Although I’m a London wedding photographer, it’s very rare to shoot a wedding a stone’s throw from my home in Wanstead. However, in October, I was lucky enough to photograph a Valentines Mansion wedding! After Chris and Lindi’s original wedding couldn’t go ahead because of COVID, they booked me to shoot their micro wedding at this lovely local venue.
A hidden East London wedding venue
The mansion and historic garden is located in the heart of Valentines Park, Redbridge. Built in the 1600s, this venue made for such a pretty backdrop for Lindi & Chris’ wedding. It’s period features were a wedding photographer’s dream and it’s a venue full of natural light!
There are 4 ceremony rooms to choose from, holding from 12 to 70 people. Lindi & Chris were married in the romantic Drawing Room on the first floor. This room is one of the largest and had a balcony for some portraits straight after you tie the knot!
The ceremony
Lindi and Chris’ said their vows in front of 15 close friends and family, while a live stream shared it with their families abroad. I honestly love this idea and think it should continue even once we’ve seen the back of COVID! After months of couples having to postpone their weddings, it was so touching to see Lindi and Chris say ‘I do’ to each other!
After the ceremony, the registrars left so Lindi and Chris could greet their friends and family. We were also able to use the room for a few quick group shots and balcony portraits before heading outside.
Lindi & Chris booked my Emerald package, which meant we did a couple’s photo shoot after their wedding. It’s such a lovely way to commemorate the day and just take a moment with your new spouse.
Valentines Park walled garden couples portraits
It was an unseasonably warm day for October and we wandered around the walled gardens next to the mansion. The gardens are a perfect spot for getting some portraits out of the eyes of the public in the park! There’s plenty of little areas, gravelled walkways and covered archways to use.
During my shoots, I love getting to know my couples and hearing all your stories. Lindi and Chris told me all about how they’d met at a train station! Their story genuinely restored my faith in finding love the old fashioned way!
We decided to end the shoot with some photos by the mansion. As we wandered back, we some how got caught right in the middle of what seemed like hundreds of geese! There is a large lake in the park and it seemed we’d hit the bird commute! It felt like we were suddenly in a Disney movie, but this made for some really fun images.
The whole time, one of Chris’ brother had been streaming our portrait session to their families. I’ve never had anyone watch me do a shoot over a live stream before.. no pressure! But, it was really nice to end the shoot by getting some photos of them saying hello to their family on the other side of the world. It also just brought back the reality of how COVID has hit weddings.
Redbridge Wedding Photography
If you’re looking for a local photographer for your Redbridge wedding then do head over to my Contact Me page to inquire about your date!