When I met Emily and Chris for their engagement shoot back in the springtime we were blessed with a simply gorgeous evening. The bluebells and rapeseed were in full bloom and the golden spring sunshine provided beautiful lighting for the shots. Emily and Chris are a great couple – so relaxed and full of life, and I was really looking forward to photographing their wedding at Lympne Castle in August.

As luck would have it, the weather on their wedding day was very mixed indeed! The heavens opened halfway through the group shots, sending everybody scattering for cover. It did give me the chance to take some very atmospheric images, with beautiful cloud formations – they do say every cloud has a silver lining!

I spent some time with Emily, her bridesmaids and her mother-in-law to be at the Hythe Imperial Hotel on the morning of the wedding, during her bridal preparations. I love to be a part of this very precious part of the day. It’s often a time of great fun and anticipation. The look of pride and amazement on Emily’s father’s face as he opened the door and caught sight of her in her wedding dress was so special.

The ceremony itself was held in the Great Hall of the medieval Grade I listed Lympne Castle. This stunning room, with its part-panelled walls, wooden roof beams and gothic arched windows conjured up all the romance of times past.

Chris was very emotional during the ceremony – I’m not surprised. Emily looked so stunning and they are a gorgeous couple – so in love with each other. Emily’s face was radiant, with a smile that lit up the room. They say a picture tells a thousand words, and the images of Emily and Chris walking back up the aisle together after their wedding ceremony speak volumes!

Fortunately, the weather cleared for long enough to enable us to get some images of the Emily and Chris outside in the castle gardens. Lympne Castle is one of my favourite wedding venues in Kent. It has the most amazing view overlooking Dungeness, and there are plenty of wonderful nooks and crannies inside and outside the building that lend themselves to photography. The beautiful architectural stonework and brilliantly coloured flower borders provided the perfect backdrop to the couple shots.

As I left, the evening was in full swing, and a full moon was shining over the bay, creating a wash of liquid gold – it gave me the opportunity for a lovely photograph of the sea at night to create a natural full stop to the story telling for the day.

Here are a few of my favourite images from the day…

Big congratulations you two! x