Mark and Mandy’s late September wedding at Hothorpe Woodlands was an incredibly meaningful day, filled with love, emotion and memories of their daughter Jessica, who sadly passed away earlier this year.

Jessica had played such an important part in bringing the wedding together, having helped to choose and organise many of the details for the day, including her father’s suit. Her presence was felt throughout the celebrations, making this a particularly personal and emotional occasion for Mark, Mandy and their family.

An Outdoor Woodland Wedding Ceremony

Mark and Mandy chose an outdoor ceremony surrounded by the beautiful woodland at Hothorpe Woodlands. Late September gave us the most wonderful light, with the sun filtering through the trees and creating a warm, natural backdrop for the ceremony and photographs afterwards.

The woodland setting was perfect for the relaxed style of photography they wanted. Rather than taking them away from their guests for too long, we made use of the surrounding trees and pockets of sunlight to create their couple portraits close to the celebrations.

Natural Couple Photography in the Woods

Mark and Mandy were very comfortable being given a little direction, so we used a mixture of natural movement and gently positioned poses for their couple photographs. Nothing needed to feel overly staged; it was simply about finding the best light, making use of the woodland and allowing them to enjoy some time together.

With the late afternoon sun spilling through the trees, Hothorpe Woodlands gave us some beautiful opportunities for warm, romantic photographs. The combination of the September light, woodland setting and a couple who were happy to trust the process made their portrait session particularly enjoyable to photograph.

A Wedding Filled With Love and Memories

More than anything, this was a wedding with a huge amount of meaning behind it. Alongside the happiness of Mark and Mandy getting married were the memories of Jessica and the contribution she had made to a day she had helped them plan.

It was a privilege to photograph such an important day for Mark and Mandy and to capture not only the celebration of their marriage, but some of the people, details and moments that made their wedding so personal to them.