Suzanna & Sammy | A summer Chippenham Park wedding
Today I’m bringing you a summer wedding at beautiful Suffolk wedding venue Chippenham Park, with a legal union punctuated by the organic and intentional.
Having met at Cambridge University as students, Suzie and Sammy reassembled the Cambridge alumni for their roasting hot wedding day at Chippenham Park, a wedding venue on the Suffolk and Cambridge border (did I mention I’m a recommended supplier there?). This was one of three weddings I photographed over this particular weekend in July 2025, and while I was providing shorter coverage for their day, I was sure to make sure as much as possible was captured - and their day packed a punch!
Suzie and Sammy’s day had been planned most intentionally, starting with a first look on Chippenham Park’s bridge, nestled deep into the grounds of the venue. Following their first look, they’d chosen to hold the legal part of their day before any guests had arrived, with only immediate family present to witness it. This was important to them and I appreciated being part of that intimate element of their day.
Once the legalities were out of the way, friends and family began to make their way down to the lake, where a humanist ceremony was conducted by a friend. Rather than a set of readings, family and friends provided speeches for the couple, before a rousing rendition of “Friday I’m In Love“ was sung by all and the party was underway.
Outdoor games, cocktails, a bit more heat, a few more speeches, and a few more photos making the most of Chippenham Park’s beautiful grounds, and my day with S+S was complete. They went on to party into the night and I went home to prepare for my next wedding the following day.
I loved that they did a first look, and I’d really encourage more couples to think about doing this. I know it’s not traditional, but if you’re not tied to fuddy duddy wedding traditions, there’s several reasons why this works so well - and not just because it always makes for fab photos!
If you’re feeling super nervous about ‘the aisle walk’ - doing a first look really alleviates feelings of anxiety about the walking down the aisle bit.
If you have limited time for photos, doing a first look and your couple photos before your ceremony is actually a really clever idea. You’re both looking your best, you’re not feeling frazzled from your ceremony or being pulled from pillar to post, and if you don’t have much time before the sun sets on your wedding day, get these heirloom photos done first.
Emotions! Feeling emotional? Get it all out during your first look. It’s such a wonderful, intimate moment that only the two of you will share, forever. (Apart from I’m also there hiding in a bush with a camera.)
These guys are some of my biggest supporters, leaving me a review before they’d even had their photos back, which really shows the level of hype they had for me. I even got a shout-out in their speeches, which is a rare beast at weddings today! I felt really valued and appreciated. They are truly a one of a kind couple. Here’s what they said:
“We cannot recommend Sally enough - she needs 10 stars! When we were first selecting our photographer based on their portfolios her timeless style really appealed.
From our first meeting she was always one of our most easy going, communicative, and helpful suppliers. Sending quick responses to my million questions, and recommending lots of the other suppliers we selected and loved on the day. She gave us total confidence in the build up.
On the day itself she was just wonderful. I am quite opinionated (some may say demanding!) and had a list of the photos I wanted, and Sally was happy to humour me, but also is the real expert and knew where to go for good lighting, and interesting backgrounds etc for the ones we will really treasure. She was so chilled with our guests and seemed to be everywhere all at once so I don't think any key moments were missed.
Some of my friends have had very big budget weddings with very famous photographers that do Vogue etc, and they were all saying how wonderful she was. She makes everyone feel relaxed in what can be quite a tense or awkward situation of family or couple photos. You spend quite a lot of time on your wedding day with just the couple and the photographer so make sure you pick someone who you want to spend time with and enjoy those moments as a couple on a mad day.
We have only had our initial photos back so far - which came after only two days which seems a miracle as I know she had three weddings back to back. I honestly cried at every one. The photos are beyond perfect. It is magical to view all your favourite moments through her work which adds a golden and etherial lens.
We cannot wait to get the full album back in only a few short weeks as I know we will treasure them forever. Thank you Sally.”
Suppliers:
Venue - Chippenham Park
Dress - Bridal Reloved Wanstead
Alterations - Anie.clothing Alterations
Groom’s Suit - Saman Amel
Flowers - Miss Fleur
Hair - Hair By Chelsea Lenton - Sitting Pretty
Catering - Crown Catering
I’m a recommended supplier at Chippenham Park, which means they like me photographing their weddings! Check to see if I’m available to photograph your wedding there, or wherever it may be, HERE