Ashdown Park Wedding
Hannah & Ben

Today’s blog is about Hannah and Ben’s Summer wedding at Ashdown Park.

Their wedding fell on one of the hottest days of the year with everything taking place at the Hotel. The guys and girls got ready at different ends of the hotel with the ceremony taking place in the Summer House overlooking the lake and Ashdown Forest. The wedding breakfast and evening reception took place in the Richard Towneley suite (which is in the converted chapel).

Of note, Hannah’s grandmother made the wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses from scratch. In all my years of doing weddings this is a first and it was the most stunning vintage dress too with wonderful detailing throughout.

Whilst the makeup and hair was in full force in the girls room the guys were in the opposing wing, in their dressing gowns biding their time. As with all prep shots I concentrated of the details and general bustle whilst also escaping and exploring the grounds for what I call ‘copy shots’. These are essentially the outdoor details, shots of the surroundings and such as often I don’t get the time during the rest of the day to do so.

After the ceremony at the Summer House there was a reception outside in the sun where everyone mingled before I went with the couple for shots amongst the grounds. There were so many nice places to go to it’s going to take me several weddings there before I’ve used all the great spots but one of my favourite place was behind the Chapel and the opposing courtyard. Lovely.

Ashdown Park is a very grand venue. The Summer House is an amazing place for an outdoor wedding because everything is in bloom and sets everywhere up with the most stunning backdrop. The large converted chapel complete with stained glass windows and the vaulted ceiling makes for a spacious and dramatic reception area.