A perfect wedding at Bromley Court Hotel

On the 23rd November 2019, I had the absolute pleasure of photographing the wedding of Helayna and Tom at Bromley Court Hotel in Bromley BR1. Oh how beautiful this wedding was!

They booked me to photograph their wedding over a year ago when they came to see me at my studio in Orpington, Chelsfield. As soon as I welcomed them at the door, I instantly knew this was going to be an absolute blast and the most exciting day! They were both friendly, excited and so in love. I just couldn’t wait to shoot their special day. Helayna was extremely organised, she knew exactly what she wanted but was so humble. Tom was happy to go along with her ideas, as most men are with weddings 😉 I loved to hear her talk about her plans for the wedding. Her ideas were so creative and imaginative.

As time went by, I kept in touch and can honestly say that Helayna was the most organised and most calm bride-to-be I have ever come across. She had it all together, even when she announced a couple of months before the wedding that both her and Tom are expecting a baby! And still, she kept so organised and made sure everything was prepared in advance for the day.

So here it is, the big day. My excitement grew and grew the closer I got to the venue in Bromley.
I was greeted with a warm welcome by the staff at the hotel, straight away I found it was such a friendly atmosphere and the decor was beautiful! Christmas decorations in every corner as were a whole bunch of happy faces who were clearly enjoying themselves in the reception and bar. I couldn’t wait to get started.

I said hello to the groom and some of the guests. Then I went off to find the bride. I found her in a room with the wedding planner and she was glowing! Beautifully calm with a beautifully growing baby bump. Got my selfie with her, wished her luck and told her I’d see her at the aisle. Her confidence and beauty was outstanding.

The ceremony was beautiful! A beautiful naturally lit room looking onto the stunning green grounds of the hotel. Not too big nor too small, the size was perfect! So much love in one room, my face hurt from smiling so much. The bride and groom didn’t go for the traditional confetti, instead they had bubbles. A fantastic idea which both the children and adults loved. As the newlyweds danced and jigged in happiness up the aisle, we all moved into the bar area while the ceremony room was set up for the wedding breakfast.

While the room was being prepared for the meal, I took Mr and Mrs Jenkins outside for a few couples shots in the grounds. This was exciting for me as I got to use the brides gorgeous bump in the images, these photos are the perfect opportunity for the bride and groom to enjoy a few minutes together as a new married couple as afterwards they’ll be busy talking to their guests. After they had their time together, we invited their guests outside for a large group shot. It’s always hard organising the positioning of large groups but these guys were fantastic! So easy to give direction to and we got the group shot done within just a few minutes.

Time for food! The generosity and kindness of the bride and groom is one I will always remember. They gave me a seat amongst their guests and treated me like their family. The meal was delicious and the company I had on the table were a laugh. We had lovely conversations and made me feel like a guest rather than at work. It’s such a great feeling and the whole experience has pushed me to work harder to capture every perfect detail of their day. Every single person in the room had a smile of their face and that smile was contagious.
The speeches were heart warming and funny at the same time. Especially the embarrassing slideshow of the groom growing up, organised and read by the grooms three brothers. I giggled so much I couldn’t keep my camera straight! Hehe…. still got some great images though!

The day went by so fast! Just like that, it was time to cut the cake. The evening guests had begun to arrive and I made sure I was there to photograph them greeting the bride and groom. Once everyone grabbed a drink and made their way into the main room, which was transformed from the wedding breakfast table and chairs to a dance floor, I set myself up ready to capture the happy couple cutting their cake.

Straight after the cake cutting, the bride and groom made their way onto the dance floor for their first dance. All day I have been in awe of the bride and how she completely kept herself together for the whole time, as well as being heavily pregnant with her first child. She was glowing from start to finish. I felt completely honoured to have captured their wonderful connection on the dance floor. How happy they looked and completely in love they are. Their guests joined them on the dance floor, (I also had to bust a few moves myself, couldn’t help it!) and I captured the last few moments of joy before it was time for me to leave.

So far this has been one of my favourite weddings as everything was so organised and everyone was so calm and knew exactly what they needed to do at the right moment. It was perfect. But the main reason it was one of my favourites is because every single person, bride, groom and their guests AND hotel staff made me feel welcome and part of the party. They welcomed me like family which made me feel so much more confident that I’m going to capture some pretty awesome photo’s!

I would highly recommend Bromley Court Hotel if you’re looking for a venue to get married in. It’s beautiful, the staff are amazing and vey friendly and good value for money!
Also, don’t forget to book an amazing photographer for your special day too 😉 You won’t regret it!

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