December Wedding at St John’s House & The Saxon Mill with Hannah & Matt

There’s something rather special about a wedding tucked into those few quiet days between Christmas and New Year, and Hannah and Matt’s intimate December wedding in Warwick was exactly that.
With only their closest family and friends knowing about their plans, this was a beautifully personal celebration that began at the gorgeous St John’s House in Warwick before moving on to The Saxon Mill for their reception.

I’ve photographed weddings at St John’s House several times, and it remains one of my favourite civil ceremony venues in Warwick. It’s a beautiful historic Jacobean house with all the character and grandeur you might expect from a stately home, but without needing to plan an enormous stately home wedding around it.
For couples wanting an intimate civil ceremony somewhere that still feels really special, it’s an absolute gem.

Hannah and Matt had kept their wedding plans fairly quiet, with a small group of around 40 of their closest family and friends there to celebrate with them. Their two young children were, of course, a huge part of the day too.
The smaller guest list gave the whole ceremony a wonderfully intimate atmosphere. There was none of the feeling of putting on a huge production, just two people getting married surrounded by the people who mattered most.

The ceremony itself was lovely and relaxed, with plenty of emotion and those little unscripted moments that I always look for.
One of the things I love about smaller weddings is that you really notice the connections between everybody in the room. There’s nowhere for those glances, smiles and reactions to hide, which makes them wonderful to photograph.

Afterwards, we headed into the grounds of St John’s House for photographs.
Civil ceremonies can sometimes mean working quickly, and I think we had around fifteen minutes before everyone needed to leave. So we made the most of every one of them, fitting in portraits of Hannah and Matt, immediate family photographs and a full group shot before it was time to head over to the reception.

The celebrations continued at The Saxon Mill in Guys Cliffe, a gorgeous country pub and wedding venue sitting alongside the River Avon.
It was a perfect choice for an intimate winter wedding. The old mill, river and surrounding grounds gave us another completely different backdrop for photographs, while inside everything felt warm and cosy for a late-December celebration.

Upstairs, Hannah and Matt had their own room set up for the wedding breakfast, and this is where I found possibly one of my favourite alternative wedding cakes.
Forget a traditional three-tier masterpiece. Hannah and Matt had Colin and Connie the Caterpillar cakes dressed as a bride and groom, surrounded by an entire little wedding party of mini caterpillar cakes.
It was fun, completely different and absolutely perfect for a relaxed family wedding.
The tables were filled with lovely little details too, with the Christmas tree and decorations adding to that cosy festive feeling.

Despite being just one day before New Year’s Eve, the weather was surprisingly mild, so we headed back outside for some more photographs.
We used the bridge beside the River Avon, the water and the old mill as our backdrop before moving around the edge of the property for some more family and group photographs.
After having such a short window at St John’s House, it was lovely to have a little more time here and let Hannah and Matt enjoy their portraits without feeling rushed.

Then everyone headed back inside for drinks and some time simply chatting and enjoying being together.
And I think that's what suited this wedding so perfectly. It wasn't about filling every minute of the day with entertainment or following a huge schedule. It was about Hannah and Matt celebrating with their children, family and closest friends.

Of course, Colin and Connie eventually had to meet their fate, and it was time for the cake cutting before we headed outside once more.

This time Hannah and Matt brought their children with them for some sparkler photographs.
There’s something about sparklers at a winter wedding that just works. The early darkness that comes with a December wedding suddenly becomes an advantage, giving us the perfect opportunity to create something a little different before everyone headed upstairs for dinner.

The wedding breakfast began with a “How Well Do You Know the Bride and Groom?” quiz, which was a brilliant way to get everyone involved and produced plenty of laughs around the room.

Then came the speeches, with Hannah taking the lead and making the first speech, followed by a few words from Matt and then his two best men.
It was a fitting end to a wedding that had never tried to be anything other than exactly what Hannah and Matt wanted.

Hannah and Matt’s wedding was a lovely reminder that a wedding doesn’t have to be enormous to feel incredibly special.
A beautiful historic ceremony at St John’s House, around 40 of their favourite people, their two children right at the heart of everything, and a relaxed reception beside the River Avon at The Saxon Mill. Add Christmas decorations, sparklers and a caterpillar wedding cake and you have a pretty perfect December wedding.
It was an absolute pleasure to be trusted to capture such a personal day for Hannah and Matt and their family.
If you’re planning an intimate wedding at St John’s House, The Saxon Mill or elsewhere in Warwickshire and are looking for relaxed, natural wedding photography that captures the people and moments that really matter, I’d love to hear from you.