The Sopley Mill wedding of Laura and Leigh started on a dark overcast rainy morning in October, with Lauras’ preparations at the The Manor Hotel, in Christchurch.
We arrived, to find Laura along with her bridesmaids, in a room full of activity and excitement. What caught our attention was the stunning dresses, which were in a retro 50s Rockabilly style, which gave this wedding so much colour and character.
When we left the bridal preparations to meet up with Leigh and the other guests at Sopley Mill, it was raining quite heavily, but forecasted to start clearing around the time of the ceremony. It was also memorable for the fact that baby Neo had just started taking his first steps, with the aid of his dad Leigh, we caught some lovely shots of Neo exploring throughout the day.
Weddings at Sopley Mill are intimate, with the day’s activities being held on each of the floors, of this beautiful 18th century watermill. Even though the Mill is lovely inside, we were really hoping that the rain would stop by the end of the ceremony, for Laura and Leigh to be able to mingle with their guests outside, with the stunning backdrop of the mill and its surrounding meadows. With the sun getting lower in the sky, our prayers were answered, the clouds parted and blue skies appeared, and we were all rewarded with some stunning light and deep rich shadows, which we took full advantage of, particularly with the bride and groom portraits.
After the speeches, everyone moved back downstairs, to enjoy the last rays of the setting sun, and the stunning views across the Avon water meadows. The evening celebrations kicked off with Laura and Leigh’s first dance, and new wave music from The SeventyNine band.
The following images on this post, are the highlights from Laura and Leigh’s wedding. For a better viewing experience, and the chance to view a larger selection of images from this wedding, please select the follow link which will take you onto my main website pages Laura and Leigh. Here you will have a better idea on the consistency of our coverage.