It was a cold and frosty morning as I hoiked my heavy and somewhat overpacked camera bag into my car boot. With my coffee flask and habitual daily Pain au Chocolat in hand I huddled into the car with butterflies in my stomach. It was a somewhat momentous occasion – the camera was coming out after a 4 month hiatus. I actually couldn’t fathom that I hadn’t captured a wedding or event since October the previous year.
You see, that’s the way weddings work, they’re rarely spread out equally over the year. Instead; they’re often all crammed into a select few with barely a chance to breathe. And no, it’s not the same every year. No, that would be too easy. They’re always unpredictable in how they fall. One year I could have 7 weddings in October, the next it’s like I’ve never even had an October wedding in my 12 year career. Like some mythical wedding being in the sky is going ‘no no no, you don’t do winter weddings my dear’.
After 2 hours of driving down the M25 and M23, winding through country lanes and listening to podcasts on how to fuel and nurture your body (meanwhile proceeding to inhale said Pain au Chocolat) I arrived at the beautiful Leonardslee House & Gardens.
I drove in through the gardens, followed another little country lane and then took a left turn into the driveway of the beautiful West Sussex 19th century Italianate style house. The building glowed in that typical low winter sunlight – its backdrop the beautiful quintessential gardens.
After compiling myself, brushing down my croissant crumbs and checking for stray dog hairs on my blazer (something I’ve become very accustomed to with the dogs) I hopped out of the car to find the entrance. As I walked through the car park I found the main doorway. Adorning the doors were trails of crisp green foliage, broad columns and little branches waiting for Spring’s sun to bloom.
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