Chilston Park Hotel Wedding
It had been a while since I last photographed a wedding at The Chilston Park Hotel. It’s always a pleasure to shoot at this beautiful 17th century country house and grounds near Maidstone in Kent as there’s so much to see. Jasmin and Andy’s November wedding was a real treat and a feast for the eyes as the couple had put so much energy and effort in to creating every single small detail of their perfect day.
Bridal Preparations
On the day of their wedding I caught up with Jasmin who was getting ready in Chilston Park’s Star Room. This is a dedicated room for brides with plenty of room for hair and make up and all the other goings on! Jasmine was in good spirits and safe hands with her attentive bridal party.
Jasmine, a self-confessed Disney fanatic, went with a Disney theme for the wedding which included a Minnie Mouse ring box, Disney hangers, a Mickey Mouse suitcase, Disney centre pieces at the reception and my favourite detail of all the name ‘Andy’ written on the sole of one of her shoes! It took me a while to capture all of the details that Jasmin had painstakingly collect for the wedding.
The Boys and a Vintage Beetle
Andy arrived in a gorgeous vintage VW Beetle. He and the boys looked very smart in grey tails with Micky Mouse cufflinks (of course). Another fun detail is that they all had their role on the day written on their socks which must have been handy in case they forgot! The one job they had to do was to put up fairy lights outside the coach house strung between the lamp posts so that the couple could have some evening shots later in the day.
The Dress
Jasmin looked amazing in her dress, it had lace detail, a really pretty neckline and a cut that gave her a gorgeous silhouette in all of my images of her. We had some family shots in the room before the the bridal party walked over to Chilston Park’s Coach House for the ceremony.
A Coach House Ceremony
The Coach House at Chilston Park is located on the ground floor of the Grade I listed Stable building. It has a beautiful chandelier, drapes and lots of period features including floor to ceiling windows that flood the room with natural light (us Kent wedding photographers just love natural light!) It also has great views of Chilston Park’s pretty courtyard.
After the ceremony there was a fun confetti moment in the courtyard followed by some lovely family group shots. As Jasmin and Andy’s guests happily mingled I quickly took my chance to whisk them away to get some romantic portrait images of them set around Chilston Park’s stunning 22 acres of grounds. Despite the weather being poor I made the most of the low light and mist to create some really romantic autumn images.
We then returned to the wedding guests who were enjoying a drinks reception and were being entertained by caricaturist ‘The Artful Doodler’
A Disney Wedding Breakfast
The wedding reception was also held in the lovely Coach House and was dressed with the most detailed and fun Disney themed centre pieces that Jasmine had enjoyed planning and creating for months in advance. There was Toy Story, Beauty and the Beast, and Cinderella to name a few. Each table had it’s own detailed theme, it must have taken her months to design. After a lovely wedding meal and some very well received speeches there was a sparkler exit which meant that I captured some fantastic fun pictures followed by some after dark images.
Evening celebrations kick started with the cutting of a gorgeous Disney themed wedding cake made by those clever people at Creative Cakes. After which there was time for a few more night shots before the romantic first dance. It wasn’t long before Jasmin and Andy were joined on the dancefloor by their loved ones.
An elegant, fun, family-friendly wedding for Jasmin and Andy at a gorgeous venue. I will leave the last words to them. Here’s what they said about working with me.
“We want to say a huge thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all of your hard work. Our wedding photos and albums are stunning and so much more than we could have dreamed of. They are truly beautiful and capture the days true emotions perfectly …”
Credits:
Venue – The Chilston Park Hotel Kent
Flowers – Flowerart
Hairdresser – RKW Hair, Angela Williams
Make Up Artist – Elizabeth Joseph-Love
Entertainment – The Artful Doodler & Cosmic DJ
Cake – Creative Cakes Maidstone
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