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

Darenth Valley Wedding Photography - Emma & Luke 2020

The Darenth Wedding Photographer

Recommended Wedding Photographer

Emma & Luke booked me for their wedding back in March 2019 and were meant to be married in June 2020 at The Darenth, a lovely wedding venue in Shoreham, Sevenoaks, Kent. This venue has changed so much over the last 4 years and it should be a venue you look at too. One of the great features at The Darenth is that you have the option to get married inside or outside.

So with the date set it was all go go go and looking forward to the wedding… Then 2020 happened! Being the year it is, over 95% of weddings were postponed to later in the year or into 2021. Emma & Luke wanted to move the date back to August 2020 and of course I still wanted to be involved and lucky enough I had the date available too.

We managed to get the new date booked in a couple of months later for August and they had a lovely outside wedding planned. Lots of couples book a pre-shoot to get used to the camera before the big day but due to COVID-19 and lockdown, we didn’t have many dates free for theirs so we met just a couple of days before the wedding for some photos and then it was wedding time soon after.

Pre-shoot at The Darenth

Planning a wedding can be one of the most stressful times for some of us; making sure all the people you love are there, the dress is perfect, the venue knows what you want, the groom arrives sober and the best man doesn’t ruin the day with the worst speech in history! Alongside that there are all the other little details that need to be planned, booked and paid for. Then add a little virus into the mix - COVID-19 - and it can take on a whole new level of stress.

But Emma & Luke seemed to be so relaxed and calm about it and the day went perfectly. Ok, it wasn’t exactly how they planned it to be but they got their outdoor wedding they wanted and all their close family and friends were there to celebrate with them too.

As with most weddings I shoot, coverage starts with the Bride getting ready. I love to blend in & capture these images of the excitement and sometimes chaos.

Watch their Photo-film below - just hit the PLAY button

As I said, I love starting the day shooting bride preparations. It’s a time that is full of expectations, nerves and excitement. I can really get the natural photos that I like to get which tell the story of the day. It also gives me the chance, if time allows, to get some beautiful portraits of the bride too.

As Emma came out of the house it started to rain very lightly - This was not a good start as she was all set for an outside ceremony at The Darenth and we were all a bit concerned about it getting worse...

However, by the time we’d arrived at The Darenth the rain had stopped and it was back to the original plan of having an outside ceremony - although it was very windy - terrible for my hair!

But I don’t think Luke the groom was too worried.

After a few reception drinks & the cake was cut, we were off out for some portraits & group photos. Then onto the Kings Arms, Shoreham for some food and more drinks. We took the short walk, just down the road & over the beautiful bridge.

The Darenth is situated near to the lovely little village of Shoreham, Sevenoaks. About a 5 - 10 minutes walk away and a great place to go for some couple portraits after your ceremony.

With all that has happened in 2020 with COVID, this wedding still went ahead and it was a great wedding day. Although it was a bit different to a wedding in a normal year, due to you know what but the wedding was a big success and from an outsiders point of view it went very very well and everyone seemed to love being there to celebrate it with Emma & Luke - I know I did! Yes it was different but every wedding I have ever photographed since 2006 has been different.

The one thing I try to do with every wedding is tell a story of the day and this wedding will be one of only a very small number of weddings that took place in 2020 (this was my first 2020 wedding & I’ve photographed just 3 up to this point - November 2020) and that will be the story these two lovely people will tell their grandchildren many years from now…

“What year did you get married Nan?”

“Let me tell you about COVID 2020…. “

The Darenth - Contact the team:

Station Road, Shoreham, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN14 7SA

info@thedarenth.com - 01959 522944 - www.thedarenth.com

DARENTH VALLEY PHOTO-FILMS - BELOW - PRESS PLAY & TURN UP THE VOLUME

SUPPLIERS:

Venue: The Darenth

Pub: The Kings Arms, Church St, Shoreham, Sevenoaks TN14 7SJ

Flowers: Mr Flower Ltd - https://mrflower.co.uk

Dress: Wed2b - https://www.wed2b.co.uk/bridal-shops/london/kent/wed2b-bromley

Rings: Beverbrooks - http://beaverbrooks.co.uk

Photographer: Matt Rock Photography

Other supplier information will be added as soon as possible.

The Darenth Wedding Photographer - Kent Wedding Photographer

Lucy & Peters’ wedding of December 2019 was my last wedding of 2019 held at The Darenth in Shoreham, Sevenoaks, Kent, UK.

This is one of the venues I am recommended at - The Darenth - I love to work here and know it well.

** See my NHS & Emergency Services special offer here **

• Watch Lucy & Peter’s photo film below - turn the volume up.

PLAY

Lucy & Peter arriving at The Darenth

This wedding feels like a long time ago now due to the lockdown we are currently experiencing.

Strange times!

Lucy’s wedding day started at Tabsfield B&B in Eynsford, Kent, where Lucy, all her bridesmaids and close family were getting ready for her big day. Tabsfield B&B is a great place to start your wedding celebrations. There are lots of rooms with lots of space and beautiful grounds to use and it was close to their Church in Otford and their reception venue - The Darenth.

Below are some of my favourite story telling photographs of them all getting ready.

More candid photographs below from some of my favourite images during the Church service

Documentary, Candid Wedding Photography

All the photographs above were made in a candid, documentary style, telling the story of the wedding day without influencing what they did or when they did it, just watching & anticipating what I thought would happen.

I don’t interfere with how a wedding looks - I try to capture the natural flow and beauty of the day - Nobody likes a bossy photographer!

After the ceremony there is a bit of time for a few group photos of the couples nearest & dearest - which aren’t candid but I do feel they are very important images of people to document during a wedding and should be made in a friendly, happy way to really bring out the personalities of the people in them - some confetti too of course - if allowed - always check with the venue first.

After the vows have been said and the confetti has been left for someone else to clean up we all traveled onto The Darenth for the reception drinks and evening party.

I don’t think the driver liked me or my joke. :)

Before the meal we went outside to shoot some beautiful couple portraits of the Lucy & Peter.

Making candid, documentary photos really makes me happy. But as an experienced portrait photographer I love to make some portraits too - fusing these two styles together in a way that really compliments the candid images. Although these portraits are directed by me I still try to make them as natural as possible and they will blend in perfectly with your wedding album.

Of course there are many couples who do not want to have their portraits made in this way and the whole day can be candid; which for me as an award winning documentary photographer is great too.

To be honest, as long as i’m making portraits I don’t mind if they are candid or directed… I just love photographing weddings and people.

Time for the wedding breakfast and time for me to stop making photos for a while… Well sometimes!

Chef above & waitress below both hard at work during food service

Photographing the speeches can be tricky but enjoyable. You have spent all day with the Best Man and the Father of the Bride and one thing that is always on their mind are their speeches. They can’t think about anything else sometimes which is really interesting and funny to watch.

I get to know a bit more about the couple too with some great stories that are told; positive words of advice, funny stories & some sad ones too.

P - A - R - T - Y…..

If you got to the end of this wedding blog - thanks for reading!

As a thank you for getting to the bottom, if you like and follow me on social media (see links below) book me to photograph your wedding and pass my information on to a friend or relative that you know who may need a wedding photographer too. I will make your very own music slideshow of your wedding as a complimentary gift - like the one of Lucy & Peter’s at the top of this BLOG post - with the code: LUCY&PETERBLOG-MRP - you can see the cost & value of my wedding work using the link HERE.

Fill in the form below inc. the offer code and I’ll look forward to speaking to you about your wedding soon.