Leigh Court Wedding
Bristol Wedding Venue
After getting ready at the Bristol Hotel and then getting married in the chapel at Clifton College, Lauren and George headed to Leigh Court for their wedding celebrations. On their way to Clifton College we stopped at Bristol’s most famous landmark for portraits: the Clifton Suspension bridge. What a stunning sight to stop for portraits, particularly in the beautiful simmer sunshine!
Clifton Suspension Bridge Wedding Photography
While all 160 wedding guests as well as my second shooter made their way to Leigh Court for the wedding celebrations, Lauren, George and I stopped at Bristol Suspension Bridge for some portraits. The suspension bridge is one of Bristol’s greatest landmarks and make one hell of a great backdrop for romantic couple portraits!
Leigh Court – the arrival of the bride and groom
Having spent time to do portraits at Clifton Suspension bridge meant that all 160 wedding guests had a chance to get to Leigh Court before us. This had two advantages. Firstly, we could take some portraits of Lauren and George at the front of Leigh Court without guests walking through the shot. Secondly, the guests greeted the couple with a huge cheer which was a wonderful way of starting the second drinks reception.
The Drinks Reception
This was the second drinks reception of the day and all the guests seemed very happy t have arrived at the final destination. Leigh Court offers a lot of space to a wedding party. There is the great hall, two side rooms as well as a patio area with extended seating.
Leigh Court Marquee
At the back of the venue was a huge marquee to house the guests for the wedding breakfast, speeches and evening celebrations. At this wedding we had around 160 guests, but the marquee could have easily taken more guests than that. From a photography point of view a plain white marquee is wonderful, because it acts like a huge softbox, it gives really even and clean lighting.
Leigh Court Bridal Party Portraits
If you are planning to have your wedding at Leigh Court, please be aware that you cannot have large group shots on the famous stairs as they are cantilevered and can only carry a limited amount of weight. For this reason we did two separate group pictures, one of the girls and one of the boys. Afterwards we did one large bridal party group shot on the outside stairs which was a lot of fun and made for a very dramatic and fun group picture!
The Wedding Speeches
The speeches took place once everyone was seated inside the marquee and they didn’t disappoint! Mixing two different, but also similar cultures (the Brits and the Americans) created substance for many good jokes.
The Evening Celebrations
This wedding incorporated many American traditions and so the dancing started with a daughter-father and son-mother dance, before entering the traditional first dance for the bride and groom. They had a band which is always great for atmosphere and all their guests loved the dance floor as well as the photo booth.
Check out Lauren and George’s Wedding Ceremony at the Clifton College Chapel here:
What Lauren & George said…
“We had the most wonderful experience with Betty as our wedding photographer. She was with us every step of the planning process (which, due to Covid, was over 3 years) and understood our vision. She is extremely organized and prompt, and she worked collaboratively with us to make sure we had the most beautiful photos to remember our special day. Her professional knowledge is exceptional. She did site visits at all of our venues and had numerous phone calls with us. On our wedding day, she catered to us, making sure we were well hydrated and comfortable during 30+ degree heat. She was such a huge part of making our wedding day worth the wait. We are forever grateful for her taking this very long journey with us!”
Suppliers Information
Wedding Ceremony Venue – Clifton College
Wedding Celebration Venue – Leigh Court
Videography – Third Reel Films
Hair & Makeup – South West Bridal Hair & Makeup
Flowers – Emily & Me
Dress – Calla Blanche
Bridesmaid dresses – Lulus
Last but not least, this is me together with the awesome videographers Sol and Howard who are Third Reel Films.
You can see Lauren and George’s amazing wedding video here courtesy of Third Reel films.
Are you getting married?
If you are getting married at Clifton College or Leigh Court, I would love to hear from you!
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