Ben and Gemma’s Wedding at Tortworth Court Hotel, Gloucestershire

Grant Corban arranging a very large group photo at Tortworth Court, Cotswalds
Grant Corban arranging a very large group photo at Tortworth Court, Cotswalds
Grant Corban marshalling a very large group photo at Tortworth Court, Cotswalds

Ben and Gemma celebrated their wedding at Tortworth Court Hotel in Gloucestershire.  in the Cotswalds, just north of the city of Bristol, England. They planned on a long day with three ceremonies which made it a grand affair. The day started with the typical preparation of the bride, hair and make up, then proceeded to the three different wedding ceremonies!  The first was a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony, full of the colours and fragrances of India. After a quick change we moved into a civil registration of marriage (often referred to in its abbreviated form “ROM”), and then finishing up with an Anglican ceremony of blessing.

Once done we took the couple for portraits and group photos around this beautiful manor. Gemma made a stunning bride and Ben was Mr GQ all the way!

The dinner later in the evening was sumptuous, the wedding speeches very funny (spot the laughing and happy faces) and the bridal bouquet toss a scream. The night finished in the wee hours after a lot of dancing and some after party drinks at the on location pub. The last of us went to bed only after dawns early light came filtering in the window. It was a very memorable wedding.

While I live in Asia, (how a Kiwi ended up there is another story altogether) I am frequently asked to travel to cover weddings overseas, whether in the UK, USA, Australia, or elsewhere in the region. There are several reasons for this. Usually it is because a couple have seen us cover their friends wedding and like our style and personableness. In the large group photo above I can see one of our former couples and the parents of another couple who engaged us because of my willingness to assist him with his camera so he could get nice photos of the wedding. It’s these sort of things that are hard to put a value on.

Another factor is that we are not clock watchers. We have no homes to go back to for the evening, so the whole focus of our trip is to make sure you get good photos.

Lastly our unobtrusiveness is a welcome change to what is often seen in weddings. This is because we do this full time, and have been doing it for many years with well over 500 weddings under our belts. People like that experience. Our fees are also very affordable and fit most people’s budget. In fact I think we have never been out of anyones price range for an overseas shoot to date. So if you are looking for someone to cover your day, do drop me a line.

Tortworth, Court, Hotel, Gloucestershire, wedding

Tortworth Court Hotel Gloucestershire

Tortworth, Court, Hotel, Gloucestershire, wedding

The day before the wedding we took the opportunity for some quick portraits

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Gemma’s all set in her saree

indian, hindu, Tortworth, Court, Hotel, Gloucestershire, wedding

Don’t the girls look stunning!

indian, hindu, Tortworth, Court, Hotel, Gloucestershire, wedding

Ben and his parents

indian, hindu, Tortworth, Court, Hotel, Gloucestershire, wedding

This boys gaze is magical

saree, sari, Tortworth, Court, Hotel, Gloucestershire, wedding

We owe this wedding to this lovely lady’s recommendation

Tortworth, Court, Hotel, Gloucestershire, wedding, reception, area

The reception area between ceremonies

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Gemma and her dad get ready for the second wedding ceremony

Tortworth, Court, Hotel, Gloucestershire, wedding

A classic. I love this photo.

flower, girl, Tortworth, Court, Hotel, Gloucestershire, wedding

The flower girls were priceless

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Ben’s pretty happy the ring fits!

Tortworth, Court, Hotel, Gloucestershire, wedding

The expressions tell the story

Tortworth, Court, Hotel, Gloucestershire, wedding

The kids nearly stole the show

Tortworth, Court, Hotel, Gloucestershire, wedding

Family photo with both parents

Tortworth, Court, Hotel, Gloucestershire, wedding, group, photo

Arranging the big one. Need to be fast, friendly and a good eye for detail.

portrait, garden, Tortworth, Court, Hotel, Gloucestershire, wedding

Portraits around the grounds

portrait, garden, Tortworth, Court, Hotel, Gloucestershire, wedding

Ben and Gem were on top of the world

portrait, garden, Tortworth, Court, Hotel, Gloucestershire, wedding

So you can see more of the venue

portrait, gardens, Tortworth, Court, Hotel, Gloucestershire, wedding

The gardens and the lighting were perfect

portrait, Tortworth, Court, Hotel, Gloucestershire, wedding

We prefer to let our couples relax and enjoy themselves while taking portraits.

pub, Tortworth, Court, Hotel, Gloucestershire, wedding

We all retired to the Tortworth’s pub for a refreshing pint.

food, dessert, Tortworth, Court, Hotel, Gloucestershire, wedding

Just desserts

speeches, Tortworth, Court, Hotel, Gloucestershire, wedding

These guys were shockingly funny

speeches, Tortworth, Court, Hotel, Gloucestershire, wedding

Everyone was in stitches with the speeches. I was laughing so hard it was difficult to hold my camera steady enough to shoot!

wedding, cake, Tortworth, Court, Hotel, Gloucestershire, wedding

Cutting the wedding cake

Andrew and Gemma’s Wedding in Chilton Foliat, Berkshire

Group, photo, St Mary's, church, Chilton, Foliat, Hungerford
Wedding in Chilton Foliat Hungerford Berkshire
It was a fabulous day for Andrew and Gemma’s wedding in Chilton Foliat, Hungerford.

Andrew and Gemma’s Wedding was in St Mary’s, Chilton Foliat, Berkshire, England. In UK churches flash photography is usually not allowed and as it was a dull wet day most of the interior church shots were taken at 6400ISO using available light. Chilton Foliat is just outside of the village of Hungerford, famed for its antiques. Andrew surprised his lovely bride Gemma by renting a beautiful Aston Martin as his wedding car for the day. The wedding breakfast reception was held on the family farm where they breed race horse for the Newbury races. It was a really special day, and ended with a fun time dancing with the band’s fun music. My good friend and long time shooting partner Lim Hock Seng joined me for this trip and did a beautiful job with his photos. We stayed in Hungerford, easy to reach as it is on the main rail line from London to Exeter, and as mentioned it has an excellent range of antiques. BTW it was COLD! You will notice how everyone is bundled up.

If there were one place in the world I would love to shoot regularly, it would have to be the UK. So, if you are from the UK and viewing this page, I would love to come and cover your wedding day! Drop me a line.

st marys, church, chilton, foliat

St Marys Church in Chilton Foliat, Berkshire

st marys, church, chilton, foliat, wedding

Andrew was beaming

st marys, church, chilton, foliat, wedding

Classic tasteful ceremony

st marys, church, chilton, foliat, wedding

The brides maids were as excited as the bride

st marys, church, chilton, foliat, wedding

The brides father. You can imagine his emotions and thoughts as he gave his daughter away.

st marys, church, chilton, foliat, wedding

Traditional wedding vows

st marys, church, chilton, foliat, wedding

Wedding rings exchanged

st marys, church, chilton, foliat, wedding

You may kiss the bride

st marys, interior, church, chilton, foliat, wedding

So you can see the interior

st marys, church, chilton, foliat, wedding

The prayer of blessing

st marys, church, chilton, foliat, wedding

Congratulations all around

group, photos,st marys, church, chilton, foliat, wedding

Group photos were taken outside the church

st marys, church, chilton, foliat, wedding, db9, car

The wedding car. Aston Martin DB9. Classy.

portrait, st marys, church, chilton, foliat, wedding

Wedding portraits in St Mary’s Church

bride, portrait, st marys, church, chilton, foliat, wedding

The brides was just beautiful

wedding, hats

Hats, hats, hats.They are compulsory at all tasteful weddings 🙂

wedding, cake, chilton, foliat

The beautiful wedding cake.

ideas, wedding, table, seating, chilton, foliat

Light houses. Andrew and Gemma love visiting them and it made a great idea for the table seating

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The grooms cufflinks were very cool

wedding, reception, chilton, foliat

The friends were characters. A great bunch!

wedding, speech, chilton, foliat

Dispensing some marital insights

father, brides, speech, chilton, foliat

The father of the bride gave a hilarious speech

father, bride, wedding, speech, chilton, foliat, hungerford

The fathers advice for the groom was…..unorthodox

wedding, dance, chilton, foliat

The couples first dance.

wedding, party, chilton, foliat

The dancing went on long into the night

wedding, venue, idea, chilton, foliat, hungerford

Goodnight everybody.

 

 

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