Natalie and Ben's two day Sandon Hall wedding was emotional, romantic and full of incredible detailing and poignant moments. They chose to have their legal church ceremony on Friday evening in Ben's family church, followed by a beautiful manor house celebration at Sandon Hall on Saturday. Across the two days, their wedding brought together family tradition, elegant Sandon Hall styling, Zimbabwean details, singing waiters, a very special pregnancy announcement and natural style wedding photography that told the story of both celebrations.
Natalie and Ben's wedding was a beautiful example of how special a two day celebration can feel. They wanted the tradition and meaning of getting married in Ben's family church, where so many family events had already taken place, but they also dreamed of an elegant, grand wedding at a stately home wedding venue in Staffordshire.
By splitting the celebration across two days, they were able to have both. Their Friday evening church ceremony was intimate, emotional and full of family significance, while their Saturday celebration at Sandon Hall gave them the romantic manor house wedding they had imagined.
As a Staffordshire wedding photographer, I loved how much space this gave the story. Nothing felt rushed. There was time for the church ceremony to have its own meaning, and then time the next day for the Sandon Hall celebration to unfold with all the elegance, emotion and joy they had planned.
"We had two dream weddings! We wanted the tradition of getting married in Ben's family church where all family events have taken place and where his parents got married, but we still wanted the elaborate white wedding to be at a stately home like Sandon Hall!"
It was such a thoughtful decision, and it meant both parts of the wedding had space to be fully enjoyed. The church ceremony was not just a formality before another venue. It was a meaningful part of the story in its own right.
"Sandon Hall is just so picturesque. We loved the gardens the most and we knew that being outside, enjoying the space was what we wanted on our special day. A shame it was raining!
Sandon also had enough space inside for all of our guests and we loved how romantic it felt."
Even with rain, Sandon Hall is a beautiful wedding venue to photograph. The interiors have so much history, and the building itself gives couples a romantic setting even when the weather keeps parts of the day indoors.
Ben proposed at sunset in Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe, surrounded by Natalie's family.
"Ben went to university with my sister and we met at my sister's graduation. I had been told a lot about him and I was warned that I would find him hilarious.
When my dad had met him the year before, he went home to my mum and told her that he had found the one that I was going to marry. When I then actually met him, he ignored me, but I still knew straight away that I would marry him one day.
We started dating a year after this, and within a year we were engaged. Ben proposed in our favourite place in the world, Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe, at sunset, whilst we were looking at our favourite view.
My whole family were together, which was so important to me, and we got to soak up our engagement being in our favourite place."
"I needed to feel comfortable with my photographer because taking photos is my worst nightmare! I wanted to feel like I could be my awkward self in front of the camera.
We also really wanted our photographer to personalise our experience and make us feel so special on our day."
This is something I hear so often from couples. Most people do not want to feel like they are performing for the camera all day. My approach to wedding photography is calm, relaxed and gently guided, so couples can enjoy their wedding while still having beautiful, elegant photographs that feel natural to them.
Zimbabwe was a hugely important part of Natalie and Ben's story, and they wanted that connection to be woven into the wedding day.
"We wanted Zimbabwe to be an important part of the day, which is why we had beautiful Zimbabwean napkins as our favours for the guests.
Having proteas as a huge detail in stationery but also flowers was another Southern African touch, which made us feel closer to Zim and our Zimbabwean friends and family that weren't able to come across for the wedding."
The Friday evening ceremony had such a strong sense of family history. Ben's parents had married in the same church, and so many family events had taken place there over the years.
"Walking back up the aisle after we were legally married! It was also so lovely to see how much it meant to Ben's family that we did the ceremony in that church."
Those moments after a ceremony are always some of my favourites to photograph. The emotion shifts so quickly from nerves and anticipation to joy, relief and celebration.
The Saturday celebration at Sandon Hall brought a completely different kind of energy. It was elegant and romantic, but also full of fun, surprise and emotion.
"Getting ready with our groomsmen and bridesmaids was so special. Singing waiters during the meal was the best, best, best addition and I loved how surprised everyone was.
Announcing our pregnancy was probably top of the list."
That pregnancy announcement was such an emotional moment, and one of those memories that made the whole celebration feel even more personal. It was not just a wedding day. It was the start of a new chapter in so many ways.
Natalie and Ben chose an image from the confetti throw from their Sandon Hall wedding gallery as their favourite photograph from across the two days.
With a two day wedding, the gallery tells such a full story. There are quiet church ceremony moments, emotional family reactions, elegant Sandon Hall portraits, details, speeches, surprises and evening celebrations. Choosing one favourite from all of that is never easy.
As the photographer, I always find it so interesting to see which images a couple are drawn to most, compared with the ones that stand out to me. Of course, we are looking at the gallery from completely different places. For a couple, the photographs are full of personal memories and emotion. For me, I am often noticing pretty light and composition although above all else, I love the images that are bursting full of feeling.
Some of my favourite images from Natalie and Ben’s wedding day were the bridal portraits of Natalie in the bridal suite. Her timeline had been planned so well that she was ready in plenty of time, which meant we could take five or ten calm minutes to create some beautiful portraits before the day moved on.
She also read a letter from Ben and shared a wonderfully emotional moment with her dad, which brought so much feeling to this part of the morning. The light in the bridal suite at Sandon Hall is absolutely beautiful, and these images became some of my favourites from the whole day.
Natalie and Ben chose to include a wedding album, giving them a printed version of their two day celebration that they could hold, share and return to.
"It was really important to us to have a physical memory of our beautiful day and we love that we can show it off!
It is soooo nice that we can go back to it often and look through our favourite photos and also remember all the small details."
This is exactly why I love wedding albums. A gallery is wonderful, but an album turns your photographs into something you can sit with, revisit and share. For a two day wedding especially, it gives the story a proper beginning, middle and end.
Natalie and Ben's advice is perfect for any couple planning a Sandon Hall wedding, or wondering whether a two day wedding might be right for them.
"Have exactly what you are dreaming of! There is always a way!
Having a two day wedding gave us more chance to speak to guests and celebrate our love, but it gave us both of our dreams. It also meant we didn't have to rush between venues and we could really take advantage of the time we had at both the church and Sandon Hall.
At Sandon Hall, make use of as much space as possible because it is so beautiful. Also, everyone who works there is absolutely amazing and soak up all your time with them too."
It is such good advice. A two day wedding can give you breathing room, especially if you have meaningful traditions, family locations or different parts of the celebration that you do not want to squeeze into one timeline.
Sandon Hall is a beautiful Staffordshire wedding venue for couples who want a romantic manor house setting, elegant interiors and stunning grounds. Even when the weather changes the plan, there are so many lovely spaces for photographs, from the rooms inside the hall to the entrance, staircase, windows and sheltered areas around the venue.
As a Sandon Hall wedding photographer, I love photographing weddings that feel personal, relaxed and full of meaning. Whether you are planning a one day celebration at Sandon Hall or a two day wedding with a church ceremony first, the venue gives you so much space for a wedding story that feels elegant and completely your own.
If you are planning your own Sandon Hall wedding and would like natural, elegant Staffordshire wedding photography that captures the real feeling of your day, I would love to hear more about your plans.
Venue: @sandonhall
Videographer: @joefeltonvideography
Cake: @amybakerscakes
Wedding dress: @theweddingroomskidderminster
Suits: @dapperdansuithire
Entertainment: @zlpentertainment
String music: @fortunestringsuk
Flowers: @vanillainallseasons