Summer Wedding Photography

 

 

How to get the Best Summer Wedding Photos

The three most popular months for getting married in England are July, August and September, and just by looking at some of this stunning Summer wedding photography below, you can see why! The light is fantastic, the days are long, and when the British weather is on your side, there’s nothing better. Almost half of all weddings in the Summer are on a Saturday, with Friday being the next most popular day. Midday Summer sun is great with a glass of iced Pimms, but can be a bit of a nightmare for photos. Harsh light, heavy shadows and the sheer heat are all great reasons to avoid a noon photoshoot. But with a little planning, and the right photographer, your wedding photos will be stunning.

It’s All About the Light

Because of the longer hours of daylight, Summer weddings tend to be in the afternoon. This can work really well for the photography, making the best use of the great light you get in the time around sunset – known as the Golden Hour. Once you know the date of your wedding, you can check the sunset time here. As long as the skies are clear, the best light will be around an hour before sunset. Now you need to decide what kind of wedding photos you want, and then you can start planning the rest of the day around this.

Timings for a Summer Wedding

Most of my clients value great, story-telling Documentary Wedding Photography. They want natural and fun photos showing what it was like to be at their wedding. If this sounds like you, then you might want to have a later ceremony, so that there’s a couple of hours relaxing time for your guests around Golden Hour.

Here’s an example timetable for a mid-July wedding, based on using the best light for when the Bride and Groom will be enjoying relaxed time with their family and friends. Sunset is at around 9:15pm, so the best light will be from around 7:30pm – 8pm

  • 13:00   Bride’s Preparations
  • 14:00   Groom’s Preparations
  • 15:00   Ceremony Starts
  • 16:00   Cocktail Hour
  • 17:00   Family Group Photos
  • 17:30   Wedding Breakfast
  • 19:30   Free Time With Guests (Start of the great light)
  • 20:45   Couple Portraits
  • 21:15   Sunset
  • 21:30   First Dance

 

Summer Wedding Stories

Bride sees groom at altar at church wedding in London

Getting Married at St Etheldreda’s London

For a Catholic couple in the capital, getting married at St Etheldreda’s London is a great experience. Just a short distance form London’s famous diamond district of Hatton Garden, many couples will have shopped for an engagement ring and never noticed this stunning church just around the corner. This hidden gem was a spiritual sanctuary for the Middle Ages, starting as the town chapel of the Bishops of Ely from the 13th century.

Getting Married at Kenwood House

I really enjoyed photographing Laura and Tom getting married at Kenwood House in North London. The English Heritage property set in the hills of Hampstead Heath is a superb setting for a wedding ceremony and reception. My coverage started earlier in the day with Laura’s preparations in North London, and by the time I arrived at Kenwood House, Tom was already greeting the wedding guests in the front courtyard as they arrived for the ceremony.