Emily and Callum chose Cottesmore Golf Club as their wedding venue. I love Cottesmore as it was fairly recently renovated so it's clean and modern with lots of natural light. Couples have the choice of an indoor or outdoor ceremony, the outdoor ceremony area is on the golf course but feels private as it is surrounded by bushes and trees, the indoor ceremony room is one of three function rooms upstairs. The other main room is used for the reception and attached is a small room with walls that open up; an ideal area for the DJ and dance floor. There are lots of hotel rooms and a spa which I great for guests who want to stay the day before or after and relax.
I started the day with Emily who was getting ready in one of the hotel rooms with her bridesmaids. Whilst the girls were having their hair and makeup done I took the wedding dress outside for some photos, I love to get creative with these shots so I hung it on a tree in a small bit of woodland. The dress was absolutely stunning, it was a muted pink colour with white floral details. It's a Madi Lane Elora dress from Mode Bridal in Hove. The bride and bridesmaids were ready with time to spare so they just chilled in the room until the registrars came to get her. The groom and groomsmen arrived and sat around a table with a tutorial on one of their phones of two to fold a pocket square, they look it seriously and it paid off as they all looked very smart. I look a couple photos of the guys together before the ceremony whilst we had some time. The guests started arriving and headed to the bar for a quick drink before the ceremony. It was a nice, relaxed vibe at this wedding which I loved, there was no stress the whole day.
It was a very hot day, luckily they chose to have their ceremony indoors which was nice as the rooms are air-conditioned. The room was beautifully set up with decor from Forget Me Nots Events which included pink sashes on the chairs, candles down the aisle and two blossom trees at the front. They had a lovely ceremony and then everyone headed outside to the courtyard for drinks and canapés. After everyone had time to congratulate the couple I took them off for a few photos, I found a shady spot in the woodland which was a short walk away. From there we rounded up the family and bridal party for some formal group shots, we took them in the outdoor ceremony area so we had a bit of privacy. It was really hot so we got through them quickly so everyone could get back and have a drink. Towards the end of the drinks reception we gathered everyone up for one big group shot and confetti, everyone got covered in it! Then one of the staff at Cottesmore gave us a ride on the golf buggy's to the lake for a couple of photos of the bride and groom before heading back for the reception.
Before the wedding breakfast we had speeches from the father of the bride, the groom and the best man, there were lots of laughs and a few tears. Then the food was served, they had a relaxed buffet style meal. They had a dessert table with lots of treats including brownies, rocky roads, flapjacks and a one tier wedding cake made by the groom's mum. They decided on a small dessert table as they knew a large wedding cake would likely be wasted. They opened up the room where the DJ and Photo Booth had been set up ready for the evening reception. Once the evening guests had arrived they cut the cake and then had their first dance. They invited the guests to join them on the dance floor and the party started. Lots of people were up dancing which is always great to see, there was a group of guys who were up the whole time singing and dancing.
When it got to around 8.30pm the sun was starting to set so I took the couple out for some golden hour portraits. We just had a walk around the golf course as no one was playing golf then, it's always nice to let the couple have some time alone to talk during the wedding day as it goes by so fast and they're often talking to guests. This was the most relaxed wedding I've been to and it was so enjoyable for everyone as there was no stress, everything ran on time and everyone was happy. Thank you Emily and Callum for letting me be a part of your wedding at Cottesmore Golf Club.
Photographer phoeberossiphotography.com
Dress https://modebridal.co.uk