Ashdown House – Katie & Dan

Wedding photography at Ashdown House in Sussex

Ashdown House, a private co-ed prep school in the East Sussex countryside and Katie’s old school. She even worked as a teacher there for a period. Had she imagined then, that she would be back to get married on the lawn, in front of the school? I say married? Already were – the legal bit happened a few days before. The wedding day though was the way they wanted it – not formal, not too religious either – a celebration, with close family and friends – many from the USA.

Some wedding guests would think they’d missed the open-air ceremony….more on that later.

Coverage begins at their beautiful cottage – as the bridesmaids helped Katie into her elegant wedding dress. Then as a few drops of rain fell outside, a short wait for Dan to arrive and drive Katie to the school. Almost a ‘first look’ – as they often have across the pond. Now the rain came – nothing heavy, a drizzle mostly and it cleared in time for the ceremony on the lawn. Conducted by friends with plenty of humour (humor) and some emotional tears. A kiss, back down the aisle to party poppers and then to the middle terrace for drinks. There was lots of chair carrying duties for the Best man and his troops.

Speeches in the open air too. The usual suspects and, nice to see this becoming more common, the bride speaking too. As the guests filed down the hill to the tipis and dinner – a few quick pictures in the scant sunlight. Did the schoolchild Katie, those years ago, imagine that one day, she would be kissing her husband beside the trees she so liked to climb as a pupil? Suggestion to climb again – Dan not so keen.

After the meal and as the daylight faded away, so the band got started and the dancing began.

Here are a few images from their day at Ashdown House…

(Ashdown House School – never been before but had heard about it, as my wife was a matron there, in her gap year before University. But to follow a link to Ashdown further…. The day after the wedding I went on a quick family holiday in Pembrokeshire. It’s the lot of a wedding photographer, trying to snatch some time for family holidays in the summer. But on the Pembrokeshire coast, we ‘bumped into’ one of Ashdown’s famous alumni – the actor, Damien Lewis. For my wife, a Homeland fan, a big thrill. But I wonder if Damien Lewis remembers skimming stones with a small woman in an anorak in Pembrokeshire, as much as she does? 😉 )