Styled shoot March 2024 - Matt Rock Photography

Styled shoot at Tonbridge School Weddings and events

I was contacted in February 2024 by Nicky from Nicola Rose Weddings and Events to take part in a styled shoot to promote some local businesses and Tonbridge School weddings and events.

We met at the school a couple of weeks before so I could see the locations and get a feel of how we wanted to create these image assets for us all to use and to promote our respective businesses.

A lot of work goes into these styled shoots; Assigning the team, getting everyone together to create a wedding themed shoot to promote what we do in our day jobs and mine of course is making the images that hopefully showcase what we all do. Using the drone I was hoping to give a sense of where we are and show the venue with a different perspective to show couples looking to book this wonderful venue an overview of it’s grounds and architecture. You can see that this venue is full of character and history. A little side note; I was lucky to get the drone in the air when I did as it wasn’t long before the sun went in the the rain came down…

“Tonbridge school is a public school in Tonbridge, Kent, England and was founded in 1553 by Sir Andrew Judde. It’s a member of the Eton Group and has close links with the Worshipful Company of Skinners, one of the oldest London livery companies. There are currently around 800 boys in the school aged between 13 and 18.”

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On the day I arrived to set up my cameras and drone then had another look around whilst the finishing touches were being made for the shoot; hair, makeup, suits, flowers, room decoration and cake all being prepared and made ready for the day ahead. I started with a nice fresh cup of coffee as always and got a few photos of the ‘bride’ before she was all finished, just to get warmed up before it was all go.

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After a few warm up shots it was time to get the wedding vibe going with some more styled images of the ‘bride and groom’ getting ready with hair, make up, dresses and suits.

During the day I tried to shoot in a similar way to how I work at a real wedding (documentary, candid in nature) although due to not having the time restraints at an actual wedding I was able to direct things more than usual with a few more re-takes than is normally possible.

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Now it’s all come together and if you are reading this whilst planning your own wedding, please get in touch to see how I can help you get the photographs you deserve from your big day.

If you have read this far, thank you! And if you liked what you read please share with your friends and family who may benefit from having an experienced photographer capture their big day.

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Suppliers involved with this styled wedding shoot were:

Photography - Matt Rock Photography 

Event organiser - Nicola Rose Weddings and Events

Florist - Bailey and Blossom

Venue - Tonbridge School

Videographer - Alin Cengher

Suits - Hardman & Hemming

Favours - Gwyneth Johnson Cake Designs

Cake - Artisan Cakes And Confections

Dress - Bridal Boutique of Jules

Female model - Cristina Maccarrone

Male model - Calum ORourke

Make up - Makeup by Evi 

Hair - The Makeup and Hair Bar

Hair Accessories - Deco Flowers

Content creator - Nadya Mamaeva

Retro cameras - Bailey Mansfield

Salomons Estate Wedding Photographer

Wedding of Kelly & Oliver at Salomons Estate - Matt Rock Photography

A summer wedding at Salomons Estate in the idyllic county of Kent, UK, is a perfect blend of romance, natural beauty, and timeless charm. From the enchanting gardens to historic buildings Salomons offers an exquisite backdrop for couples to tie the knot. As a wedding photographer, I had the pleasure of documenting the magic of Kelly & Oliver’s recent summer wedding and I am excited to share the unforgettable moments and stunning images from this beautiful celebration.

The possibilities for making stunning outdoor photographs are endless here. The bride and groom, surrounded by beautiful flowers and lush greenery, radiated love as they exchanged vows against the backdrop of the venues grounds.

Salomons Estate boasts a rich historical heritage, and many couples choose to tie the knot here. Situated just two miles outside the spa town of Royal Tunbridge Wells, Salomons Estate is a stunning Victorian mansion, designed by the acclaimed architect Decimus Burton. Set in 36 acres of rolling gardens, parkland and woods, it enjoys an enviable location in the heart of England’s garden, yet within an hour’s travel of Central London. The grandeur of this mansion adds a touch of timeless elegance to any wedding.

Incorporating drone photography of Salomons Estate made on the day of the wedding

Weddings are not just about picturesque settings and beautiful details; they are about the emotions, connections, and joy that fill the air. Throughout the day, I focused on capturing candid moments of laughter, tears of joy, and embraces. From getting ready to the couple's first dance and the heartfelt speeches these images tell the story of the love and happiness shared by all.

“With the opportunity to have both your wedding ceremony and reception at the Manor House, we pride ourselves in offering a personalised and bespoke service, working to the very highest of standards. We guarantee you will be the only wedding party at the Estate, enjoying our picturesque grounds and charming views.

Couples also benefit from the services of a dedicated wedding host, who will assist in the coordination and delivery of your wedding celebration. Your wedding host will assist in offering supplier recommendations, from florists, photographers and entertainment options.

Our food and drink is locally sourced by our in house kitchen team. Able to accommodate any special requests, we offer a complimentary food and wine tasting ahead of your celebrations.”

— Quotehttps://www.salomons-estate.com/weddings/

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With the sun shining brightly overhead, the couple and their loved ones gather in Salomons beautiful terrace gardens. The gentle breeze cooled us down a little as they exchanged their vows beneath a beautifully adorned arch. Each embrace and smile is captured, immortalising the cherished connections formed on this special day.

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As a wedding photographer, my goal is to immortalise the essence of your special day through beautiful, creative, and timeless photos and portraits. I believe that every couple deserves to have their love story documented in a way that reflects their unique style and personality. With an artistic eye and a passion for storytelling, I strive to create images that will be cherished for generations to come.

In addition to seeing the candid moments, I love to incorporate artistic composition and creative techniques into my work. I use various elements such as lighting, framing, and perspectives to create visually stunning images that evoke a sense of beauty and intrigue. From unique angles to creative use of natural light and the surroundings, I strive to add an artistic touch to your wedding photos and portraits.

While trends come and go, timeless photography never goes out of style. I aim to create images that will stand the test of time, allowing you to relive your special day with the same emotions and excitement years down the line. By focusing on classic poses, elegant details, and a clean editing style, I ensure that your photos will remain timeless and cherished for years to come.

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One of the most anticipated and memorable moments of any wedding celebration are the speeches.

The speeches are an opportunity for loved ones to express their love, admiration, and well wishes for the newlyweds. As a wedding photographer, I understand the significance of these speeches and aim to capture the essence of these heartfelt moments through my lens, always looking for the emotion & storytelling aspect of wedding photography.

The first dance is a romantic and intimate moment where the couple becomes lost in each other's arms, surrounded by the love of their guests. I discreetly document the tenderness and emotion displayed as they sway together.

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If you're looking for a wedding photographer, contact me to discuss my availability and lets chat about how I can help make your wedding special.

Wishing you a beautiful and unforgettable wedding day filled with love and laughter!

Watch their photo-film below - 4 minutes 46 seconds.

Photographer - Matt Rock

Venue - Salomons website

Dress - Dress Dreams

Suits - Moss Bros & Studio Suits

Flowers - Miranda Jayre Andrews

Hair - Bridal Hair By Kerrie

Make up - Avril Jarrett

The Darenth Wedding Photographer - Matt Rock

The Darenth, Shoreham

Kent Wedding at The Darenth

Rebecca & Xavier during their portraits

“Thank you SO much. All our family and friends said how much they loved you!
These are AMAZING thankyou so much, you do such fantastic work!
You have made our week!”

— Mr & Mrs Tinto; Bride & Groom

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Photo-film - Press play and turn up the volume - 3 minutes 45 seconds

Rebecca & Xavier received there complimentary wedding photo-film as part of my SPECIAL OFFER to our NHS & Emergency Services staff - See this offer HERE

A beautiful September wedding photographed last year at The Darenth, Shoreham.

This was a beautiful day in September, the weather was great and after meeting them at the venue for their complimentary wedding pre-shoot (part of my Emergency Services special offer) a few weeks before I knew straight away they were a lovely couple - Being a wedding photographer is even better when you work with friendly, happy couples.

My day started as it often does, by heading over to their home to meet Rebecca & her bridesmaids as they were getting ready for the big day.

Bridal prep is a good place to start your wedding photos and I love capturing everyones excitement, nerves and anticipation for what the day will have in store for us all.

Rebecca & Xavier found me via The Darenth in Shoreham; and booked me back in January 2021 - I’m lucky that Kerry & Jason who run The Darenth recommend me to their couples; which means I work there a lot and it’s a perfect place to tie the knot with many options to have your ceremony indoors or out on the lawn.

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After the ceremony they had a chance to chat with all their friends and family and have some celebration bubbles before going outside. This is a good opportunity for some group photos; which I feel is a small but very important part of the day.

I shoot in a documentary style throughout the day and I candidly capture the moments that happen at a wedding by observing what happens without getting in the way. However I believe it is important to have a small amount of group portraits made of your closest family and friends. I love to get these where ever possible before the wedding breakfast.

There was even a bit of time for Xavier to see the wedding car on the way…

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As soon as we were back inside, the wedding breakfast was ready to begin and the food was served. This means only one thing.

The speeches were not far behind.

Followed closely by the party and first dance.

Whilst everyone is having fun and eating their meal I am still busy saving and backing up all the images i’ve made up to that point before getting to work again after the meal to capture the wedding party and first dance - we can’t be too careful with these precious images and by the time I go to bed they will have been backed up 4 times in 4 separate places.

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If you would like to book your Award Winning Wedding Photography contact me HERE for more information

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Award Winning Photography: Matt Rock - @mattrockprophoto

Venue: The Darenth - @weddingvenuekent

Location: Shoreham, Kent

Videographer: @mooncastfilms

DJ: @devotedeventsuk

Other blogs featuring The Darenth

• Emma & Luke 2020

• Lucy & Peter’s wedding 2019

• Being a recommended Kent wedding photographer

• How to choose your wedding photographer

• The Beauty and power of one image

Make sure you follow me on social media - below - to see some more up to date content

BEAUTIFUL - CREATIVE - TIMELESS

Tudor Barn Wedding Photographer - Matt Rock

Wedding Photography at The Tudor Barn, Eltham, London.

“The Last remaining Tudor Barn in London”

— https://www.tudorbarneltham.com

Getting Married In a Pandemic

2020 was a year of cancelations and postponements and I was booked in to shoot a few weddings at this wonderful venue in 2020. Becky & Paul booked me to photograph their wedding a month or so before as they were originally due to be married in another country.

This was one of those surprise late booking wedding assignments…. I was recommended by a couple of different clients who’s weddings I photographed in the past and it was great to catch up with some familiar faces. Getting recommendations is a great confidence boost to any photographer - it shows that clients do really appreciate what you do. What I didn’t know until I arrived at The Tudor Barn was that two of the groom’s brother-in-laws were old friends of mine from senior school, over 30 years ago… It got even more weird when one of those friends is married to my sons teacher!

There is a lot of pressure on me at a wedding day because you only have one chance to get it right.

Everyone who runs their own business knows that reputation is VERY important and it doesn’t matter about how good you were for the last wedding. You will only be judged by the wedding you are working on that day for that couple.

So, I was recommended, which adds to the pressure, then you know two old friends are there watching you work and then you realise that your sons teacher is there too (the sister of Paul, the groom) So to say I felt a bit more pressure at this one was an understatement. Add to that the fact it was only my third and last wedding of the year due to COVID-19 meant (and I don’t mind saying this) I was a bit out of practice too.

Photographing the bride, her friends and her family getting ready is a fun part of the day and is important to capture. It is a time where I try to blend in and just be one of them. Observing the conversations, nerves, excitement and the amazing multi tasking that goes on too. I do love the candid fly on the wall nature of the images it’s possible to make at this time.

It was now time for me to leave Becky to finish getting ready and join the Groom for some photos of him and the other guests before the bride arrives for the ceremony.

I have found over the last 14 years or so that EVERY wedding is different but most of them follow a similar structure and timeline. So until this point the wedding day felt quite normal - as normal as it’s been up to 2020 at least. But the new 2020 COVID wedding format was going to appear again as soon as I arrived at The Tudor Barn for the ceremony and celebrations - A smaller than normal guest list and a bit less freedom to roam and of course Face masks…

With the ceremony over it was time for the Bride and Groom to say hi to their guests and then go outside for some more photos. Some candid photos, groups, couple portraits and most couples like to have some confetti thrown over them too.

Then it was onto the speeches - where I always find out some embarrassing info on the groom!

I do love to photograph weddings and this one was great to be apart of too. I am looking forward to what 2021 brings and I hope we can get a little more normality back in the wedding industry soon. Seeing old friends and past clients was a bonus too!

Music Photo-Film below:

Thanks for reading and as we look to March / April and the summer of 2021, let us hope it will be a bit more ‘back to normal’ and weddings can once again be a regular occurrence in our diaries.

Suppliers:

Ceremony: The Tudor Barn, Eltham, London

Dress: Together Forever Brides Crayford, Kent

Suits: Reiss

Rings: RPS Jeweller Hatton Garden

Flowers: Highflying Balloons & Flowers Welling, Kent

Need help deciding on your wedding photographer? See my BLOG below for some more inspiration.

““pandemic noun
plural pandemics
Definition of pandemic
1 : an outbreak of a disease that occurs over a wide geographic area (such as multiple countries or continents) and typically affects a significant proportion of the population : a pandemic outbreak of a disease
a global pandemic
Influenza pandemics seem to strike every few decades and to kill by the million—at least 1m in 1968; perhaps 100m in the “Spanish” flu of 1918-19.
— The Economist””

— — https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pandemic

English Castle - Lympne Castle Wedding Photographer - Kent - UK

As a Kent wedding photographer I was lucky to be asked if I would be part of Lympne Castle as a recommended photographer. I’m proud to be part of this wonderful Kent wedding venue. From a photographers perspective there are so many opportunities to photograph a wedding here. Candidly capturing those otherwise unseen moments between you and your guests. It really is a pleasure to work here as a photographer. Aimee and the team will look after you from start to finish.

Are you part of our NHS or Emergency Services? Special Offer - see more information here

Lympne Castle, Kent, UK

English Castle Weddings

Aimee - 01303 261666 / 01303 267571
aimee@lympnecastle.com

Lympne Castle has been providing hospitality to nobles since the 12th century and Situated in the beautiful village of Lympne, Kent.

This Medieval castle should be considered for your Kent wedding. It’s somewhere that I’m very comfortable working at. There are so many great photo opportunities and lots of space for you to explore. Plus if the weather is not on your side the light coming into the dark panelled rooms works so well for the candid, natural images I like to make.

• Press PLAY below to see a short photo film to music - turn the sound up too.

From the first time you walk down the drive to the castle entrance you get the feel of being in another time in British history.

If you prefer a Church service there is a beautiful one next door to Lympne Castle

• Another Beautiful Photo Film below - PLAY & turn the music up…

If the weather is on your side the courtyard and gardens are a great place to have a glass of fizz whilst chatting to your guests and enjoying the views that many wedding venues can only dream of. Aimee & the team will always be there to help.

For the bride who wants to keep it all in one place; getting ready, wedding ceremony, champagne reception, wedding breakfast and the party, this could be perfect.

For your bridal preparations, do you use the cottages or the castle? The choice is yours…

These rooms are perfect for those natural, candid photos that you will look back on whilst you show your children and grandchildren.

Lympne Castle has lots of space and could cater for those large weddings but just as easily for the smaller ones too.

• You REALLY should consider this Medieval castle for your wedding

Since lockdown started on 23rd March 2020 - COVID-19 - has been disrupting our industry and we may be seeing more & more smaller weddings in the future. I can imagine a more intimate wedding at Lympne Castle would be just as beautiful and really bring together the most important people in your life along with a cosy fire place and maybe a wedding singalong or two. I have photographed many weddings at Lympne Castle and I can’t wait to get back there once we have all settled down to some kind of normal again and the wedding industry is back on track.

I personally feel this beautiful, old English Castle in Kent, UK has so much character and will bring the wow factor to your wedding. I have so much fun working here and you will not regret adding this to your list of wedding venues. Contact Aimee to make your appointment.

• Hit the PLAY button to see this photo film below - turn the sound up too.

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Kent Wedding Photographer - The beauty & power of one image

Are you part of our NHS or Emergency Services? Special Offer - see more information here

I made this wedding portrait a few years ago. 1st August 2015 to be precise.

It is a beautiful yet simple image of the Grooms Nan looking up at her grandson on his wedding day. It’s an image that can not easily be recreated or posed. It’s a powerful candid image that started out as a standard group photo.

This one image has had more than a dozen people in tears in front of me when viewing it at wedding shows.

(I have a very large framed print of it)

It’s normally the mother of the ‘groom to be’. Not because they know the lady in the photograph but because they see their own mother in the image and wish that she could be at her sons wedding.

Images can be powerful for all sorts of reasons. Some beautiful and some not so beautiful. But when you can see & feel the emotion in a photograph it can be a magical thing.

When I made this image, there were others too of course that were very similar. I’d call them a series of images which led to this one standing out as ‘the one’ for me to use.

Here are some of the other images that lead to this beautiful moment…

Although I consider myself a candid, documentary wedding photographer, (which is why I believe I was able to see this happening and then record the image) and I do still shoot group photos. As the first image shows, they are an important part of the day and who knew that I would get the result I did if I hadn’t started with this image below.

So, it started off as a typical group photo of the bride & Groom with his Nan and just evolved from there. I had stopped talking long before i’d stop shooting.

And this is the last in the series that I made.

I think that there is a kind of cheekiness to this lady and a look of pure delight and love on her face and I believe she approved of her grandson getting married that day!

Below are some other candid photographs that make me smile from this wedding back in August, 2015…