I was so very excited about the prospect of photographing Helen and Naresh's wedding at the historic 14th century Southchurch Hall in Southend. As the train pulled into the station, that mere elated state completely made me forget what time it was. Yes, I was three hours early for an afternoon wedding!
The late August morning sun creaked through the leafy garden trees as I strolled through the grounds taking in the ducks, turtles and the beautiful tranquility of the place. Full of ideas, I stepped inside the manor house for a peek. The Great Hall, where the wedding was going to take place had a serenely golden glow from the medieval tall, narrow window panes. For a moment, I closed my eyes and imagined a lit central fireplace, women and children in green and red bonnets encircling the grey smoke billowing up into the darkened oak beams of the distant ceiling. When I opened my eyes, it was still rustic and charming; I loved the place at once!
This was a short and sweet registry wedding in the presence of immediate family and friends followed by group and couple portraits. That leisurely stroll across the grounds first thing in the morning had revealed the prettiest of spots for potential couple portraits, so despite the harsh sun, I was delighted as Helen and Naresh were happy to go along with my suggestions. The portraits of them happily looking into each others' eyes were some of the prettiest wedding photos I have ever had the opportunity to create. Many congratulations to Helen and Naresh. Here is my tribute to them and this is their love story..
Taz Rahman is documentary wedding photographer covering all of Southend, Essex, London and the rest of the UK.
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