Sonia + Philip

Oakley Hall Wedding Photographer: Sonia + Philip

Being my first Oakley Hall wedding I really couldn’t have asked for a nicer couple. As you’ll see below I had actually known Sonia since she was my son Seb’s very first teacher at infant school. Having given him the most brilliant start in life Sonia had always held a very special place in our hearts and so it was such an incredible honour to be asked to capture this amazing day for her. A fabulous set of friends, many of which I already knew, a wonderful family, a brilliant atmosphere throughout all set in this stunning venue….no box went un-ticked!

Below you’ll see a selection of photos but first here’s a lovely insight in to their day provided by Sonia & Philip.

THEIR DAY IN THEIR WORDS

“Our wedding was the kind of wedding that evolved over time from a simple ceremony and a small family meal to an actual wedding; with a wedding dress, a cake, a guest list and more astonishing for me; photographs!

As this was, for Philip and me, the second time that we were both taking the step of getting married, we had firm ideas about exactly who our wedding was for and what we wanted the celebration to be about. That was family.

We began by making a visit to Oakley Hall, as we had been there on a few occasions and had always been impressed with the quality of the service and in particular the food! We met with a lovely lady called Jennifer who assured us that even though we were not after the typical wedding package and didn’t want all usual wedding trimmings, that Oakley Hall could still create a day for us that would tick all the boxes we needed it to. After viewing the beautiful rooms available and taking in the stunning grounds we decided on a small family wedding followed by a reception in the Garden Suite. The idea of a separate party for friends at another venue soon changed and we included an evening reception into our bespoke package designed by ourselves and Jennifer at Oakley Hall. The date was set for May 28^th 2017.

I knew that as Philip is a romantic at heart that having a record of the day to cherish was actually very important to him; I have since discovered how important this is to me too. I was certain that if we were to have any photographs of our day that there was only one person for the job. I have known Alistair for a number of years, since his lovely son was in my class at Infant School. He had taken some beautiful photographs of my children a few years back and I knew that if I was to feel comfortable in front of the camera then Alistair had to be in charge! We booked Alistair for our wedding in November of 2015; after securing the booking at Oakley Hall, booking Alistair was the next most important job.

The eighteen months leading up to the wedding were full of the usual dramas. A house move and blending our two families together brought the expected challenges but emphasised to us how lucky we were to have found each other and how amazing our children are. Two dresses were bought; I took it as a bride’s prerogative to change my mind! Colours decided upon by my gorgeous niece as the Maid of Honour and bridesmaids dresses made as ‘one offs’ by an incredible seamstress. Hair and make- up trials were booked and done; securing the exceptional talent of Zarla Fowler and Lucy Houghton. Invitations were sent and our very quiet wedding and family meal was set to become a small, personal ceremony and Wedding Breakfast followed by a big evening Reception which allowed us celebrate with so many of our amazing friends.

We took my beloved dog Ruby to our pre wedding shoot at Oakley Hall where Alistair captured some amazing photographs of Philip and me with her. When we saw the photographs Alistair had taken the excitement for our day really started to kick in. Oakley Hall were fantastic at listening to and arranging every last detail to ensure that everything would be perfect and stress free. It is truly the most wonderful venue.

When the day finally arrived I couldn’t have asked for anything more. The children looked amazing and walking down the aisle with my son Ollie giving me away, was and will always be one of the proudest and most special moments of my life. Alistair captured it all perfectly. His photographs summed up the family focus of our day providing us with smiles and laughter. He subtly and expertly managed to snap so many special people enjoying themselves throughout our day; most importantly to us, our parents and our families. His approach is unobtrusive and thoughtful and his manner received many compliments on the day. Many of these photographs now fill our home and are testament to how amazing family and friends are. Our wedding album is exquisite and put together by Nicola with such care and attention to detail. I never imagined that I could ever feel at ease in front of a camera or believed how incredible our photographs could be, and that is all thanks to Alistair. I cannot thank him enough for his hard work and for providing us with a record of memories we can treasure forever.”