A Classic English Kew Gardens Wedding

Eleanor and Chris’ Kew Gardens Wedding took place on a warm, yet breezy summer day, the perfect weather to be outside and enjoy everything the gardens have to offer.

The Morning

The day began slowly. I started by capturing the bride and groom getting ready in the same hotel, surrounded by family and loved ones, while making sure they did not see each other before the ceremony. Eleanor and her bridal party got her hair and make up done by the lovely Lucy . 

If you know me you’ll already know this about me: the getting ready images are some of my favourites. There is nothing like having the closest people in your life there on the morning of your wedding, when emotions run so high, to anchor you and show you their love. You can see always see the love so clearly in these pictures.

The Ceremony

I made sure to get to Kew Gardens before the bride and groom, in order to capture the venue in its entirety while the day was still quiet. The ceremony took place in the orangery, and let me tell you - if you are thinking of getting married there, the building is so beautiful you hardly need to decorate it!

Shortly after I was done, the guests started arriving and taking their seats, all waiting for the bride and her father to walk down the aisle.

Eleanor wore a stunning  Laudae dress from Heart Aflutter - a relaxed fit that was a great choice for a summer indoor/outdoor wedding.

The ceremony was emotional, with not many dry eyes left in the room. What made it extra special was the fact that Eleanor and Chris’ 1 year old was there, next to them, as they said their vows and promised each other forever.

The couple walked out on beautiful sounds by London Strings, and while the guests started heading down to the pier for the boat ride back to the reception, I took Eleanor and Chris away for couple shots. 

A note of importance here would be that the staff at Kew are extremely well organised, and that you will get to choose the spots you want to have available for the couple shots beforehand, which makes the whole process so much easier on the day. We chose the Conservatory and the lake as our two spots for the shoot.

Reception

After our shoot we all headed towards the pier, to join the wedding guests and take a boat down the Thames to Bingham Riverhouse, the couple’s chosen spot for the reception. This choice of restaurant, as well as the ceremony option, was fantastic, and the boat ride was a great idea for the guests to enjoy London’s views while drinking a glass of two of prosecco.

If I had to pick one unique thing I enjoyed about photographing Eleanor and Chris’ wedding, that would have to be the candid images of the family before dinner, in the garden, as well as the groomsmen smoking cigars. This is one of the most beautiful things about documentary photography: instead of trying to plan photo opportunities, take a look around: the magic is already there!

Cake Cutting & First Dance

After dinner and speeches, the couple started the party off with a gorgeous cake made by a close friend, Mia at Honey and Milk Cakes. It was as delicious as it looked!

The night ended with a bang on the dance floor, where  Dan Goode worked the crowd like magic! 🎶

Eleanor’s Testimonial 

“So pleased we chose Alina to photograph our special day in her beautiful style. She took great care to understand our vision before the wedding and created a gallery of incredible memories for us. Our unique wedding came with multiple locations and LOTS to capture, Alina was amazing at managing timings and leading us whilst making us feel totally at ease…for that we can’t thank her enough.”