Tessa & Sebastian – A Summer Wedding at Bury Court

This summer wedding at Bury Court is another gem which I’ve been sitting on for a while. The Great Winter Blogathon™️ continues unabated. Strangely, this is the second time I’ve shot a wedding for someone with a direct connection to my old house. Back in 2012, my future clients, Mark & Carla very nearly bought our house. Seb & Tess, who I’m featuring here today, lived in that very same house from 2023-2025. That strikes me as an improbable sequence of events. Perhaps I should start offering a concession to all future residents of that address?!

Tess & Seb’s day was a riot of fun, energy, camper vans, Vicar-approved church boozing, sparklers, a lot of tennis chat, and the BEST boy. Shout-out to Bob the Wheaten Terrier. To bastardise a bit of Monica Geller: “dogs enhance the fun”!

The morning kicked off at Bury Court with Tess and her crowd. Tess has five siblings, including four sisters, and, along with her friends, she had a total of eight bridesmaids. Needless to say, it was a riot in the best possible way. I particularly loved the dress moments – before, during, and especially after, with one of my favourite reveals in quite some time.

Love Actually is All Around

I’ve always been a fan of Crondall. When we first met, my wife used to live just down the road. It was a pleasure to return to the village with its lovely church, dominated by the beautiful red brick tower and romantic wrought-iron gates (at least my wife tells me the gates are super-beauts, and who am I to object?)

On top of this, the church boasts a rather fantastic vicar. Tara’s energy for the day was absolutely on point – less quiet-village-vicar vibes and more rock-star energy. Never before have I seen a vicar encourage a couple to lead the whole wedding congregation in downing shots to celebrate the marriage. But that is exactly what happened here. I applaud vicar-approved church boozing!

Freshly minted, Tess and Seb left All Saints Church, Crondall to a ‘Love Actually’-inspired exit. As the Beatles’ ‘All You Need is Love’ blasted out, guests popped up with inflatable instruments and it was hard not to grin from ear to ear.

Special Mentions

Tess and Seb’s doggo Bob the Wheaten Terrier deserves a special mention here because, quite frankly, who doesn’t love a wedding dog? And Bob looked like he was living an absolute dream with his doggy corsage firmly tied onto his collar. For other dog-related wedding content, check out Jaz and Chris’ day at Syrencot, or Kristine and Martin’s Norway Wedding.

The other special mention goes to Tess’ lovely dad, Claude – a man of impeccable manners and charm. I was very sad to hear a few weeks back that Tess lost her dad over the New Year. Claude could not have been more welcoming to me and he left a big impression.

Tess’ whole family are heavily involved in tennis, and Claude used the metaphor of a game of tennis to anchor his speech – a very personal touch. Ahead of the wedding, Seb told me he could be slightly scary; I found him to be the most polite and amiable man – but then again he wasn’t my prospective father-in-law. I think we can all agree that there’s a special kind of reverence in that relationship, and dads who inspire reverence can be completely undone when they watch their daughter tie the knot. It was clear to me that Claude had a lot of love for Seb and Tess, and it was a privilege to try to capture even a sliver of that.

Resplendent Gardens

A summer wedding at Bury Court benefits from the beautifully resplendent gardens – lush and green, they are one of the venue’s standout features. It is rare for a wedding venue to have such gorgeous mature plants, and their contrast with the honey-coloured stone of the old buildings is perfection. 

Whilst the walled garden brings a backdrop to die for, the gentlyrolling hills which surround Bury Court offer an incredible wider setting. I love shooting here, especially in soft evening light.

Sparklers

I shoot all weddings until midnight as standard, which helps ensure I catch all the best moments as the party stretches into the evening. Tess and Seb opted for sparklers alongside dancing and garden games. Truly Medley Deeply were on music duties and their hybrid of live performance, jukebox and DJ (check them out) was superb. This was the second time I’ve worked alongside TMD and I cannot recommend them enough.

Thanks to Seb & Tess and their families for having me, I loved shooting this one!