Rachel and David’s Apton Hall Wedding

Apton Hall Wedding Photography

Apton Hall is a beautiful wedding venue situated in the picturesque Essex countryside. The buildings have been beautifully restored to make the most idyllic setting for your wedding day.

The venue offers an abundance of space both inside and out giving it a spacious feel as well as allowing plenty of room for your guests to mingle and enjoy your wedding day. From a photography point of view, it is a dream to work at, it has a bit of everything meaning we can capture photographs for a variety of styles; from the rustic country, modern, right through to settings with rural farm backgrounds.

If you are looking for your perfect Essex wedding  venue then checking out Apton Hall is a must, if you would like advice on how the type of wedding photography you wish for can be achieved at this venue then please do not hesitate to get In touch and I would be more than happy to offer help and advice.

Rachel and David’s Essex Wedding Photography at Apton Hall

I have actually known David for several years as we used to work together so it was an honour when he and Rachel decided to book me to be their wedding photographer. As with many of my couples they had an engagement shoot which we shot at Apton Hall back in September last year, this allowed us to go through some of the photographs they wanted on the day and to get an idea of what worked for them and if there was anything they did not want on the big day.

This was a very busy wedding, I started early to capture bridal prep in both the Meadow Cottage and the bridal suite as well as capturing the guys in between. Working closely with the amazing videographers from Forever Flame Productions ensured we could coordinate things perfectly allowing every photo and video opportunity to be captured.

Laughter, nerves, emotion and tears of happiness

The wedding was so much fun to photograph, there was laughter, nerves, emotion, tears of happiness and just about everything in between.

David had heard me talk about my passion for wedding photography and some of the creative photography I like to provide for my couples so I knew they were going to want the full works. One particular photograph they were hoping for was a sunset image and I’m pleased to say we were lucky enough to get one on the day. After the first dance, we actually went back outside to get some night photographs which will make a really nice end to their wedding album.

Something Unique on Your Wedding Day

One of the guests purchased the couple a hand casting to be done on the day as a gift, you can see some of the photographs below, this was such a nice idea and something I had not seen at a wedding before. Check out their website here: https://tinytreasures-castings.co.uk/

Essex Wedding Photography

You can check out a small selection of photographs from the day below and for a video slideshow please click here.

A short Q and A with Rachel and David

How did you meet?

David and I met when we were still at school in 2007 through mutual friends. We spent 11 years together before David proposed in Central Park in NYC and then we married in February 2020.

What made you pick your wedding venue?

It was actually pure luck that we stumbled across Apton Hall, and we are so glad we did! We had booked in with another venue, prior to booking Apton Hall, but there were some complications along the way, so we decided to take one last look at what was on offer, and we extended our radius of search and found the beautiful Apton Hall

Where did your wedding dress come from?

My wedding dress was from Bellissima Weddings in South Woodham Ferrers, Essex. The girls there are just amazing!

Where did the bridesmaid’s dresses come from?

They also came from Bellissima Weddings, to match mine!!

Where did you get the guys suits from?

The boys hired the suits from Dapper Chaps. There was so much choice!!

What was the theme or colour scheme for your wedding?

We had chosen navy as our colour scheme with accents of copper throughout the venue.

What resources did you use for your wedding inspiration?

Pinterest was a where we got a lot of our ideas from. Also the venue and their ‘mood boards’ from previous weddings.

If you had to pick just one, which is your favourite photo from the day?

All of them!! But we particularly love the natural candid shots. I love the photos of David and I during the ceremony whilst we are saying our promises.

What song did you have for your first dance?

JP Cooper – Cheerleader

What made you choose James Thomas Photography?

We absolutely love James’s style of editing, and how professional he is. He was able to make both of us feel very comfortable and relaxed both during our special day and in the lead up to the wedding.

Do you think you made the right decision choosing James Thomas Photography?

Absolutely! 100%. No doubt about it!

What advice would you give to anyone who has a wedding coming up at your venue?

Trust the venue – they really know what they are doing! For a control freak like me it was hard to imagine that I wouldn’t have control over everything on our big day, but anything and everything I thought of, the team at Apton Hall were already on top of it!

Would you mind sharing who your other suppliers were?

Venue: Apton Hall
Videographer: Dan and Alan @ Forever Flame Productions
Dresses: Bellissima Weddings
Suits: Dapper Chaps
Flowers: Karen @ The Flower Mill
Cake: Sue at Finesse Cakes
Hair: Sarah @ Sarah Wade Hair
MUA: Charlemagne @ LaCharlemagne Make Up
DJ: Pete Ferrant @ Apton Hall

Can you write a few words describing your experience with James Thomas Photography?

The whole process with James was so smooth right from booking up until after the wedding. James has an amazing ability to make you feel relaxed and at ease with the photos, given everything that is going on during the day. Any ideas we had for images we would like to try and capture, James absolutely made this happen! Thank you so much!!