Katherine and Jon

Cold Norton Wedding Photography

All weddings are special, full of joy, love, family and friends, not too mention a few emotional moments. I love my job as a wedding photographer, every once in a while you get a unique wedding, just a little different from most. Katherine and Jon’s wedding was exactly this. I set off from Cheltenham early for a nice 3 hour drive to a beautiful little town called Cold Norton in Essex, a stone throw away from Chelmsford. What I arrived at blew me away, this was going to be a great day. It’s not every day you arrive at the parents house to find and railway track running from the front garden right through to the back garden and around surrounded by original signal boxes, signals, signage and memorabilia. First stop was the village hall which was incredibly decorated by the bride and groom, and so much effort had gone in to this room and it showed, plus I have never seen such a long piece of bunting, yes, that is one piece!

It was clear to see there was going to be a train theme, but more on that in a bit, for now Kat and her entourage were getting ready. This was very much a hands on wedding, the bridesmaid dresses were all made by Kat and looked fantastic, all slightly different in style to reflect the personality of the girls. You may be wonder why the rescue jackets… both Kat and Jon are mountain rescue volunteers in Devon, Dartmoor, so it was inevitable there was to be some influences in here too! With the Bride’s family and girls ready, it was time for me to head up the hill to a beautiful church and to catch up with the chaps, with Katherine not far behind it was time to be ready for the ceremony.

It was a beautiful day with gorgeous blue skies and big white fluffy clouds (my perfect back drop) it was a little windy but i’ll settle for that over rain! The wind actually helped with the confetti run, blowing it everywhere and in front of the camera which looked amazing, but it did play a little havoc with hair for the formal shots. When the formal wedding photography was done, it was time for the guests to head back to wedding central. Myself, Kat and Jon walked down the lovely lane home for their couple photos. The Wedding Express awaited!

The backdrop was amazing but what waiting for the Bride and Groom at her parents home was incredible and I think I am safe to say the guests enjoyed it too! The carriages were made by the bride’s grandfather and the rest was loving built and restored by her father. It was all taken very seriously and colleagues were brought in to manage the track and points for the train to run without a hitch!

Having so much choice for photographs can be a little overwhelming, the downside is when you are restricted with time, I could of spent hours shooting here, but as with all weddings it was a tight schedule so it was time to head to the beautifully decorated village hall. Time for the speeches, great food and dessert… oh the dessert!  Katherine and Jon wanted to make everyones dessert, well scoop the ice-cream for the make-it-yourself puds. It was like a receiving line with a sweet touch!

All that was left as the sun was setting was to don the Red rescue jackets and pose for the thank-you cards, oh  not forgetting the cake cutting… with a ice pick! All topped off with the first dance! It was a truly magnificent day, one that will be extremely hard to forget! A huge congratulations to Kat and Jon.