One of my favourite 2021 weddings was Cathy and Matt's nuptials at The Kings Chapel, Old Amersham, Buckinghamshire; such a beautiful, light-filled venue, full of character and charm.
For a lover of anything old, the bridal suite where the day began is a real treat; situated in the adjoining Kings Arms Hotel, complete with wooden beams, a four-poster bed, and an amaaaazing freestanding bathtub.
The Kings Arms Hotel dates from the 1400s and has hosted famous guests such as Oliver Cromwell, as well as been used for filming in many productions, including Four Weddings and a Funeral It's literally a stone's throw from the wedding venue, so seriously convenient for the couple, guests, and photographers! And if you have more guests than the 35-room hotel can accommodate then there's a sister property, The Crown Inn, a short way down the road, with a further 45 rooms.
If you like historical venues, a Kings Chapel, Amersham wedding may be for you! The venue dates from the 18th century and the beautiful original pulpit from 1906 sits in the main hall as an amazing backdrop for your ceremony. The main hall is filled with natural light (always helpful from a photography perspective!) and adorned with twinkly fairy lights twisted around the white pillars and dangling from the mezzanine floor above. It's a really romantic space, and hardly even needs decorating! Cathy and Matt complimented the setting with green foliage, white flowers, and candles, which looked beautiful on the antique pulpit.
The ceremony was followed by showers of confetti in the August sun, taking group photos in the shade on the lawn, before moving around to the walled garden at the rear of the venue. There are so many amazing spots to take your Kings Chapel wedding photos here!
The red brick wall which runs along the garden is a fab spot and a background you can really 'pop' against in a white wedding dress, and the section lined with trees means you can get some arty pictures through the leaves. Venturing up a little further, you can have leave your guests behind and have some privacy for your photo session in the leafy lane.
The garden is a lovely spot for you to enjoy drinks with your guests, take group photos, and really make the most of any warm weather you're lucky enough to have. There are also loads of tables and chairs so you and your loved ones can take the weight off your feet and relax - especially appreciated if you're wearing heels! (And if you are, major props to you, I'm like a baby giraffe in them, stumbling all over the place).
If possible, the venue looked even more magical set for dinner, with more flowers and candles adorning the table centrepieces, and seriously cute flower seed favours. There is enough room for up to 120 guests for your wedding breakfast, and the room is still spacious enough for you to be able to move around between the tables, which is great if you want to chat with your guests between courses, and also makes your photographer's life much easier!
After dinner, Cathy and Matt's guests made the most of the balmy August evening and relaxed outside The Kings Chapel in the ample outdoor space, while the band set up in the large room next to the main hall - such a bonus having a second space to avoid lengthy room turnaround times! One of the littlest guests treated everyone to a performance of Baby Shark - so, so cute, and it did not help my broodiness at all...
One of my favourite parts of any wedding is the evening reception, and I always have to resist the urge not to get on the dancefloor myself! The photos are so much fun, and as someone who loves capturing candid moments, this is one of the best opportunities. To make sure you get some cracking dancefloor shots at your wedding, get some songs on early which are guaranteed to get people on the floor straight after the first dance - and then try to keep them there with a string of bangers!
...And then once your photographer has captured loads of dancing fun, they can bow out gracefully and let you get on with enjoying yourselves, free of anyone to document it!
I absolutely LOVED doing this wedding, so if you're looking for a Kings Chapel wedding photographer please do get in touch! I'm based in west London and cover weddings across Buckinghamshire, the South East, and beyond.
You can contact me here. I can't wait to hear from you!
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