Anna & Pete

Village Hall Wedding in Warwickshire

St Paul’s church Leamington Spa &

Dorothea Mitchell Hall, Claverdon

Village Hall weddings have an atmosphere to them very different from more obvious ‘wedding venues’.  There’s less focus on having everything planned to perfection and more attention given to quality time with friends and family.  Village Hall weddings are not for everyone as there’s so much work that has to be done beforehand and the experience is very much ‘hands on’, but with everyone pitching in to help they can be absolutely marvellous to attend – and to photograph.   Such was the fantastic wedding of Anna and Pete, last August.

Anna and Pete came to us after seeing our photos from a previous wedding at the Dorothea Mitchell Hall in Claverdon, Warwickshire from some years back –  and something about our work clicked with them immediately.  They didn’t want lots of posed photos and wanted the photographs to reflect the kind of day that planned, which was to be a mixture of the church which was such a big part of their lives and the relaxed, informal surroundings of the village hall.    They planned quite a large wedding with 120 guests and spread across several locations – so the ability to be flexible and adaptable as the day progressed was also important.  Having a relaxed and informal wedding can take a lot of planning! :-)

Wedding ceremony at St Paul’s Church in Leamington Spa

We’ve photographed weddings in Leamington many times over the years but this was our first visit to St Paul’s, situated on Leicester Street.  It’s a beautiful Grade-II listed Victorian building with large communal areas away from the main nave.  St Paul’s is an evangelical church run with passion and energy and the 2-hour ceremony was a delight to photograph and followed by tea and cake for everyone.

After everyone left the church, we took Anna and Pete for a short photo shoot on Kenilworth Common – a beautiful woodland park which is close to where they live.  After the busy-ness of the church it was nice for them to get away alone (and with us!) for a short time before moving onto the reception.

Wedding reception at Dorothea Mitchell Hall, Claverdon

The Dorothea Mitchell Hall is located in the leafy village of Claverdon in Warwickshire.  Built in the 1940’s this village hall is run as a charity and has plenty of parking, outside space and facilities for all kinds of events.  Like most village halls, the catering has to be hired in and Anna and Pete chose Crowhill Premier Pig Roast who provided a great, informal meal for everyone (including us!).  Evening entertainment was provided Anna’s brother!

Photographing a village hall wedding

Although the Dorothea Mitchell Hall doesn’t really have ‘grounds’ as-such, it does have good outdoor spaces and – as long as the weather behaves – it makes a really nice environment for an informal wedding.  It was particularly nice to arrive at the hall with everyone outside enjoying the sunshine, sipping summer drinks and playing garden games.  It’s just so relaxed!  When it comes to the couple, it’s all about making the the best of the immediate surroundings.  People don’t hire a village hall because of the immaculate grounds and endless photo opportunities – the priorities are not the same and we absolutely love this aspect.  All of the photos of Anna and Pete were done within a minute’s walk of the hall!

A beautiful day, a fantastic couple and crowd and lovely locations.  A really big thank you to Anna and Pete.  Enjoy the pictures…

Supplier links for this wedding at the end!