A Gloucestershire Summer Wedding

In the wealthy English county of Gloucestershire wedding photography is a competitive business, so I was excited to be selected by Giles and Danielle to photograph their wedding in the Cotswold town of Nailsworth.

The venue was Egypt Mill Hotel, set in the Stroud valleys on the edge of the River Frome. Once a working corn mill, the buildings here very much retain their traditional look and feel, with many artefacts harking back to the time when this was a fully active industrial area.

A great looking and naturally charismatic couple, this evidently in love pair were tremendous fun to work with. Giles oozes a magnetic kind of cheek and charm that’s easily translated down the lens. Danielle meanwhile radiated a refined elegance and natural calm throughout the day, despite whatever might have been going on under the surface.

Haribo – best wedding present ever!

Naturally there were nerves beforehand, and no little amount of emotion, but these seemed to largely subside after the ceremony.

Except for a light shower immediately after the ceremony, the weather was kind enough, and guests were able to mingle outside with nibbles and drinks afterwards, in between much snapping and group photographs.

The wedding breakfast was held in the same room as the ceremony, swiftly turned around by staff. Speeches are probably the best part of a wedding for capturing natural, entirely authentic reactions, and this was no different. Smiles, laughter, a sombre reflective note, more humour, incredulity, an entirely unique double best man speech. Everything was here.

There was time for a quick walk in the grounds with the couple and some more photos, before the main function room was transformed once again for the evening function. A dancefloor appeared, as well as a band, cake and sweets, and lots more people.

Although it’s unlikely you’d accidentally stumble upon it, and that’s part of its charm, Egypt Mill is reasonably accessible from the cities of Bath, Bristol, Cheltenham and Gloucester – thanks to the M4 and M5 motorways which travel through Gloucestershire. In slightly more recent times, it’s said that Nailsworth was also a focal point for brewing and trout fishing, being connected directly to the UK’s national rail network up until 1947. Its history is what gives it a sense of genuine originality.

On first pre-wedding inspection I internally squirmed at the cosy feeling, low wood beamed ceiling in the main function room, because of the relative lack of light. Bouncing flash off angled wood was a challenge, so I was mainly restricted to high ISOs when photographing the ceremony itself. Not ideal, but not a disaster.

The venue is expansive and flexible in the numbers it can accommodate – up to 100 seated and 150 for the evening celebrations. A full civil wedding service is offered, together with three Egypt Mill civil ceremony licensed locations.

It’s always humbling to be asked to photograph anyone’s wedding, and it was a real pleasure to capture the big day of Giles and Danielle at the Egypt Mill in Nailsworth. Thanks a lot guys.

Please get in touch if you’d like to find out more about Gloucestershire wedding photography packages.