Iford Manor Gardens Engagement - Jazmine & Chris

Jazmine & Chris were keen to organise an engagement session together with Harley, their beautiful rough collie, ahead of their wedding day at Syrencot last July. Jaz used to work for the Cartwright-Hignett family who call Iford home and they very generously arranged for us to have after-hours access to their spectacular gardens. Iford Manor Gardens might look like somewhere in the Italian Riviera but its beguiling beauty is actually located in rural Wiltshire on the banks of the River Frome. My work takes me to all sorts of gorgeous country houses but Iford Manor Gardens was entirely new to me. It is a genuine hidden gem and shooting there in the early evening sunshine was a joy.

Iford Manor Gardens is meticulously well kept, with all manner of interesting landscapes, pathways and structures, it really is staggeringly beautiful. I particularly loved the cloisters which are set at one end of the gardens and feature a fantastic view across the Frome. Although I don’t shoot that many of them, I always enjoy engagement sessions. As well as the obvious photographic side of things, they’re a chance to get to know my clients a bit better in a setting that has far less inherent time pressure than the wedding day!

Since getting our own dog, Scout back in 2018, I’ve gone dog mad. If you follow my instagram stories you’ll know that I mean that literally – Scout talks, what of it?! Anyway, this is a roundabout way of saying that I love it when my couples include their four-legged friends. Harley was an absolute winner on the day, extremely well behaved and an absolute poser of the highest order. She also rocked up to the wedding – I’m planning to blog Jaz & Chris’ day at Syrencot in the next few weeks so keep an eye out. Right, enough waffle – time for some photos.