Summer 2022 saw Kate and Chris say ‘I do’ in a beautiful church ceremony at St Michael the Archangel Church in Manningtree. Afternoon celebrations followed at Le Talbooth wedding venue just off the A12 in Colchester. Originally Kate and Chris were due to wed in 2021 but they postponed their celebrations by one year to be able to accommodate their Suffolk wedding with no covid restrictions. It’s fair to say it was worth the wait, what a celebration it was!
Towards the end of this blog post I have embedded a link to the incredible wedding film made by Films From Lewis documenting Kate and Chris’ wedding day, be sure to take a look!
Kind words from Kate and Chris about their wedding photography:
One of the best decisions we made during the process of planning our wedding was picking Gemma to be our photographer! She was a pleasure to work with from our initial meeting to the wedding day. Gemma made us feel so relaxed on our engagement photo shoot which really helped on the big day!
On our wedding day, Gemma was so calming during the wedding prep and supportive throughout the day. Gemma was also really efficient with the group shots which we really appreciated so that we could spend some time during the drinks reception with our family and friends. We couldn’t believe how quickly Gemma sent us the photos and we are so unbelievably pleased with them!
Bridal preparations at Kate’s family home in Manningtree
The day for me started with bridal preparations at Kate’s family home in Manningtree. The house was filled with a buzz of excitement whilst hair and makeup were taking place. I always begin a wedding day by capturing the bridal details, I love that Kate included her invite as it just ties all the details together!
Groom prep at Idle Waters next to Le Talbooth
Directly next to Le Talbooth in Dedham is the luxury brick cottage which is Idle Waters, The back garden looks out onto the River Stour and makes the perfect backdrop for morning preparation photos. My second photographer Rebecca was here whilst I was with the girls. After prep finished up Rebecca followed the guys onto the ceremony at St Michael the Archangel Church in Brantham to capture the build-up.
St Michael the Archangel Church ceremony
The St Michael the Archangel Church worked perfectly for Kate and Chris as it was just down the road from Kate’s family home of 20 years. It also was only a short drive to their wedding reception at Le Talbooth which was an added bonus!
I loved the floral installation at the church doors, saying that I loved all the florals throughout the day in particular the use of big fluffy pink peony flowers. One of the benefits of a May/June wedding is peony season!
Couple portraits and then time to boat to the reception!
After the ceremony, it was on to Le Talbooth in Colchester for the guests but a quick stop by Kate’s family home for the newlyweds to photograph their couple portraits. Once we finished up I drove on to the venue whilst Kate and Chris travelled by boat to the wedding reception. Yes, you heard me correctly, Kate and Chris travelled by boat through the Suffolk countryside, down the river Stour and surprised their guests with their entrance! The guests were waving and cheering along the river bank, greeting the newlyweds and showering them in confetti.
With it being one of the hottest days of the year, it was fair to say the boys were a little toasty in their 3 piece tail suits. I tried as much as possible to keep the wedding couple and guests cool in the shade during the group photos.
Speeches (& singing!) in Le Talbooth marquee
The speeches are always an interesting part of the day and in particular, on Kate and Chris’ wedding day, Chris and the best man had a sing-a-long with all the wedding guests to ‘Love is all around me’ by ‘Wet, Wet, Wet’. I can’t remember why but it was brilliant as all the guests were joining in and swaying their arms!
Golden hour at Le Talbooth
After dinner, the heat of the day had started to lift and some wedding guests enjoyed chilling by the river. As the sun got lower in the sky we had the most gorgeous golden hour. Naturally, we followed the sun to capture some glowy evening couple portraits. These are amongst some of my favourite photos from Kate and Chris’ wedding, if you know me I do love golden hour!
I didn’t realise until Kate and Chris’ day that there is a little field around the back of the car park (I think it gets used as an overflow car park). Anyway, this little location is where we took the glowy golden photos seen below!
Getting the party started with a DJ/Sax player combo!
The evening got started with the cake cut into the first dance. The party really started when Freddy de Lord started playing the sax with his DJ set. This created such a vibe and the guests filled the dance floor making for some fun photos!
Wedding film documented by Films From Lewis
Kate and Chris’ wedding was an amazing day to be a part of and it was a joy to see them finally say ‘I do’ after their postponement, wishing them both all the happiness!
The full team of suppliers involved in Kate and Chris’ wedding:
Hair: Charlotte from Hair So Boho
Makeup: Makeup By Katy
Ceremony: St Michael the Archangel Church
Venue: Le Talbooth, Colchester
Florist: Amnesia Flowers
Cake: Charlotte Holman
Dress: Suzanne Neville
Dress Boutique: Bespoke Wardrobe
Suits: The Grooms Room, Colchester
String Quartet: Sole Bay Strings
DJ/Sax: Freddy de Lord
Video: Lewis Adgar
Photos: Gemma Giorgio Photography