Louise & Anthony’s South Lodge Hotel Wedding in Autumn with some wet weather photography at the church and reception. Louise & Anthony got married at Holy Trinity Church in Cuckfield, near Haywards Heath in West Sussex, before heading over to South Lodge Hotel for their wedding reception in a stylish classic car.
The forecast was for rain pretty much all day, but particularly after the ceremony, the wet weather was really ready to kick in. We were lucky in the first instance that it didn’t quite chuck it down when we came out of the church, so we got a couple of shots around the Holy Trinity Church grounds and under the lichgate in Cuckfield. I’ve photographed this church a couple fo times a long time ago in my career, so it’s always nice to revisit a location with more experience, more equipment and new ideas! This lichgate is actually more like two lichgates, and I love the cosy smaller one without the gate, and because of the rain, it really was one of our only options for photography at that time!
South Lodge Hotel: A countryside wedding reception in Autumn
Once we arrived at the country hotel for the reception, I had a chance to set up a light behind the couple for a couple of photos with the car. I wanted the light to highlight some of the rain behind them and help balance some of the exposure between the undercover area of the hotel entrance and the gardens outside. I love the rich autumn colours you can still see in the background of these shots, it was the closest we could get to the Sussex countryside without getting drenched!
The staircases of South Lodge Hotel are quite grand, and although the new extension is very modern, it’s style is almost gothic with the ornate candelabras on the stone walls. This shot was lit with a soft flash light above the bride and groom from the floor above. The rain got heavier, and the wet weather really set in for the evening. I was excited by this, as I have been working on getting good shots in the rain for some time now, but I wanted to ensure all of the formalities were finished before we went outside and braced for the rain. It wasn’t actually that heavy, but in order to get a good shot, we needed a consistent downpour.
The rain didn’t disappoint for this wet weather wedding shot! A flash with a soft modifier attached illuminated the rain for this wedding photograph brilliantly. A slower shutter speed was used to help try and balance out the exposure in the background. Many thanks and congratulations to Louise and Anthony on an amazing wedding day (despite the weather) and for bearing with me whilst we shot some wedding photographs outside in the rain!
