Wedding Photography at Kelham Hall:
Yangmei and Jorre had a beautiful Chinese/Dutch wedding. And I was lucky enough to take the wedding photography at Kelham Hall. It was an absolute pleasure being a part of their special day and it was certainly very special. I have never been to a wedding with quite so many different nationalities in one room. It was something like 24 different nationalities and 18 different languages spoken. It was such a buzz being a part of such a multi-cultural wedding, the bride’s dress from the wedding dress shop essex was amazing, i have never seen such a beautiful piece, and no more so than the Chinese/Dutch element.
There were traditions from both cultures incorporated and everyone and everything just blended so perfectly. Yangmei’s father didn’t speak a word of English and yet he entered into the spirit of the day with such ease and confidence. There was a lovely moment where Jorre mentioned Yangmei’s father in his speech and Yangmei’s dad clearly didn’t know what was being said but he stood and raised his glass to everyone beaming from ear to ear! it was the most wonderful moment to watch. He was filled with such pride and happiness. This is one of those moments that I will always remember so fondly when I look back at this picture.
Yangmei’s favourite five:
I asked Yangmei for her favourite five images and to let me know what she liked about each photo. I love her choices and the reasons behind each one.
ONE:
Yangmei says:
I like this photo as it’s our first quiet moment away as a wedded couple, where we can take a breather and sink in what just happened. We liked that the secluded setting in the woods also helped to emphasize the mood!
TWO:
Yangmei says:
This photo is significant as it’s the first one with both set of parents together. The father of the bride had not met any of the groom’s family prior to the wedding as he still lives in China. Given my parents were divorced when I was very young, there’s hardly any photos of them together. The photo underlined the union of the wedding in more ways than just one.
THREE:
Yangmei says:
It was a great idea from my bridesmaids to take a selfie as we know it’ll be several days before we get all the formal wedding photos. I got them all to dress in orange in their own style to pay tribute to my husband (as orange is the Dutch colour!)
FOUR:
Yangmei says:
We liked this photo as it was an impromptu shot of us getting away from the crowd 🙂 It’s different to all the posed but beautiful shots at the wedding.
FIVE:
Yangmei says:
Both mother’s stole the show with their speeches at the banquet and this was a well captured bond between them 🙂
Some thoughts from the bride:
What was the best decision you made about your wedding day? (advice to future couples)
It’s worth spending the money on a great venue. We picked Kelham hall after looking at numerous locations and we knew it was the one when then trees parted from the drive way and revealed the hall. We had a lot of compliments from guests about the choice of location and it’s come out great in photos!
Is there anything you would do differently? (advice to future couples)
Outsource! If I was to go back and do it again, I’d have liked to outsource a lot more of the decorating and tiny details to an agency, it’s simply not worth the hassle to stress about the details and logistics closer to the wedding. The night before the wedding I was still gluing together the gift box!
ORANGE:
As Orange is the Dutch colour, there was a lot of orange in the decor at the wedding. I love little elements like this that make a wedding so personal to the couple. Another lovely touch was that Yangmei’s bridesmaids had decided to all dress in Orange. The groom didn’t know so it was a lovely surprise for him. They all chose their own dresses and all looked a beautiful. Yangmei’s best friends come from all over the world so it made absolute sense that they would wear completely different dresses tied into the common theme of orange. I loved this. Here they all are looking beautiful and vibrant.
Some of the rest:
I have chosen 36 photos (like a roll of film) including the ones above, other moments I loved from the day were Yangmei giving gifts to her parents. Yangmei’s dad was so delighted with his orange tie. I have to say I absolutely fell in love with Yangmei’s father. He didn’t speak a word of English but he didn’t stop smiling all day and really threw himself into everything. He really made me smile! I liked the getting ready photos. We had to be careful not to be seen by some of the guests (and groom!) as the room looked right onto the gardens where guests were arriving!
Speeches:
The speeches were ace. Both mums gave very moving speeches and I loved the matriarchal vibe going on! Men tend to dominate wedding speeches so it is nice to see the women on top sometimes! Yangmei also killed it with her speech. Girl power!! Go ladies!! Jorre’s brother was his best man and his speech consisted of lots of shots being taken. It appears the traditions of drinking lots of booze at weddings span most cultures! Haha.
I loved the little book of stories that Jorre’s mum pulled out in her speech. It was a lovely memory from his childhood and showed a super imagination. I think in one story the vacuum cleaner came alive and ate everyone up or something. It was so cute to look at.
Family Tree:
Yangmei and Jorre presented both sides of the family with a picture of their family tree. And I’m really excited to hear that the family tree is growing even more with a new little one on the way! He or she certainly has good genes from both sides. Congratulations Yangmei and Jorre!! And thanks for having me along for your wedding photography at Kelham Hall. It was an absolute pleasure. x
Credit where credit is due:
Venue: Kelham Hall | Florist: Zinc Flowers | Dress: Bridal Factory Outlet | Hair and Makeup: Lisa Precious | Cake: Organic Wedding Cake Company | Harpist: Thea Butterworth | Videographer: TOAST films | Second Shooter: Tony Wolliscroft
SLIDE SHOW: