St Michaels Manor in St Albans is one of the most beautiful hotels in Hertfordshire and because of that has many weddings there which over the years I have been fortunate to photograph and to be one of their recommended photographers. The hotel is large enough to look after a large wedding party but also still feels intimate and exclusive. The grounds at St Michaels Manor again are large enough so that there are many different setting to provide lots of special photographs of the bride and groom but not too large that it takes you a lot of time getting around it. A bride and groom do not want to walk a long way for their “just the two of you” photographs as this would tire them out on an already long day so when the grounds of a venue are just the right size but also have lots of interesting spots it really is perfect for a wedding photographer. St Michaels Manor has great steps leading down to the grounds, a lake, a wooden jetty overlooking the lake, trees, benches, roses, a gazebo and rose archways – so lots of photo choices. The interior also has some great photo opportunities like the stairway, lounge and fireplace and the bar. Eva and Tim just wanted a photographer for a few hours as they were getting married in the week on a lovely sunny afternoon at St Michaels Manor. Eva wore a beautiful dusky pink dress with flowers to compliment it perfectly. They only wanted a small wedding in Hertfordshire as their large wedding was in Budapest (wish I could have gone there too!). Tim’s mother is not well so I wanted to photograph her with Tim early on in case she became tired. They had such lovely families and even though it was a small wedding it felt very special and St Michaels Manor did everything they could to make it that way. The ceremony room (The Oak Room) was decorated with flowers and the cake was absolutely fantastic. Here are some photographs from their afternoon:
