A Relaxed Summer Wedding at Bressingham Hall, Norfolk

A Relaxed Summer Wedding at Bressingham Hall, Norfolk

Lillie and Hayden's wedding at Bressingham Hall in Norfolk had such a lovely relaxed feel from beginning to end.

They married inside the beautiful barn before heading outside into the gardens for their drinks reception, making the most of everything Bressingham has to offer — including one particularly fun part of the estate that we absolutely couldn't resist using for photographs.

The Bressingham Steam Gallopers.

Add in their dog joining us for a few couple portraits and this was definitely a wedding where the photographs felt completely personal to the two of them.

Getting Ready at Bressingham Hall

The morning began at Bressingham, with Lillie getting ready surrounded by the people closest to her.

Hair by Hair by Alice Rose and makeup by Kerrie Moralee Makeup brought her bridal look together beautifully, before Claire from Lavender Jude helped Lillie into her dress.

I always love this point of the morning.

After hours of hair, makeup and everyone getting ready around each other, there's suddenly this little shift once the dress goes on and everything starts to feel very real.

It's also why I never want bridal preparations to feel like a staged photoshoot. Some of the loveliest photographs come from simply allowing those moments to happen — mum seeing you completely ready for the first time, friends helping with the final details and all the excitement just before everyone leaves for the ceremony.

An Indoor Ceremony at Bressingham Hall

Lillie and Hayden chose to hold their ceremony inside the barn at Bressingham Hall, surrounded by their family and friends.

It's a completely different feel from an outdoor ceremony in the gardens, but that's one of the lovely things about Bressingham — couples have beautiful options for both.

After the ceremony, everyone headed outside for the drinks reception, giving guests the opportunity to enjoy those incredible gardens while we captured confetti, group photographs and everything naturally unfolding around us.

Florals from Fig & Roses complemented the setting beautifully, bringing a soft, natural feel to the day.

Wedding Photographs with Their Dog

There was also one particularly important guest who needed to feature in the photographs.

Lillie and Hayden's dog.

We made sure to include their dog in some of their couple portraits, and I always love when couples choose to do this.

They're part of the family, after all.

It doesn't need to become an elaborate dog photoshoot either — a few relaxed photographs together are enough to make sure they're part of the story of the day.

And usually provide at least a small amount of chaos.

Wedding Portraits on the Bressingham Steam Gallopers

Then came one of my favourite parts of Lillie and Hayden's photographs.

We headed over to the Steam Gallopers at Bressingham for some couple portraits.

It's such a distinctive part of Bressingham and gave us something completely different from the beautiful garden photographs we'd already created.

I love finding ways to incorporate elements that genuinely belong to a venue rather than simply finding another pretty patch of greenery.

The Gallopers brought movement, colour and a sense of fun to the photographs — and meant Lillie and Hayden ended up with portraits that couldn't really have been taken anywhere else.

That's always a win for me.

A Summer Drinks Reception in the Gardens

Afterwards, it was back to the gardens and their guests.

This is one of the nicest parts of photographing weddings at Bressingham Hall. The grounds give everyone plenty of space to spread out with a drink, catch up and enjoy the surroundings without the afternoon ever feeling overly structured.

For me, it also means plenty of opportunities to photograph the moments happening away from the obvious parts of the wedding.

While everyone is enjoying themselves, I'm watching for the hugs, conversations, laughter and little interactions that couples don't necessarily get to see themselves.

Those photographs are such an important part of the final gallery.

A Brilliant Bressingham Hall Wedding Party

As the day moved into evening, KSD Events took over the music and the celebrations properly got underway.

By this point, portraits were finished, dinner and speeches were done and everyone could simply enjoy themselves.

And that's exactly what Lillie and Hayden did.

Once the dance floor fills, my photography changes with it — getting closer, embracing the movement and capturing the slightly less polished side of the wedding.

Because a beautiful portrait on the Steam Gallopers absolutely deserves its place in your gallery.

But so does a photograph of your best friend doing something ridiculous on the dance floor six hours later.

A Different Side of Bressingham Hall

Having photographed weddings at Bressingham Hall in different ways, one of the things I particularly like about the venue is how much variety it offers.

Lillie and Hayden chose an indoor barn ceremony followed by drinks in the gardens, while their photographs took us from those beautiful outdoor spaces to the wonderfully distinctive Steam Gallopers — with their dog joining us along the way.

It meant their gallery felt completely connected to their version of a Bressingham wedding.

And that's always what I'm looking for.

Rather than arriving at a venue with a predetermined list of photographs to recreate, I want to photograph your people, your choices and the things that make your day different.

If you're planning a wedding at Bressingham Hall or elsewhere in Norfolk and you're looking for relaxed, natural photography that allows you to actually enjoy your wedding, I'd love to hear what you're planning.