Amy and Chris got married in autumn at the fab Rowton Castle, which is an old grade II listed country house in Shrewsbury. It was a gorgeous day and everyone had so much fun!
Getting ready
Amy got ready in the bridal suite at Rowton Castle with her bridesmaids, mum and Chris’ mum, and the atmosphere was so relaxed. One of my favourite moments during bridal prep was when Amy handed out gifts to her bridesmaids, mum and Chris’ mum. Her mum and Chris’ mum’s reactions were the best, they both got really emotional and started crying. The emotional theme was something that continued throughout their day, I love when people can’t help but show their emotions on wedding days, it was makes for really beautiful images.
When Amy’s dad saw her in her wedding dress for the first time I was absolutely blown away by his reaction. Dads are usually quite choked up to see their daughters in their wedding dresses, Amy’s dad had one of the best reactions I’ve ever seen a dad have. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room! The wedding party then walked together to get to the ceremony. Getting to the ceremony without being seen is always a bit of a military operation. The staff at Rowton are always really good at making sure all the guests are out of the way and the coast is clear for the bride to make her way to the ceremony room.
Chris got ready at Rowton Castle in a separate room with his dad and groomsmen. His dad spent quite a bit of time that morning showing all the lads the best way to do up a tie. It was quite amusing watching them all and some of them did need a bit of professional help. Just as I was leaving Chris to head back down to Amy him and his dad had a bit of a moment together. I walked out of the room to give them some space but shot through the doorway and I’m really glad I did because these shots were some of my favourites of the day.
Indoor Ceremony at Rowton Castle
The ceremony was an intimate affair in the Cardeston Suite. The ceremony room in Rowton is quite impressive anyway without any decoration. Amy and Chris had set up some really simple and effective decorations that really complimented the overall look of the room. There were candles lining the aisle and ivy wrapped around the chairs at the back of the room.
During the ceremony they had a few emotional readings from their friends and family. It was a really lovely way of involving their guests in the ceremony and it meant there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. They also had one of their bridesmaids play the piano and sing. I play the piano myself so when they mentioned that this was going to be happening I was really looking forward to it and it definitely didn’t disappoint! I always love when guests get to show off their unique talents at weddings and this added such a personal touch to their ceremony.
The party
The reception was out in the garden at the venue. They chose Rowton Castle because the food is incredible and they just fell in love with it. I love shooting Rowton Castle weddings because the grounds are absolutely amazing. There’s a bit of hidden woodland around the side of Rowton which I love using for couple portraits. It’s quite far away from guests which is always handy because it means we won’t get interrupted. And every time I’ve shot there the light has always been beautiful.
They had drinks and canapes in the afternoon, and DJ in the evening. They decorated the venue with autumnal flowers and conkers, because it worked so well with the time of year. I love autumn so I always love shooting weddings in autumn. I loved that Amy and Chris had chosen to really embrace the season and decorate Rowton Castle to fit around it. Their table plan consisted of various places that feature in Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit, I love it when couples incorporate their own personal tastes into their wedding day.
For dinner they had a roast dinner, which was gobbled down in seconds by everyone. They finished off the evening with a sparkler exit. Sparkler exits are always slight chaos but I do love them! I always give everyone the “don’t be a dick” talk and it takes a lot of shouting to organise it. At Rowton the venue were on hand to help with the lighting of sparklers which was really helpful. If you want to do a sparkler shot I’d really advise getting long burning sparklers, 2 minutes or more would be great. This enables us to have enough time for everyone’s sparkler to be lit at the same time and to get a few shots of you walking through them.
The funniest part of the day was when their beautiful dog Bonnie joined us after the ceremony. She was so excited! While she was there we went for a little wander with her and got some shots of her with Amy and Chris. I absolutely love dogs so dogs at weddings is always okay with me!
The couple
Amy wore a Morilee wedding dress and Chris wore a Peter Posh suit and they looked so gorgeous. Amy’s flowers were by the amazing Ginger Lily. I always love Ginger Lily’s creations, they’re always a bit wild which I think looks amazing.
Amy and Chris’s wedding was such a laugh and the most fun. Here’s their amazing Rowton Castle wedding!
If you’re having a Rowton Castle wedding, get in touch!
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