in the Peak District.
*Tip - if you click on the first image you get to see them in all their hi-resolution glory (they look bigger and better)
Wedding Photography in the Peak District at Hamps Hall & Barn Wedding Venue.
Kjella & Tim’s wedding was a full-on DIY affair with all the food cooked by friends, the marquee set up and decorated, all the entertainment, the whole lot and it was brilliant!
For me the ‘work’ (I say work, but I find photographing a wedding incredibly fun and enjoyable so it’s not really work), my work started the day before where I drove up, tent in my car (yes it was a camping wedding), to get myself fully immersed in their celebration before the big day.
As I arrived early I got to work with K & T and their families and friends to finish off the set-up of the marquee, setting out the tables ready for the next day and fixing a bit of a leak in the main marquee, yep it was chucking it down the day before, British summer at its’ finest! I do love a chance to turn up the day before and get involved, it gives me an opportunity to get to know everyone. Once we were done at around 7pm, a quick change and we all walked a mile or so to the local pub The Red Lion Inn for a bite to eat and some drinks (quite a few as is turned out).
At god knows what time we trundled off in the darkness to get some sleep before the big day.
A super relaxed summer wedding day, a relaxed approach to wedding photography.
Kjella & Tim booked me to photograph their wedding because they wanted none of the awkwardness associated with posing for pictures and that’s where my alternative documentary style of wedding photography is perfect for couples.
Their brief was very simple, they wanted to enjoy their festival type wedding without feeling like they were under the spotlight. Luckily that’s what I specialize in, relaxed informal wedding photography in and around the Peak District!
I hope you can see from the images that this summer wedding was a completely informal and fun one, it was a day of celebration, drinking and dancing - exactly what a wedding should be in my eyes. There were no formal wedding pictures at all, everything was low key and I was very actively encouraged to party along with everyone else (which I did of course!), perfect for my approach and it’s what gives me the opportunity to capture such spontaneous and honest moments during a wedding day - full acceptance, no awkwardness and no “errrrrr there’s the photographer, stand up straight and smile for the camera”.
This has to be one of my favourite weddings with a great crowd of people and a fantastic atmosphere throughout the day.
Documentary wedding photography at Hamps Hall & Barn, Staffordshire
The emphasis on Kjella & Tim’s wedding day was fun and enjoying the great outdoors that the Peak District has to offer. Formalities were kept to a minimum, allowing everyone to spend their time enjoying the day rather than having to worry about keeping to a restrictive schedule.
Fair play to them and everyone else the entire day was a pretty much DIY affair, food was cooked by friends, marquee was decorated, tables layed out, outdoor games were arranged by a great bunch of family and friends (and me actually hoorah for me), I even found the wheelbarrows - thought it would be fun and it certainly was!
I loved this wedding so much, it was really fun to be part of and it really goes to show that what REALLY matters on your wedding day is choosing the right people to spend it with.
As a documentary wedding photographer I see a lot of couples choosing a much more informal approach to their wedding day, it suits my easygoing approach to wedding photography perfectly and allows couples (along with their families and friends) to forget they have a photographer at their wedding. From my perspective I want couples to make the most of their day, and a photographer who blends in as part of a wedding rather than herding people from one place to the next allows them to do that, along with dressing like a guest and not carrying a host of photo equipment - people don’t notice I’m there and often mistake me for another guest or friend.
I also feel it’s super important to tell a full story of a wedding, not just from an hour before leaving to get married to the first dance. A full story (for me) is the complete story of a wedding day from beginning to late in the evening. The nerves and excitement of getting ready on a wedding morning right through to the crazy evening partying (and everything in-between).
Hamps Hall and Barn as a wedding venue in the Peak District - my thoughts.
I honestly feel this is the perfect venue for anyone who is looking for an exclusive venue with loads of land and somewhere to throw up a wedding marquee. The place itself is great, there’s on-site accommodation for nearest and dearest and it’s really like a huge spread out house with it’s own kitchen, games room, lots of chill out places and plenty of room to pitch a load of tents should you want a festival type wedding.
You can even book it for a week or weekend and make a really big thing out of your wedding - why not turn it into a wedding weekend!!
Pub down the road is great too and only a 15 minute walk away (took slightly longer on the way back the day before because we’d all had quite a few)
That’s all folks, thanks for reading and if you would like my rather different style of photography at your wedding I would love to hear from you!
Paul x
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