Essex Wedding Photographer – For Joanne and Danny’s wedding, I headed out to the St Nicholas Chapel in Coggeshall, located roughly halfway between Braintree and Colchester in Essex. A real countryside location, I found this venue perfect for couples like Joanne and Danny who wanted a classic, traditional wedding without straying too far from the beaten track. Easily accessible, and yet seemingly isolated, I was excited about the photo opportunities that lay ahead of me.
As a London wedding photographer, the majority of my work occurs during the summer months – during ‘wedding season’ as we call it. However, I am particular sort after to provide winter wedding photography, and this was one of those occasions. Joanne and Danny were on the search for a St Nicholas Chapel wedding photographer for their winter wedding, and they liked my style.
I’m always excited before a winter wedding. While I look forward to the challenges, I am well equipped in terms of equipment and more importantly I have a sound understanding of light. For ceremonies, when I like to take more realistic shots, natural light is my best friend, but Joanne had already voiced her concerns about the lighting situation at the chapel. Fortunately, when I arrived, I found the chapel to be wonderfully lit, which made my job a lot easier, and allowed me to get some excellent photos of the couple exchanging their vows.
Despite the terrible weather we experienced on the day, the photographs certainly didn’t suffer for it, and that’s in part due to the fantastic look of the chapel. St Nicholas Chapel is a very historic building, having been built in 1220 exclusively from local materials, which was practically unheard of at the time. Although the chapel has, of course, been restored since then, much of the original structure remains, creating the perfect backdrop to a traditional wedding ceremony.
Adding to this old time charm is the interior of the chapel. Far from being over-the-top, the inside is actually very down-to-earth, and somewhat barn-like in appearance. The chapel was, in fact, used as a barn in the 18th and 19th centuries, so it’s very fitting that there’s this atmosphere inside. The St Nicholas Chapel goes to prove that, when you get married, it doesn’t matter if it snows, rains, or thunders, you’re sure to get amazing photographs.
