Cosy winter vibes and dramatic wedding photography at Hotel Cromwell in Stevenage
As the nights draw in and the temperature begins to fall, warm and heady summer wedding days make way for cosy and festive affairs lit by the soft glow of candles and firelight. Winter weddings are just as much fun as their warmer counterparts, and, in my opinion at least, they are even more romantic!
Hotel Cromwell in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, is the perfect venue for a winter wedding. Vintage features, open fireplaces, and wood panelled rooms all add to those cosy winter vibes.
“Dean Thompson and the team have the interior design of The Cromwell reflecting the hotel’s history with a contemporary feel which was perfect for us ”
And this is exactly where Kate and Kelly chose to say their vows and celebrate their love. The couple liked the idea of a cosy winter wedding with warm lighting in a venue where they could celebrate with friends and family. “February 1st was also a year to the day that we moved our family of five to our new home in Stevenage” Kate told me.
“The Cromwell was a perfect venue. The Bourchier Suite was spot on for our ceremony as it has an intimate and cosy feel about it. We moved from there seamlessly into the Cromwell Suite for the evening celebrations with enough room for a dancefloor for our wonderful band Revival, tables for all our guests plus a fantastic bar and lounge area”
Kate and Kelly’s wedding morning was filled with laughter and love. Kelly’s preparations took place at the couple’s home with family around her, whilst Kate got ready at Hotel Cromwell with her boys, family, and friends. With only a short drive separating the two locations I was able to stop in and spend some time with both ladies, capturing candid moments of this special morning.
Before we knew it, the guests were arriving and taking their seats and it was time for the ladies to get married! Kelly waited with her father as Kate entered with eldest son Lucas who held his mum’s hand proudly as they walked together down the aisle. Kelly followed, arm in arm with her equally proud dad.
As the sun and the temperature dropped outside, Kate and Kelly were married in Hotel Cromwell’s elegant Bourchier Suite surrounded by the the warmth of family and friends.
Kate’s boys, every much a part of the day as the brides themselves, were by their side throughout as their family of five was made official.
The bar opened, Champaign corks were popped, and the celebrations began. We snuck in a quick set of family formal photos. Breaking out lighting equipment in the Bourchier Suite to create our own photography studio was the perfect way to keep everyone warm on a wintery afternoon, whilst still creating elegant group photos. And, we were also able to whisk everyone out into the garden (and quickly back in to the awaiting Cromwell Suite) for that all important ‘big group shot’. It was almost completely dark at this point so I used studio strobe lights to illuminate the night. I would never shoot a winter wedding without them!
Now, what happened next will remain one of the most memorable moments of any wedding that I have attended (and that is a lot of weddings). Led by mum Kate, her three boys performed their own version of a Stormzy rap, welcoming new mum Kelly into their family in the coolest and most creative fashion. Capturing moments like this is why I truly love my job so much. It is a massive privilege to witness events that families will always remember and to make the photographs that will be a part of that legacy. This was incredible and Kelly’s reaction says it all…
Kate and Kelly met when they became members of the same hockey team. As a result, hockey was an important element of their day. An epic cake combining the team’s players with the infamous Colin The Caterpillar was a centre piece from which their fellow team mates made an arch of hockey sticks to gave them their perfect wedding day send-off!
Further making the day their own, it was important for the brides to have the Revival Function Band get their party started and no one else would do…
“One of our first dates was at Hertford Corn Exchange watching the amazing band “Revival” who we subsequently had perform at the wedding. They literally had the dance floor jumping from their first song to their last”
As the evening went on I set up a few more wedding portrait sessions for brides Kate and Kelly. Many photographers will steal the couple away for a big chunk of time right in the middle of the day for wedding portraits. They do this in a rush to make the most of the available light and simply to get them out of the way. I don’t like to work in this way. Rather than having my couples miss out on a big chunk of time right in the middle of their wedding day, I space out small 5 minute mini-sessions throughout the afternoon and evening. The couple can decide there and then how many they feel like doing. Using studio flash on location means that we aren’t limited by the available light and we can be as creative as we like no matter how dark it gets. (This is especially important for winter weddings!)
Hotel Cromwell is a venue that lends itself beautifully to this approach with lots of photogenic features to take creative advantage of.
Winter Wedding Tips:
Embrace the season. If you are going to get married in the winter time be sure to make it part of the occasion. Build your theme around warm wintery colours, add fairly lights and candles, pick a venue with open fire places or firepits and blankets.
Visit your chosen venue at night. Most venue tours take place in the daylight so be sure to have a nosy at night time to get an idea of the atmosphere after dark.
If you are getting married at Christmas time check out what decorations the venue will already have up (you should be able to see photos of the previous year to get an idea). Use them to your advantage or ask if you can take them down if they don’t fit with your style.
Choose a wedding photographer who is experienced in using off camera flash effectively and creatively. Now, I would say that wouldn’t I? But seriously, winter days here in the UK are short! You are going to need a photographer who knows how to make beautiful photos happen in the dark.
Kate and Kelly’s top tips for the perfect winter wedding:
Choose a warm and cosy feeling venue that can provide multifunctional indoor spaces to move between.
Suitable lighting and warm decoration are important to get the cosy winter feel!
“The highlight of our day was the fact that everything was seamless and we smiled from start to finish. The room was bursting at the seams with love”
Covid-19
As I backed up my memory cards at the end of the night on Kate and Kelly’s wedding day I had no idea that this would be the last big wedding I would shoot to date. The outbreak of Covid-19 has had a huge impact on the 2020 wedding season for couples and wedding suppliers alike. If you are planning a wedding now but are concerned about the ongoing situation please don’t hesitate to get in touch. I am very happy to discuss how you can secure your date with built-in flexibility should it be required.
Learn more about my approach to winter weddings
Wedding Suppliers:
Photography: Pike Photography
Venue: Hotel Cromwell Stevenage
Wedding Band: Revival
