Cufflinks by the French doors
Our afternoon at Marybrooke Manor began in the suite where Perrin was getting ready, with the rings resting on a white petal beside pink roses and his polished black shoes lined up and waiting. Perrin stood at a pair of timber French doors to fasten his cufflinks, and we kept the window behind him so the light traced the edge of his white shirt instead of flattening it. A family member stepped in to straighten his grey jacket. Then we took him out onto the balcony, where a row of tall, dark conifers made a clean green backdrop for portraits with two loved ones and a few on his own.
Lace, roses and tall windows
Along the hall, Lily was finishing her make-up in a white robe, her reflection caught in a gilt mirror. Her gown hung in a tall timber-framed window with her strappy heels beside it, and her bouquet of pink, peach and cream roses sat on a little glass table with her jewellery. Old guesthouse windows like these are a gift to us: the deep frames throw soft side light that shows every detail of the lace. A loved one knelt to fasten Lily’s shoes, and then Lily stood at the glass in her veil and tiara and gave us a slow, happy twirl.
Two flower girls lead the way
Before the ceremony, family gathered around Lily between heavy curtains and timber panelling, with a baby and a little girl in white tucked into the photo. Then the two flower girls set off down the hallway hand in hand, flower crowns on and rose posies held tight. We stood at the far end of the corridor and let them walk towards us, because little ones relax when they have somewhere to go rather than a pose to hold. Behind them, Lily waited at the chapel doorway on her dad’s arm, veil down and bouquet ready, while the music started inside.
Harp and violin in the chapel
Marybrooke’s chapel sits upstairs, with dark timber beams, chandeliers, velvet-seated chairs and a curve of tall windows looking straight into the trees. A harpist and a violinist played as Lily’s dad walked her down the aisle, and Perrin could not stop smiling. A keyboard player joined in later, a guest stepped up to the microphone, and the rings went on in front of the windows, framed by white flowers. We worked from the side of the room with a longer lens so we could catch faces in the front rows without stepping into anyone’s view. Their first kiss drew a cheer from every chair.
Signatures and every family group
Lily and Perrin signed the register at a table dressed in white, their two bouquets resting side by side, and two guests leant in to add their own signatures. Then came the family photos. We lined each group up in front of the bay of windows, which fills the chapel with even light, and set our exposure for faces so the forest outside fell to a soft, pale green. Small family groups came through one after another, babies and flower girls included, and then every guest squeezed into the chapel for one big photo together before heading downstairs and out to the garden.
LOVE letters from the balcony
Outside, giant white LOVE letters stood on the lawn below the manor, backed by tree ferns and clipped hedges. Lily and Perrin had asked for a group photo taken from the balcony, so we ran upstairs while everyone gathered around the letters and waved up at us. Height is the easiest way to fit a big crowd into one frame and still see every face. Back on the grass, the flower girls threw their arms in the air, a baby perched happily on Lily’s hip, and then Lily sat down in front of the letters for a portrait while Perrin stood beside them.
Swing, steps and a flying veil
Then the two of them came walking with us through the gardens. A timber garden swing under the trees gave us a slow, close moment, foreheads together and hands in laps. On the driveway, Lily’s long veil caught the air and spread right across the frame, with the half-timbered manor standing behind them. We followed old stone steps up between the ferns and finished under a low green canopy beside a hedge, where the light filtered through the leaves and stayed soft on skin. For Marybrooke Manor wedding photos, a five-minute walk gives you four completely different backdrops.
Family time in the panelled lounge
Back inside, Lily and Perrin spent a while with family in a wood-panelled sitting room with a gold sofa, a patterned rug and an old landscape painting on the wall. They moved from one loved one to the next, sharing small gifts, warm words and plenty of laughs, and one older guest dropped down to Perrin’s level with a huge grin. We kept these frames close and unposed and let the window light do the work. Then everyone settled onto the sofa for portraits in pairs and small groups, with Lily and Perrin standing just behind them.
A lift on the dance floor
The reception was downstairs in the Grendon Room, under white drapes and strings of fairy lights. Lily and Perrin went straight into their first dance, and the timber floor and white walls bounced plenty of light back onto them. Lily spun her skirt out wide, then Perrin lifted her high while she threw one arm in the air. Through dinner we went table to table around the round tables and white chairs, catching friends and family with glasses raised and little ones on laps, and finished with each table standing together, glasses up, around the flowers.
