Wedding Photography at Darwin Lake
I loved doing some wedding photography at Darwin Lake for the wonderful Rachael and Mark. they had a beautiful relaxed wedding in Derbyshire surrounded by close friends and family. I met Rachael and her bridesmaids at the cottages at Darwin Lake where they were getting ready. There was a wonderful buzz as Rachael and her best girls were finalising preparations for the big day. Mark was in a cottage just a few doors away. But I spent most of the morning with Rachael and the girls. Rachael kindly allowed me to photograph her dress in the trees. This was wonderful as it looked so pretty hanging in the branches with the sunlight streaming through.
Rachael and Mark’s FAVOURITE FIVE:
I asked Rachael and Mark to pick their favourite five images from the day and let me know why these pictures mean something to them. I thought it would be an interesting feature on the blog. As normally I just chose a selection of my own favourites. So it was really insightful to hear a more personal perspective on some of the images. These were Rachael and Mark’s favourites fro my wedding photography at Darwin Lake. You can read why they like them and what memories the images bring back to them.
ONE:
Rachael says:
I’d been really relaxed all morning, despite eight of us getting ready in one cottage, a groom with a missing tie and all of the usual pre-wedding nerves. My bridesmaid Amy, who I’ve been friends with for over ten years, had been to all of my dress fittings with me and insisted on helping me get dressed. She zipped me up and when I looked at her she had tears in her eyes and it broke me! I’m not a cryer (at all!) but it was the first time all morning the enormity of getting married dawned on me – just as the registrar arrived, which was typical! Amy insisted we weren’t ruining our make-up, so we pulled it together!
TWO:
Rachael says:
Cohen is Mark’s godson and our ring bearer, and did a great job at looking adorable in his little suit. His announcement of ‘I put the rings on the table’ loudly mid-ceremony had everyone laughing and broke our nerves whilst exchanging vows. He’s since asked if that now we’re married, if ill be his Auntue Rachael (he calls Mark Uncle Mark) – too cute!
THREE:
Rachael says:
The legs photo is my favourite photo of all. I’d well and truly stalked Kathryn’s website, Facebook & Instagram photos before the wedding and when she suggested the legs (which was her profile picture) I went straight for it. Poor Mark didn’t have a clue and looked at us like we’d gone mad. He still looks slightly awkward even in the finished picture, which I love!
FOUR:
Rachael says:
Chloe had a big job being our flower girl and seeing her dad get married. In the run up, she was more of a diva about her dress, shoes, jewellery than Rachael! We almost chose the photo of her in the woods, because she loved being asked to ‘test the light’ by Kathryn, but this photo sums up how relaxed our wedding was and how important it was for everyone to have fun, and that’s why everyone dressed up for this, even when they normally prefer to use Vessi Footwear, since is more comfortable.
FIVE:
Rachael says:
The last photo was a tough one to pick but we went for this one as it was towards the end of our time away from the wedding (with a drink in hand!) having our photos taken. Despite my dress being full of twigs and leaves, I’m so glad we climed over streams and through the woods for the lovely photos we have now.
The rest of my favourites:
It was so interesting to hear about Rachael’s favourite pictures from their wedding photography at Darwin Lake. I love the feet shot too, and love how a picture like that is one of Rachael’s favourites. I really enjoyed taking Rachael and Mark for a little stroll later in the evening around the lake. We could hear the live music band from souldesire.co.uk playing in the distance and they had a little dance together (Rachael and Mark had decided not to do a first dance so it was really nice for them to have a little dance in the woodland away from their guests)
36 photos:
I have included Rachael and Mark’s top 5 in my 36 as these are some of my favourites too. The rest I think tell a lovely story of their day from portraits in the morning to dancing in the evening. Some of my favourite moments include taking Chloe to test the light for me and getting some lovely photos of her amongst the trees. The bridesmaids together and the groomsmen together. The outfits were perfect and suited the relaxed vibe of the day with groomsmen in shirtsleeves and braces.
Really fun:
The whole day was so much fun. The caterers were amazing. The food really was top notch. And they had a pizza van in the evening where guests could order their pizza of choice. Everything was outside with hay bails to sit on and games of rounders on the grass. Guests even changed into their jeans in the evening to feel more comfortable. I totally loved this laid back vibe to the day. It suited my style of photography down to the ground. I really enjoyed capturing little moments throughout the day. There were so many that it is difficult to fit them into 36 shots. But here are some of the rest I have chosen and there is a slideshow at the end of the post if you’d like to see more.
I also asked Rachael and Mark what the best thing was about the day and if there was anything they would do differently. So…
A few words from Rachael looking back:
Most of our wedding guests stayed for the weekend with us and we’d hired the venue for three days. It was so lovely to welcome everyone individually and enjoy a bbq on the Friday night, get married on the Saturday then wake up for (a slightly hungover) breakfast on the Sunday. We were so lucky to have a sunny weekend, so we spent the rest of Sunday with the girls gossiping, the boys fishing and the kids playing. Everyone is so busy day-to-day so to spend three days days with our closest family and friends was such a treat.
It took until the day we arrived at the venue to set up to really stop worrying about all of the tiny details. We wish we’d been able to relax and enjoy it earlier, as the ‘it is what it is’ attitude was such a relief! We booked and organised a three-day wedding in ten months so there was always lots to do, but as soon as that kicked in, we had a laugh, spent lots of time chatting with our suppliers and caterers and that’s when the wedding really started for us.
Also, I must mention the amazing suppliers who helped to make Rachael and Mark’s day so special.
Credit where credit is due:
Florist: Twisted Willow | Caterers: Olivepot Catering for the Friday night BBQ, canapés, wedding breakfast and Sunday morning breakfast. The Peel Woodfired Kitchen for woodfired pizzas as evening food. | Hair and Makeup: Beau Hair | Band: The Cave and Encore | Dress: London Bride | Venue: Darwin Lake
