July Wedding at Blakelands Country House with Sarah & Alex

Sarah and Alex’s July wedding at Blakelands Country House in Stourbridge was such a lovely one for me to photograph, not least because Sarah was already a client of mine. I first met her through my studio photography, and I’d even photographed their daughter as a baby, so getting to come back and capture another huge milestone for their family made the day feel that little bit more special.

One of the things I immediately loved about Blakelands Country House was the beautiful accommodation available for getting ready. Sarah and her bridal party had their own self-contained space, complete with a little kitchenette downstairs and a gorgeous, spacious room upstairs. For a photographer, it was perfect. There was plenty of room, lovely light and some beautiful places to photograph all those important details before the day really got underway.

Sarah’s beautiful wedding dress looked incredible hanging against the mirror, and I spent some time photographing the dress, flowers and all the little details while everyone was getting ready.

Then it was into the morning preparations. Sarah had her bridesmaids and family around her while hair and makeup were finished, and it was such a lovely room to be part of. There was a really warm family atmosphere throughout the morning, with everyone getting ready, chatting and enjoying those last few hours before the ceremony.
It was also rather lovely for me seeing Sarah and Alex’s daughter again. The last time she had been in front of my camera she was a tiny baby for her newborn photographs, and now here she was watching Mum and Dad get married!

Meanwhile, Alex and his wedding party were getting ready in another part of the venue, which meant I could easily move between the two and capture both sides of the morning.
This was also where my years of wedding photography came in unexpectedly useful! None of the men had snipped open the buttonholes on their jackets. Luckily, I carry a little penknife kit and scissors in my wedding bag, so photographer temporarily became seamstress while we got everyone sorted.
We headed downstairs afterwards for some relaxed photographs of Alex and his best man, along with those final details of getting their flowers pinned into place.

Back upstairs, it was time for Sarah to get into her dress with help from her mum, followed by one of my favourite parts of a wedding morning, the first look with Dad. There’s something about that first moment a father sees his daughter completely ready to walk down the aisle that never gets old, and this one was beautiful.

The styling throughout the wedding was gorgeous. Soft lilac and mauve tones ran through the bridal party, while Alex and his groomsmen wore navy with coordinating lilac details in their ties and buttonholes. Sarah’s bouquet brought everything together beautifully with those same lilac tones mixed with deeper blues.

Then it was time for the outdoor ceremony.
Alex was waiting, looking understandably nervous, before Sarah made her way down the aisle on her dad’s arm. Their teenage son had the very important job of being Alex’s best man and looking after the rings, making the ceremony a proper family affair.
The weather was slightly overcast, which some couples worry about, but from a photography point of view it was absolutely perfect. Beautiful soft light without harsh shadows or anyone squinting into the July sunshine.
And there was another rather unusual feature to their ceremony. Blakelands sits beneath a flight path, so throughout the vows we had aeroplanes passing overhead, adding something completely unique to the atmosphere of the day.

After the ceremony we moved on to the family and group photographs, including one that involved me hanging out of a window to get everyone into the frame. Sometimes wedding photography requires slightly more questionable working positions than the job description suggests!

Then Sarah and Alex had a little time away from everyone for their couple portraits around the grounds.
Blakelands gave us so much variety. We photographed beside the lake, where the fish seemed determined to get themselves into the wedding gallery by leaping completely out of the water like tiny whales. We wandered through the wildflowers and orchard and made use of the gorgeous swing for some beautiful portraits of Sarah.
It was a lovely opportunity for Sarah and Alex to have a little breathing space together in the middle of such a busy day.

The wedding breakfast took place in the beautiful barn, and the attention to detail was everywhere. There were handmade touches throughout the tables, including personalised wooden name markers and cookies made by Alex himself. Those personal details are always some of my favourites because they make a wedding completely individual to the couple rather than simply looking like anyone else’s day.

Then came the speeches. There were definitely a few nerves beforehand, but they needn’t have worried. Everything went brilliantly, with plenty of emotion and laughter from Sarah, Alex and their guests.

Afterwards we headed back outside for confetti, and this produced what is still one of my favourite confetti photographs I’ve ever taken. Sometimes absolutely everything comes together in one frame, and this was one of those moments.

There was plenty to keep the younger guests entertained too, including a face painter. I stayed around to capture the children having their faces painted and, more importantly, their reactions when they saw the finished results.

As the barn was transformed for the evening celebrations, the photo booth opened, evening guests began arriving and the party got underway.
And then came possibly the most unexpected wedding photographer perk of the year.
Before I left, the lovely owner of Blakelands told me I was welcome to help myself to apples from their orchard. I went home not only with memory cards full of Sarah and Alex’s wedding, but several big bags of apples too. Those apples subsequently became three very good apple pies, so I think it’s fair to say Blakelands looked after the photographer exceptionally well!

By the time I left, I’d had such a wonderful day. Blakelands Country House is a beautiful wedding venue with fantastic grounds, loads of photographic opportunities and a lovely relaxed atmosphere, and I would happily photograph another wedding there.
Most importantly, it was an absolute pleasure to photograph Sarah and Alex and to be trusted with another chapter of a family I’d already had the privilege of photographing before.
Thank you, Sarah and Alex, for having me along for such a special day.
If you’re planning your own wedding at Blakelands Country House in Stourbridge and are looking for relaxed, natural wedding photography that captures the people, details and all those little moments in between, I’d love to hear from you.