Abbie + Jon | Channels
Earlier in the year I got an email into my mailbox from an Abbie Atkins, and for a minute or so I tried to remember why this name seemed so familiar to me, and once I read the email all became clear! Abbie and I used to work together at the same company, so I was chuffed to see her getting in touch with me as she was in the middle of arranging a wedding blessing.
Abbie and Jon were to marry on the beautiful island of Bora Bora in the south pacific towards the end of our summer, just the two of them on a gorgeous intimate elopement, and they were having their marriage blessed when they returned to Essex. So of course I was delighted to be involved in photographing their marriage blessing and then their party over at popular Essex barn wedding venue, Channels in Chelmsford. We’d already got some beaut photographs during a spectacular golden hour over at Hylands Park for their pre-wedding shoot, which you can view HERE.
Whilst it wasn’t technically a wedding, there were a few ‘weddingy’ elements throughout the day, not least Abbie’s Maggie Sottero dress and all the usual good stuff that went along with it. I photographed Abbie, her mum, Sarah her bridesmaid and some of the other bridal party getting ready at Channels whilst Emma my second shooter captured the boys at Jon’s parents’ house. Abbie and Jon had arranged to have a BBQ dinner at Channels to follow their drinks reception and, I must admit when I booked them in earlier in the year, I was slightly skeptical of the weather bearing in mind it was the last couple of days of September. But I was happy to be proved wrong when the sun shone all day long, and it was only the leaves on the trees starting to turn golden that I remembered we were in Autumn.
Abbie arrived at the church in a rather flash Rolls Royce Phantom, and she was greeted with rapturous applause from the whole congregation as she walked up the aisle to meet Jon at the altar. There were a couple of readings, and once the marriage had been blessed and they’d been pelted with confetti, we all headed back to Channels for a proverbial knees-up.
There were so many elements of this day which I just loved, and will long remain in the memory, such as the usual scrum of girls jostling as the bouquet is thrown (something that is rarely done these days, so I really enjoyed that!) and some of Abbie and Jon’s family wrapping themselves around Channels’ giant LOVE letters to make a brilliant photo. The speeches were also equally really good – Jon getting a bit of a grilling from his best men as his brothers wreaked revenge on growing up with Jon being the alleged ‘favourite’ of the three boys. Abbie also gave a speech, and I am all in favour of brides giving speeches these days – love love love.
As the sun began to set over Chelmsford we nabbed some photographs in the soft September sunshine, and we left them to party the night away in epic style – well, when one has their hen party in Ibiza you know they like a party 🙂
