A Kings Chapel wedding in the September sunshine
I’ve often wondered what came first – Kings Chapel or the buildings around it. Tucked away as it is behind Old Amersham High Street, it would be easy to miss one of South Buckinghamshire’s most popular wedding venues.
Kings Chapel is one of the Buckinghamshire venues where I love to photograph weddings. Possibly because I’m local so it’s really handy but also because Old Amersham is such a pretty town.
Anthea and Chris’s Kings Chapel wedding took place on a warm afternoon in mid-September. Here’s how the story unfolded.
It all started with a phone call from a couple with an aversion to photographers and cameras.
How do you photograph a couple that hate being photographed?
That was the challenge set by Anthea and Chris – they hate being photographed. Although, come to think of it, that is how most other couples feel as well.
What happened to change things for Anthea and Chris?
Well, the main thing that happened was that we met.
It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve photographed a venue, I always like to meet couples at the venue before their wedding day. Every couple is different which means that every wedding is different too.
Photography is less scary when you know the person behind the camera
For Chris and Anthea, we started our meeting in the chapel where we were able to chat about what they had planned for their Kings Chapel wedding.
After that, we spent an hour and a half walking around Old Amersham looking for places that would provide a nice background while they both told me how much they hated being photographed.
I took a few pics, they pulled a few faces and the next time I saw them – at their Kings Chapel wedding – no one seem that concerned in front of a camera.
I suppose the secret was to meet. Photography becomes a lot less scary when you know the person on the other side of the camera.
And of course, on your wedding day there is a certain feeling of elation that brings the most beautiful natural smiles to people’s faces.
On the day of the wedding, the lavender was in full bloom
I’ve photographed several weddings at Kings Chapel but I think this was the first time the lavender has been in full bloom so I was keen to incorporate it in some way. This pre-ceremony photo of Anthea with her bridal party was probably the best opportunity I got all day.
The ceremony was full of smiles and emotion.
After the ceremony, it was a quick dash through the confetti as the bride and groom left their Kings Chapel wedding before everyone retired to the garden for drinks and canapes.
For a couple that hate being photographed, Anthea and Chris had a pretty long list of group photos. Not that it mattered. We were already in the garden so it was easy to work through the list while guests were enjoying a cocktail or two.
Usually, at this point, I’ll whisk my couple away for a few romantic portraits but Chris and Anthea decided they’d had enough photography for the time being so I just kept shooting candid photos until we went inside for their Kings Chapel wedding breakfast.
One photo that Anthea did request was a creative shot of the rings. I took this next photo using the reflection of one of the ballroom chandeliers and some wedding-themed balloons.
Guests enjoyed a bright, light Kings Chapel wedding breakfast beneath the lantern dome
The wedding breakfast was held in the chapel; the top table is generally setup in front of the pulpit with guest tables arranged around the rest of the room.
I don’t photograph people eating but I’ll always be on hand for the speeches and anything else that’s going on at the end of the meal.
Once the speeches were over, everyone returned to the garden to enjoy the warm summer’s evening. We still had a bit of time before sunset so I was really pleased when Anthea and Chris decided they were ready to have a few couple portraits.
No matter how much time I put into planning the photography for your wedding, the ball is always in your court on the day. If you don’t feel like having any of the photography – even if you specifically asked for it – that’s your choice.
The only thing I would recommend is that you make sure it’s what you really want (or don’t want as the case may be) because you can’t get those photo opps back after the event.
Anyway, Chris and Anthea decided they did want some portraits and here are a few of the pics we created out and about in Old Amersham.
We used the last photo – showing the bride and groom in front of the Kings Arms – as a double-page spread inside their wedding album, and the first shot as the cover photo for the book. In retrospect, I think most of the other photos were used in the printed album as well.
Talking of printed albums. If you are having an album, I’m always happy to do a bit more editing than I include with my standard package. My standard package includes all colour balancing, exposure corrections, sharpening, cropping or straightening but not skin retouching, removing or replacing objects.
Because most of your wedding photography is a record of the day, captured as it’s happening, people and things won’t always be in the perfect position in your photos. That’s when additional editing and retouching can be useful.
For Chris and Anthea’s album, that was also the case. For example, the wind was blowing as I was taking the lavender photo of the bridal party (scroll up to see). I took three or four shots of the scene and each time a piece of lavender was covering someone’s face. For the final album photo I removed the lavender from all faces.
Another major piece of editing was to the front of the Kings Arms. When I took this photo below, there were vehicles parked either side of the entrance along with my light stand in the road to the right of the couple.
If you happen to be a pixel peeper, you might notice some discrepancies, although I did win a bronze award for this photo from the Guild of Wedding Photographers. I can also tell you that it printed beautifully for the album.
Cake, coffee and cocktails
On a beautiful summer’s day, you can virtually spend your entire Kings Chapel wedding in the garden, which is pretty much what Chris and Anthea did; pictured here cutting their wedding cake in the early evening.
Last pic from their Kings Chapel wedding is the first dance which took place in the ballroom.
If you’re looking for a Kings Chapel wedding photographer, please take a look at my Buckinghamshire wedding photographer page, where you’ll also find links to more weddings at the chapel.
For more information on hosting a Kings Chapel wedding, visit the Kings Chapel website.
30 High St, Amersham HP7 0DJ
Tel: 01494 725722