Fiona & John | Dartington Hall Winter Wedding
How are we all doing out there… cold, snowed in? The snow has cleared now in Totnes but it brought back memories of last March and the epic snow that we had here then. Lila and I were snowed in for days. I photographed one wedding at the tail end of the first snowy patch and it was touch and go whether the guests could get there. Then, on the 17th March, I set out to photograph Fiona & John’s wedding at Dartington Hall, little did we know how it would unfold…
The morning started off in the usual way, Fiona & her bridesmaids getting ready together and anticipating the day ahead. There was talk of snow on the way but outside no sign at all. The bridal party were getting ready in one of the rooms on the estate so the plan was to walk over to the ceremony room when the moment came. I went ahead and photographed the guests & groom awaiting the arrival of the bride. Then, suddenly, out of nowhere and just before the ceremony was due to begin, the snowstorm started. When the registrar announced the arrival of the bride, the doors were opened and Fiona & her bridesmaids were stood with snowflakes falling all around them. A dramatic entrance if ever there was one! The snow continued and blended with confetti as guests showered the newlyweds on their exit back outside into the snow…
Fiona & John were such great company and totally embraced the snowy conditions and photo opportunities which arose. We took a few pictures outside and also explored some of the gorgeous interiors at Dartington Hall. Fiona is a lecturer in Film Studies so the theme for the day was movie directors… I must say that this atmospheric venue definitely looked like a film set with all the snow. It stopped and started and as the day went one we all forgot about the strange spring weather. Everyone enjoyed food, dancing and even a casino kept guests entertained! I opted to stay until the end of the night to capture a few firework shots. After the last song everyone gathered their coats and braced themselves for the cold… when the doors opened again it was magic! The snow had settled and Dartington Gardens was a winter wonderland… this was a truly magical day to a surprise snow wedding.
I know that Fiona & John were snowed in the next day and couldn’t reach their destination of Burgh Island. I don’t think they minded though. I can’t imagine it would have been as atmospheric as Dartington Hall in the snow anyway. Luckily for me, I live just down the road so I didn’t get stuck either.
Here’s to snowy weddings and going with the flow… You can never plan the weather whatever the season so just enjoy the day!
Find out more about weddings at Dartington Hall visit their website here
For summer Dartington Hall vibes, here is a wedding that I photographed which was featured recently on Love My Dress
Dartington Hall Winter Wedding