Recently I had the pleasure of photographing at a new wedding venue for me, The Barns at Lodge Farm, Epping. Having never photographed there before I took the opportunity to visit ahead of the wedding. This was to make sure that I knew exactly where it was and to get some idea of the possibilities for photography. I had also not met the couple before, Natasha and Josh, so it was great to kill two birds with one stone.
Wedding ceremonies take place in a lovely old granary built in 1870 which is full of character and nostalgia. They have a much larger grain store, where the reception was held, which is a more modern, industrial barn and is an epic space for parties with a capacity for 250 guests. Obviously being a farm, there are lots of outside spaces, fields and yards to explore.
The farm is a family-run business, and they have farmed at Lodge Farm for nearly 100 years. The wedding and events side of the business is run by Bryony, who is the daughter of the current owners. She runs a very tight ship, making sure that everything runs smoothly and on time.
This could not have been a more perfect wedding, apart from me managing to split the inside leg of my trousers shortly before the ceremony! Anyway that aside, the weather was perfect, the couple were lovely and their family and guests were adorable. As you can see from the photographs, Natasha and Josh are very much in love and it was a joy to witness their interaction throughout the day. Natasha looked simply beautiful in her wedding dress bringing several people to tears as she walked down the aisle to be married.
After the couple were married in a lovely wedding ceremony we did the obligatory confetti shot and some formal family photographs in front of the granary. With all the formal photographs completed it was time for some light refreshments.
There is no onsite catering at the barns so on this occasion the couple employed the services of an Indian caterer called Curry on Top Naanstop and Gourdans Steak Frites. They both seemed lovely, but I opted for the curry, which was superb! I was also offered the steak and chips, but I simply couldn’t fit it in.
Prior to the wedding the couple had arranged for some activities on the field close to the tented area. This included lots of fun and games and was greatly enjoyed by all their family and guests. The guest were split into teams and at times seemed very competitive.
I stayed quite late for this one to get some shots of Natasha and Josh with the sun going down across the stunning countryside that surrounds the farm. This was without doubt one of the best weddings I have ever witnessed, and although it was a long and tiring day, I left with a big smile on my face.
