Trading Boundaries Wedding – Kelly & Caspar
This was my first Trading Boundaries wedding and I loved every minute of it. A relaxed venue for a relaxed couple – a perfect fit for undirected documentary wedding photography. Kelly & Caspar were a dream to photograph, relaxed people who don’t take life too seriously and actively chose to prioritise family and fun over pressure and perfection. So good!
I met Kelly & Caspar way back in 2017 when I shot for Kelly’s sister on her wedding day at Great Fosters. Christie & Chris’ wonderful day lives long in the memory, and a whole host of great wedding commissions have stemmed from it – both before and after. There’s nothing more rewarding than shooting for a great crowd and then coming back time and time again to cover weddings for the same family & friendship group.
Kid Friendly Weddings
Which brings us to Kelly & Caspar! With two young boys, Kelly & Caspar’s wedding had a kid-friendly mentality from the very beginning. If I’m being honest (which I always am!) children can either make or break a wedding day. They either supercharge the energy or bring chaos to things that never wanted chaos. The difference is rarely the kids and is normally the couple themselves and the type of wedding they have planned. A laid-back day inevitably gives space for kids to be kids. Likewise, a really grounded couple will find a flower girl speaking up during the quietest parts of a ceremony hilarious rather than horrifying. Turn the tables to a more formal day, or a more precious couple, and the charms of a child-free wedding can come into focus.
From a photographic point of view, kids are always compelling subjects. Firstly, they’re always doing something interesting. Secondly, when they’re little, they’re free from artifice or self-consciousness. And once they’re a bit older, teenage awkwardness is often entertaining.
Kelly & Caspar’s boys were brilliant. They were immense value all day long and could not have been kinder and more fun. Whether it was toy planes between courses, marvelling at the card magic (shoutout Andrew Kelly) or facepaint in the evening, they got involved with everything and rarely stopped grinning or making other people beam.
Trading Boundaries Wedding Ceremony
The wedding ceremony took place outdoors, underneath the canopy of a gorgeous wrought-iron pergola. Outdoor ceremonies occasionally lack intimacy, but here the heavy drape of vines made it feel like we were all included in the sharing of a secret story. As if we’d all climbed under a duvet and were embroiled in a charming conspiracy.
After the ceremony, Kelly & Caspar led their parents inside for the signing of the register before reemerging to be showered with confetti by their cheering guests. We shot some groups and then took a few moments to break out some smoke grenades! Smoke flares work best when the weather is really still as it allows the density to build for really punchy colour. We ended up with perfect conditions and, as always with smoke bombs, it was a proper laugh! The Instagram-worthy image belies the comedic yelling of instructions that always accompanies the moment…. I would have made a shit teacher!
A Marquee Event
Trading Boundaries features a beautiful Indian marquee that plays host to its wedding breakfasts. Somehow this felt much nicer than a regular marquee. Cool, airy, quiet, structural… qualities that are all too often lacking in plastic sided marquees. It’s a genuinely lovely space.
Once everyone was fed and some excellent speeches had been given – including a great moment where Caspar sailed incredibly close to the wind (before making a thrilling, death-defying recovery) – we snuck off for a few portraits. As this was my first Trading Boundaries wedding, I really enjoyed exploring the nooks and crannies of this charming and characterful spot. Trading Boundaries has real variety – wide open fields, ateliers and workshops, lovely brick buildings and everything in between.
As well as being a wedding venue, Trading Boundaries also hosts a lot of live music. Because of that, it’s got a stage and sound system that’s way better than most wedding venues. Kelly & Caspar weren’t keen on a first dance and had impressed upon me that they’d much rather dance with their friends than in front of them. So that’s what we did! This is a really common request with many of my couples. As a documentary photographer I seem to connect particularly well with couples who don’t want to go to town on the ‘centre of attention’ thing. They’d much rather be one of many subjects rather than the sole focus. I love this as it gives me license to follow all sorts of interesting sub-plots and it really jives with narrative storytelling.
Right, enough waffle from me. We’re here for pictures. Thanks to Kelly & Caspar for throwing this beautiful bash and inviting me along. You guys were the dream and I loved shooting your day!
