Leah & Nathan - Upcote Barn - Trioh Media - Honest Wedding Photography & Videography

Wedding Venue: Upcote BArn

DESTINATION: Cheltenham, The Cotswolds

FILM & PHOTOGRAPHY PACKAGE

Two Thousand Trees:

Nathan and Leah's wedding took place at The Barn at Upcote Farm in Cheltenham. Upcote Farm holds a place close to my heart, not only because of the amazing wedding venue situated on its grounds but also because it is home to the legendary 2000 Trees Festival; an independent music festival that my partner and I have attended and loved for many years.

Set around a courtyard lawn amongst rolling hills, The Barn at Upcote is a beautiful wedding venue that offers gorgeous views of the surrounding area. The main features of the venue are the beautiful barn, a secret garden, and a spacious courtyard. The staff at Upcote are some the best I've worked with, they're incredibly friendly and are great at working with photographers and videographers to get the best results possible - a solid 10/10 team.

Leah and Nath opted for my 'Film, & Photography Package', so I had my main-man Robin on Videography and myself on photography. Bridal prep and groom prep were taking place at two different locations, so Robin and I headed off nice and early (after a quick pit stop at Greggs) to make a start with the bride and bridesmaids at Leah's family home in Cheltenham.

Keeping It Personal :

Something that I've always placed great emphasis on is building a good relationship with my clients . I could be the best photographer in the world but if my couples and their friends and families don't feel comfortable with the presence of me and my team then - in my eyes - my work as a wedding photographer will never be as good as I want it to be.

After introducing ourselves and letting Leah and the girls know how we work they were super relaxed and this gave us the opportunity to capture some naturally beautiful moments of them getting ready.

Bride & Bridesmaids - Cheltenham

Lads Lads Lads :

After getting what we needed from the Ladies, it was time to head over to Upcote and greet the lads. One of the potential challenges with attempting to capture both bridal and groom prep in two different locations is timing; I want to capture everything I can with bride and her bridesmaids yet I don't want to miss too much of lads. On this occasion the ladies were ahead of schedule and the lads were slightly behind, so after the short drive to Upcote, we still had time to get some bangers of the lads getting ready.

Groom & Groomsmen - The Barn, Upcote

Puppy Love :

The ceremony barn filled with warm summers sun and happy, smiling faces. A perfect day for a wedding in the countryside of the cotswolds. Like myself; Leah and Nath are avid dog lovers and so their four legged friend (Nala) had a front row seat, watching her two best friends tie the knot and she even gave us a smile for the camera.

Straight From The Heart:

Being a wedding photographer has allowed me to witness many wedding speeches over the years and I genuinely do enjoy every single one. On the surface they may just seem like an opportunity to make everyone laugh as much as possible by deeply embarrassing the wedding couple (and they are!), but they're also an opportunity to speak directly from the heart, to honestly and openly express the love and appreciation you have for someone incredibly important to you, which is something that most of us don't do nearly often enough.

There are a few speeches that have stuck in my head; the REALLY good ones, the ones that brought tears to the eyes of everyone in the room and then had them rolling around the floor laughing hysterically and - thanks to Nath and Leah's family and friends - their speeches are one that I will never forget. Incredibly honest, emotional and heartfelt whilst also hilariously funny, kudos to their family and friends for absolutely smashing their wedding speeches.

Guided not posed:

Shortly after the Wedding breakfast we grabbed the groomsmen and bridesmaids and headed over to the upper lawn. With the evening party approaching fast and a few drinks down the hatch, they were all in an exceptionally good mood and that made for some immensely fun group shots!

Myself, Robin and the newly weds then snuck away from the courtyard and went for a relaxed stroll around the grounds to grab some couple photos and more importantly give them a few minutes of peace and quiet for the first time as husband and wife. It's these moments that I like to capture some intimate and gently guided photographs of my couples. I use the words "gently guided" because the thought of forcing anyone into awkward or uncomfortable poses makes my skin crawl and doesn't align with my style. I'd much rather just capture these intimate moments as naturally as possible. That's not to say that I won't give some guidance if its needed though, I just to prefer to capture these quintessential wedding photos as naturally as possible. The main thing is; I listen to my couples and I do my best to help them feel as comfortable as possible. The expressions you see in my wedding photography and videography are all completely genuine, nothing fake and nothing forced, something that I take great pride in.

Party On, Wayne:

Surrounded by family, friends and fairy lights, first dance took place in the grain store and - with thanks to the incredible staff and a beautiful summers evening - was as magical as you'd imagine. Outside there were fire pits, marshmallows and and a warm breeze, inside there was a bar, a busy dance floor and the party was pumping until early hours. It was one of my favourite weddings this year and one where the photographs and highlight film really convey just how amazing it was. I'll leave you with a few of my favourite pics from the day.

Until next time, much love - Rob