Kent Wedding Photographer, Matt Rock Photography - my 2023 review

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I thought i’d share a little insight to some of my wedding work and reviews from 2023 with some of my favourite images… I might have to produce another, blog part two as I hadn’t expected to include so many and there are lots of weddings not featured.

Wedding at South Lodge Hotel Brighton Road, Horsham, RH13 6PS, and then onto The Cider Trap, Wobblegate Farm

Black & White photo of the Bride and Groom walking back to their wedding car
Matt is amazing!! Our pictures have completely blown us away!
Matt was so easy to work with, his communication was spot on and we felt completely safe in his hands!
On the day, Matt was great! He made us and our wedding guests feel so at ease, and as a result got some brilliant candid pictures that really captured the spirit of our day! Can’t recommend matt highly enough!
— Sarah & Martin 20.12.23
Colour photo of the Bridesmaid helping the Bride get ready in window light
The best man helping the Groom with his suit

Photographing weddings at this time of year is a real joy; with all the lights, cosy warm rooms and the anticipation of Christmas just around the corner. This was a standout wedding in 2023 for me because the groom was a friend who i’ve know for a few years and also a great videographer / film maker himself. The lovely family and friends that attended this wedding always helps make my job that much more fun!


Wedding at Lympne Castle, The St, Lympne, Hythe CT21 4LQ

Matt was one of the first people we contacted when planning our wedding and he was so helpful and friendly when we had issues with our venue. He was so easy to talk to about what we wanted, helping us decide what to book.

On the day he was really good at helping us get some really lovely shots- they show the whole day and everyone that was there so well! Loads of our guests have said how friendly he was- very happy with everything!
— Katherine & Neil 28th October 2023
Drone shot showing the front of Lympne Castle with Autumnal colours
Bride & Groom walking through the court yeard into the confetti
Drone shot of Lympne Castle and surrounding countryside
Colour photo of the Bride & Groom portrait outside the castle door with a puddle reflection
Colour photo of Bride & Groom walking up Lympne Castle driveway
Colour photo of the Bride & Groom at Lympne Castle entrance gate
The Bride & Broom's first dance
First Dance

Autumn is an amazing time of year for weddings and the outcome is beautiful photographs to cherish forever - simple as that. The colours are beautiful, the weather is unpredictable and Lympne Castle really shines at this time of year. I’ve been on the recommended list of photographers at Lympne Castle for a few years now and always love coming back. The Bride & Groom were very welcoming and their gust were fun to work with. Really loved this one!


Wedding at 0ne Warick Park Hotel, 1 Warwick Park, Tunbridge Wells TN2 5TA

Matt was great to have as our photographer - we love the candid approach! He was very easy to work with, he took all the pictures we wanted and was great at getting shots of friends & family, the pictures turned out great and we couldn’t be happier. We received loads of great quality pictures, and what’s more he’s fun to have around on the day!
— Maisie & Jonny - 5th August 2023
Bridesmaids looking at a hotel sign that says 'Hello Gorgeous'
Colour photo of the Bridesmaid opening the hotel room door to the usher
Bride having her makeup added
oroid photo being taken by a guest
Pile of poloroid photos on a table with wine glasses
Bride looking in the mirror laughing with her bridesmaid crying
Bride portrait, standing with her flowers looking out of the window
Black & White photo of the Bride in the window
Black & White photo of the Bride looking at her two bridesmaids
Bridesmaids fanning the brides armpits while bride waves her arms and flowers in the air
Bride walking to the ceremony in the hotel coridor
Bride in the lift pushing the 0 floor button
Groom waiting for his bride
Bride in tears as she walks down the aisle
Bride and groom during wedding ceremony
Bride & Groom walking
Bride & Groom confetti walk

Bride and Groom photo walk
Couple clinking wine glasses
Bride & Groom messing around
Bride & Groom eating their wedding donuts
Bride and Groom fun first dance

The sun doesn’t always shine in August and this was one of the only wet weddings I shot in 2023. Despite this, it was the perfect venue for a rainy day. There was no outside space to use apart from a public footpath but it was enough to get some great outdoor photos and we had a break in the rain until after we’d finished the groups. So it may have rained but it didn’t disturb or intrude on the photos and the fun. Some of the wedding were Scottish so lots of Kilts on show and half of the family were from France and they performed a family tradition after the first dance and it was fantastic atmosphere. Wonderful day!


Wedding at The Oak Barn, Frame Farm, Iden Green Rd, Benenden, Cranbrook TN17 4EZ

We couldn’t be happier with all the photos we had taken on our wedding day by Matt Matt made us feel so relaxed and we hardly knew he was there. Matt captured so many lovely memories from throughout the day and we love how the pictures tell the story of our special day so perfectly. We have had so many lovely comments from the photos Matt took.
Would highly recommend :)
Thank you
— Liza and Dexter - 7th July 2023
Bride and bridesmaids walking up the stairs to the venue
Brides flowers with pendant
Groom looking in the mirror combing hair
Groom looking nervous and ushers fixing his cufflinks
Groom portriat
Bride in mirror reflection brides mum helping with dress
Brides reveals her dress to her dad and bridesmaids
Bride having a drink
Groom and ushers
Bridesmaids walking to the ceremony
Bride walking with her dad to the ceremony
Groom waiting for his bride
Bride walking down the aisle with her dad
Bride and groom during their outdoor ceremony
Bride and groom laughing during the ceremony
Exchange of the rings
Bride & grooms first kiss
Bride signing the wedding certificate
Confetti
Confetti walk
Brdesmaids and ushers
Bride and groom walking in the sun
Bride and groom walking black and white
Bride & Groom portrait holding hands
Bride and Groom portrait laughing
Silhouette of the Bride and Groom
Bride and Groom first dance

Hot hot hot! Lovely wedding and we all survived the heat. I’m lucky to be a recommended supplier here at The Oak Barn, Frame Farm and have been for a couple of years. The first time I was lucky enough to shoot here I knew it was going to be a popular venue. The guest were all very friendly and the couple were welcoming and it felt like I spent the day with a group of friends. Always my favorite way to enjoy a wedding.


Matt was a dream on our big day. He was efficient, funny and a great part of our wedding day. He worked candidly for the majority of the day, which is what we wanted, but he still got those ‘posed’ shots that were important to us.
He also turned around our final photos a lot quicker than we expected and we are so happy with the result and the photo film too - which made me cry happy tears! We currently have over 200 photos favourited for printing, which just tells you how happy we are! Thank you again Matt.
— Kelly & Oliver - 16th June 2023
Drone shot of Salomons Estate
Confetti walk
Bride and Groom confetti walk
Bride and groom with bridesmaids
Black and White photo of the Bride and Groom and brides mum
Cheers!
Bride and portrait on the bridge
Bride and Groom walking downstairs
Bride and groom portrait
Bridal party with coloured smoke cannons
Smoke Cannons
Bride and Groom first dance

Another hot day at this wonderful wedding. A gorgeous couple and really friendly too. I felt so welcome with their friends and family which helps me enjoy the day far better and I’m lucky that I get lots of weddings who’s guests are friendly and welcoming. Another fun bunch of people, great venue and a very hot and sunny day. Oh and I almost forgot; this was the first wedding i’ve shot smoke cannons. For some reason they have passed me by until now.

If you decide to use these cannons at your wedding you must be very careful and I would recommend sticking to just the bridal party. They are fun and can make for some lovely colourful photos but proceed with caution….

If you made it this far - THANK YOU! - Hope you enjoyed seeing a little window into my 2023 weddings if you or a friend would like to chat more about your wedding get in touch below.

Tudor Barn Wedding Photographer - Matt Rock

Wedding Photography at The Tudor Barn, Eltham, London.

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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.

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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.

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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…

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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.

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

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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
Source: https://www.mattrockphotography.com