A small ceremony with family in a cosy nook
Mike & Mandy were one of my last weddings of 2022. I had a rather unexpectedly busy December for a wedding photographer - most people seem to want to get married in the summer when the weather's more reliably magnificent so things usually calm down a bit over winter. This year though I found myself with four weddings however all of them were on the smaller side and wonderfully unique in their own ways which kept things fun. I love a wedding whatever the size but there's something especially precious about a guest list under 20.
Unusually, I didn't actually photograph the legal ceremony itself. Despite being an old chapel, the venue isn't licensed for marriage and Mike & Mandy also wanted their close friend Harold to officiate which obviously wouldn't be possible in a registry office so the legal bit was done separately and I joined everyone for the "real" ceremony at the venue instead. Before we got started however we popped over to the adjacent church yard for everyone to pay their respects to Mandy's recently late mother which was a deeply touching time. Whilst Mike & Mandy wanted this photographed given its importance for the day, it felt a little intrusive for me, so I selected my favourite paparazzi lens and disappeared off to the far end of the field in order to give everyone more space.
Then it was a very short walk across the road to the welcoming comfort of a blazing log fire at the venue. This was followed by a slightly less than comfortable wait for me whilst my cameras & glasses de-misted from the change in temperature.
The wedding itself was at a venue I'd never even considered before but which delighted me more than most that year. The Old Stores in Tuddenham (near Ipswich) is fairly close to my home just outside of Framlingham and I drive past it nearly every time I go to Ipswich. I was always vaguely aware that it was a café / shop and had heard good things about the cake (generally the best way for any establishment to attract my attention) but that was where my knowledge ended. I've honestly never been more impressed with a shop/cafe however. The owners have truly given their absolute all to making the place look and feel slightly magical. The decor is second to none and - I'm getting ahead of myself given this is supposed to be in chronological order but - the food was hands down amongst the very best I've eaten all year.
We did the ceremony first having warmed up with coffees, hot chocolates and teas and it was all the more special that the entire service was led by someone who meant a huge amount to the couple. Whilst I love any wedding, there's a noticeable difference in atmosphere between a standard registry office ceremony to one where the officiant is someone known. The benefit of doing the legal bit elsewhere is also that you can shape the ceremony precisely how you want,
After a short time celebrating together, it was time for what I genuinely think might have been the best buffet I've ever had in my life. I was fortunate enough to be provided with my own small platter and I ate things I would never have normally chosen to but only stopped when I physically couldn't put any more food in my body. Of course that didn't stop me accepting a slice of cake 20 minutes later... I only partially regret that. It was sheer gluttony but 1. It felt rude not to and 2. It looked incredible. Can you honestly tell me you wouldn't have done the same thing? I practically waddled outside to do portraits.
Quick note on the significance of the house over the road. Mandy grew up locally and used to spend a lot of time here with her grandmother who lived behind the green door, Back then, The Old Stores was still a chapel which she visited regularly. The connections surrounding this place for the family was almost tangible and it was honestly desperately heartwarming to have been part of, particularly right before Christmas when there was already a slightly magical atmosphere in the air.
