Down Hall Wedding Photographer | Tilly & Harri
Early in their relationship, Harri bought Tilly a horse. His name is Peaches, and on the eighteenth of September, just after two, he walked across the lawn at Down Hall in the middle of a black tie drinks reception, as though he had been on the guest list all along.
He had.
Letters before lunch
For a wedding this size, the morning was quiet. Upstairs, Tilly sat in a green velvet chair reading the letter Harri had written her. Across the house he was reading hers, with a box of cigars and an engraved lighter already laid out for later.
On a rail by the window hung a very small white dress. Tilly's gown, by Art of Couture, had a detachable train, and the fabric cut from it had been made into dresses for their two daughters. The girls walked down the aisle in pieces of their mother's wedding dress.
Her bridesmaids lined up in matching black satin with white bouquets from Delicate Daisy Flowers, while Glam Blows and Essex Up-Do Training worked through the hair and Alex Malerich the make-up.
Black tie, and a horse
Just before the ceremony, Tilly's dad saw her first, at a doorway inside the house, while her sisters watched from the stairs.
The dress code was black for everyone. Harri's groomsmen lined up in dinner jackets across the gardens, guests drifted between the bar and the terrace, and then Peaches arrived and the drinks reception stopped being a drinks reception.
Vows in their own words
Sammi Sings opened the ceremony in the garden, beneath an arch of white flowers. Harri, waiting at the front, needed to wipe his eyes before Tilly had even appeared. Her dad walked her down the aisle at half past two, and Peaches watched from the far end of it.
They had written their own vows, and read them to each other in front of everyone.
When it came to signing the register, Peaches was brought up to the table. Tilly leant across and rested her forehead against his.
Afterwards we walked the three of them round to the front of the house, where the train went out across the gravel and Peaches stood beside it like he did this every weekend.
Back in the gardens, Sammi Sings kept the drinks reception going on the terrace, and Andy the Magic Man worked the crowd, one card at a time.
Every table a year
In the Bridgeman Suite, the tables were named after the years of Tilly and Harri's relationship. The stationery by Candyfloss Creations was black and white to match the room, and the cake, made by a family friend, carried a simple topper: The Taylors.
At twenty past four the wedding party came in. Napkins went up, tambourines came out, and Tilly danced through the room holding her train in one hand.
The speeches were long, warm and loud. Her dad's ended with a kiss for Tilly and a handshake for Harri.
Then the party
The plates had barely gone when Sammi Sings took the room. By half past six the whole wedding was on its feet, the bridesmaids had the tambourines, and nobody sat down again for a long time.
After dark
We took the two of them away for ten minutes on the grand staircase, which is about as long as anyone could hold a straight face.
At eight, Tilly danced first with her dad on the starlit floor, then with Harri. Brass Monkeys took over from there, the saxophone came down off the stage and onto the dancefloor, and at ten the boys went outside for the cigars.
Planning Your Down Hall Wedding
Down Hall gives you a lot of house to work with: an Italianate frontage made for big group photographs, gardens that can hold an outdoor ceremony and a horse, and the Bridgeman Suite for a wedding breakfast that turns into a party. If you are planning a large wedding here, build in time for the front of the house after the ceremony, while the light is still good.
If you are looking for a Down Hall wedding photographer who will cover the letters, the speeches and the cigars at ten o'clock with the same attention, I would love to hear about your day.
Rob Moore is a fine art editorial wedding photographer based in Essex, covering historic estates, country houses, and destination weddings across the UK and internationally. His work has been exhibited across eight international cities.
Supplier Credits
Venue: Down Hall
Dress: Art of Couture
Hair: Glam Blows, Essex Up-Do Training
Make-up: Alex Malerich
Flowers: Delicate Daisy Flowers
Stationery: Candyfloss Creations
Jewellery: Coo Jewellers
Singer: Sammi Sings
Evening band: Brass Monkeys
Magician: Andy the Magic Man
Glitter: Lucy's Glitter Box
Photography & film: Rob Moore Photography
Comments