Godwick Great Barn Wedding – Norfolk Wedding Photographer
It was my first time photographing a Godwick Great Barn wedding and I am so glad that I have discovered this amazing venue in the heart of the Norfolk countryside. As this was a new venue for me I decided to arrive an hour early to get a feel for the venue and the lighting. When I arrived I was greeted by James the owner of Godwick Great Hall and shown around the main Barn which is stunning and extremely spacious with its high open beamed ceilings and rustic barn features.
James was busy preparing the Hessian walkway on the grass, which gave the barn area a rustic countryside feel and was a nice touch, whilst I took some photographs of the main hall.
After a short walk to the Hall, I met up with Ellie, her bridesmaids and some of her relatives who were all getting ready in the Sara Garner Suite, a beautiful large room with a four-poster bed and a roll top bath next to the window which made for some lovely pictures of her young nephew!
The weather that morning was very stormy, a few rumbles of thunder could be heard in the distance and the heavens opened. But it was ok we still had 3 hours before the ceremony and it looked like it was going to clear up for the afternoon. Ellie was busy getting her hair and makeup was done by Victoria and Chantelle who are both very talented and Ellie looked stunning. Using the natural light coming in from the large sash windows I caught some great shots of the bridal preparation.
Siam meanwhile was across the hallway in his room with his best man getting ready. When I entered the room it was so relaxed! The boys did not seem to have a single worry on their minds apart from the weather. This may have been due to the bottle that was open on the side!
Siam told me a few weeks before the wedding that he had planned a surprise for Ellie but did not tell me any details until the day. Siam is a very successful businessman which is an amazing achievement for such a young age, not only this but Siam was also the youngest ever pilot in the RAF! And this was the basis for Ellie’s surprise! Siam had pulled a few strings with some of his aviation buddies and arranged for an aerial display to take place above the open fields after the ceremony, but it was touch and go as to whether it would happen or not due to the unpredictable weather. The planes would take off from Old Buckingham airfield some 30 miles away and there was no way of letting anyone know if they would be able to make it or not. If you want to know what happened…..continue reading to find out later.
The guests started arriving at the barn whilst Siam greeted family and friends, by this time the rain had stopped and the sky began to clear. Siam patiently waited for Ellie to arrive I could see on his face that he was excited, nervous but most of all he looked happy. The bridesmaids were the first to enter the hall followed by Ellie and her dad. The ceremony was lovely and once it was over we all moved outside for confetti and drinks on the lawn.
I had to keep an eye on the time as it was closely approaching the estimated arrival of the aerial display planes. I had suggested to Siam earlier that it would be a good idea for them both to move away from the building and head towards the fence next to the meadow for the arrival of the planes. The skies were what I call “moody” the clouds were dark in places with breaks of blue in between. Right on cue, three classic stunt planes came through the cloud at great speed trailing smoke. Siam and Ellie’s faces were a picture, everyone was in awe watching the planes do stunts that looked near impossible to pull off. Low flybys, loops and spiral descents to name a few. This was a totally amazing experience that I have never seen at a wedding. This Godwick Great Barn Wedding was turning out to be an amazing day!
The meal and speeches were next, which I can only describe as heartfelt and emotional. The barn was laid out in true vintage style by Biddy’s Tea Rooms based in Norwich and it looked amazing. I am a big fan of vintage tea rooms and the team at Biddy’s transformed the room to perfection.
Once the meal and speeches were over Siam headed to the garden for some Gladiatorial games! Supplied by Mr Bean Entertainments. I have a funny feeling that Siam’s military training paid off for him as he never seemed to get defeated and I personally in my own mind crowned him “Spartacus”! Not only were there gladiator games but also in true English fashion cricket was taking place which everyone seemed to enjoy.
It’s tradition at a Godwick Great Barn Wedding to take a short tractor ride courtesy of venue owner James to the old ruins across the meadow for some relaxation and photographs, and in this case also a family prayer. The ruins made for some stunning photography, even though the light was a bit harsh at this time of day it gave a nice atmosphere to the photographs.
As the evening drew nearer and the drinks were flowing, the gladiator games were in full swing, excuse the pun! It was time for me to break out the Strobist Photography gear to end the evening with my well-known style of photography.
A massive congratulations to Ellie and Siam and a massive thank you for allowing me to be a part of their Godwick Great Barn Wedding. If you like what you see and would like to book me as your Norwich wedding photographer then please get in touch
Venue:
Godwick Hall
Godwick
Mill Lane
Tittleshall
Kings Lynn
Norfolk
PE32 2RJ
07792 127253
07775 036394
www.godwickhall.co.uk
Makeup artist- Victoria Marshall (Makeup by Victoria)
Hairdresser- Chantelle Graci
Tea set supplier- Biddys
Gladiator supplier – Mr Bean Entertainments
Band name.- The Frozen Raspberries
Florist- Margaret Emms
