Wasing Park near Reading is such a popular wedding venue and it’s not hard to see why. The choice of where you get married is of course a very personal choice. I’ve heard stories of brides choosing a place to hold the wedding before they’ve even received a proposal. I did hear one story from an American photographer friend who was adamant that he was booked for a wedding date by a (potential) bride before she had been asked by her boyfriend :)

The place has to be just right for the big day, not only in terms of the facilities the wedding venue offers but also many other factors such as accommodation, the location and of course the atmosphere and feel of the place. Wasing Park has its own particular vibe, obvious from the moment you pull up on the gravel after the drive through farmland from the village of Aldermaston outside Reading. Wasing Park is nicely secluded and peaceful, large enough so you don’t feel hemmed in but small enough so you don’t lose any of your guests :)

The Castle Barn, an unusual building with Moorish influences was the location for the meal and the dancing. It has it’s own stage so it’s brilliant if you are hiring a band for the evening.

Chess and Ross held their ceremony in the Garden Room – a lovely, glass sided building behind the barn. Lindsey from White Horse Flowers provided the floral decoration and did her usual excellent job. Amy and the team beavered away in the background and ensured everything ran smoothly. Like all good hospitality staff, you hardly saw them but the arrangements and the catering ran like clockwork. It was also a pleasure for me to meet Rachel from Veiled Productions who provided the video coverage for the day.

It’s fair to say Chess was a little nervous before the ceremony but I’m pleased to report that following the wedding itself she was a lot more relaxed. We took a walk around the grounds for some portraits after the ceremony before heading back to the reception for some family photography. Mr. and Mrs. P. were a lovely couple to photograph on the day, very patient with me as ran around Wasing Park for some bride and groom portraits.

As usual, I am pleased to post a few favourites from the day and the complete gallery will of course be uploaded in a few weeks (the bride and groom get to see them first!) If you’d like to know when that is, drop me a line and I will let you know.

Thanks again Chess and Ross! Have an ace time in Bali!

The Castle Barn

Wonderful flowers by Lindsey Kitchen

Choo choo

A few favourites of Chess and the girls getting ready.

Efficient production-line dress lacing. Nicely photobombed.

This is about twenty minutes before the ceremony. I kept telling Chess it’s probably a good idea to put her dress on now…

The groom and best man Will arrive.

Before the wedding, none of us know exactly how we are going to feel. We can guess of course, but those minutes at the front of the room for the groom go very slowly :)

Cuteness x 2

The couple had written some lovely words for their vows.

Paperwork done.

Some favourites from the reception on the lawns outside the Garden Room.

We sneaked off for a few minutes out of the limelight. Wasing Park has no shortage of beautiful, photogenic corners for some memorable wedding portraits.

Looks like they’ve got themselves a stalker.

Today’s beautiful bride.

The Castle Barn was painstakingly decorated and look fabulous as you can see.

The bride and groom had a few minutes outside whilst everyone was seated.

Now that’s a *proper* wedding hat.

Speech time.

Have an awesome honeymoon C & R, and see you soon.