The Wedding of Lisa and Ian at Chaffeymoor Grange
September 7, 2010 | Posted Under: Chaffeymoor Grange, Dorset photography, Wedding Photography | Leave a Comment
We can’t think of a more perfect place to hold a wedding for close family and friends than the beautiful Chaffeymoor Grange. Lying slap bang in the middle of the Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire border it boasts some amazing views over the The Blackmoor Vale. More importantly, it has ten magnificently decorated bedrooms for guests and a pretty outstanding TV den in the cellar!
Lisa and Ian were to make the most of their venue for the entire weekend - it was a house party and wedding all rolled into one. When we arrived at Chaffeymoor guests were enjoying the start of their weekend croquet tournament and trying to get their heads round the rules. Meanwhile, Lisa and her mum and sister got ready upstairs carefully avoiding Ian, the Groom until they went down to the pub for their own morning preps.
Each room in the house was decorated with its own pretty purple orchid to match the tones of Lisa’s bouquet. We’ve now shot quite a few weddings at Chaffeymoor with flowers prepped by The Gilded Lily and they consistently impress us with their work.
Whilst Ian (photography) went off with Ian (groom) and the boys (the abundance of Ians became very confusing), I stayed at Chaffeymoor with the girls.
It was all very calm at the house and with no danger of bumping into the groom we had the luxury of using lots of different rooms to sort the make-up, hair and dress. The ceremony began at a leisurely 4pm and it was nice for everyone to be able to take their time.
The ceremony took place in Chaffeymoor’s Oak Room. Poor Lindsay and Rik, the owners of Chaffeymoor, normally have to lug these sofas out of the room ready for the ceremony (and they’re mighty heavy). However, Lisa and Ian decided to embrace the cosy set-up and their guests watched the ceremony in comfort. We thought it was a great idea and it kept the day super relaxed and laid back!
After the ceremony the guests made the most of the sunny day with canapés and champagne on the terrace.
Then we took some family shots. There were some guests who had travelled a long way to be there.
This may have been the smallest wedding party bunch we’ve shot but I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed the formal group shots more. After taking the essential shots guests started suggesting random set-ups for us to capture. Trouble is, some of the party had moved along to chat and drink their champers by this time and missed the discussion. We must have seemed like the most random wedding photographers 
We took some more sedate group shots as well, I can assure you.
Those done it was nearly time for the guests to sit down for their meal. There was just some time for a bit of post-ceremony football.
Until the ball fell in Chaffeymoor’s huge pond.
With a little bit of teamwork they soon got their ball back.
We stayed at Chaffeymoor whilst guests enjoyed their meal around one big table. There were no formal speeches at all but we could hear plenty of laughter coming from that room.
It was getting pretty late after this and it was a real reminder that the days are getting a lot shorter as the sun set fast. We still had some time to take some dusk shots around the garden of the bride and groom. Lisa and Ian took us up on the offer of a full engagement shoot early in the year so they were real pros by now. It was great seeing the guestbook we made up for them get such a good response and lovely to see the pages fill up with comments.
There wasn’t any evening entertainment so to speak of, but with a mighty playlist a huge stock of beer and wine, and the knowledge the guests didn’t have to travel far to get to their beds that night, there was no stopping the party.
We hope you, your family and all your friends had an amazing bank holiday weekend at Chaffeymoor, Lisa and Ian. Congratulations to you both! x
Categories: Posted Under: Chaffeymoor Grange, Dorset photography, Wedding Photography | Be the first to leave a Comment
Wedding Preview: Lisa and Ian
August 29, 2010 | Posted Under: Chaffeymoor Grange, Dorset photography, Wedding Photography | Leave a Comment
We’ve just got back this morning from a wedding at one of the most unique country house venues we know, Chaffeymoor Grange. Lisa and Ian’s wedding was a super-relaxed do with a late afternoon ceremony complete with settees for their guests. They’ve got the house for the whole weekend so we’ve left them to wind down after an exciting day and continue their weekend croquet tournament.
Lisa and Ian weren’t afraid to heat things up for some portrait shots around Chaffeymoor’s grounds and house as you can see below. In fact, it got so intense and smokin’ that the fire alarms went off mid-shoot (but that might have been because someone also forgot to open the chimney flue when lighting the fireplace). 
Categories: Posted Under: Chaffeymoor Grange, Dorset photography, Wedding Photography | Be the first to leave a Comment
Wedding at Chaffeymoor Grange, Bourton
June 7, 2010 | Posted Under: Chaffeymoor Grange, Dorset photography | 3 Comments
We recently made our way back to one of our favourite venues, Chaffeymoor Grange in Bourton near the Dorset and Somerset Border. This private house specialises in house parties, so some of the guests at this wedding were able to enjoy the whole weekend here. Lucky things!
Although we’ve photographed there a couple of times before now we’ve never seen it set up with a marquee in the garden. It was truly stunning. There were so many lovely details throughout the day and it was a blessing to be able to make the most of the house’s beautiful interior as well as the grounds.
Due to exceptional circumstances we’ve agreed to post just a few details on our blog from the day, but there should be enough to let you get a sense of the day. We’re pleased to say we’ll be back at Chaffeymoor Grange later on in the year. Every wedding is always so different there and it’s a perfect place for couples to really make the day (and the house) their own.
Categories: Posted Under: Chaffeymoor Grange, Dorset photography | 3 Comments
Guestbook Preview: Lisa and Ian
May 3, 2010 | Posted Under: Chaffeymoor Grange, Dorset photography, Poole photography, Portraits, Presentation options | 1 Comment
Lisa and Ian’s custom guestbook arrived back from the printers this weekend and we’re really happy with how everything turned out. Designing for a guestbook is a little trickier than for a wedding album as we need to bear in mind the number of guests that will be attending the day. This means setting aside enough (but not too much) white space so the book looks full and happy once everyone’s penned in their best wishes. I think we’ve got it about right.
As Lisa and Ian chose to hire us for a dedicated Engagement Shoot (a preview of some our favourites from their shoot at Hengistbury Head in Dorset can be viewed here) they get this 12″x12″, hard-wearing coffee table book thrown in. We can’t wait to see how the guests react to it on the day!
