Enjoy looking through my latest Kent Wedding photography blog

Matt Trott 7/14/21 Matt Trott 7/14/21

Secret Garden wedding photographer

Secret Garden wedding photographer - Learn more about the best places for photography at the Secret Garden in Ashford, Kent

Bride and groom standing in the archway of the secret garden wedding venue with a lightpainted circle at the secret garden

Secret Garden Wedding photography

Bhakti and Mehtan’s wedding was a series of firsts for me. It was the first wedding post numbers increasing to 30 post covid times, the first time a couple had their couple photos ahead of the ceremony and the first time a couple came back to their wedding once the guests had left to get some amazing night time photos with me. All together it created a unique experience that I certainly enjoyed and I hoped they did to.

candid moment of Bride and groom laughing at each other during their wedding day at the secret garden in ashford

The most relaxed day ever

This was my first wedding shoot at Secret garden and it was awesome, so relaxed and so much to explore here. There are lots and lots of places around the venue to give you vastly different photos - the manicured laws at the front, the treelined walkways, the indoor ceremony room, the courtyard - That arch!

The venue is really well run first and foremost and when you combine that with a couple that are relaxed about their day and their photography then you get a perfect recipe for a truly awesome wedding

The Details:

Both Bhakti and Mehtan got ready away from the secret garden at a beautiful rented house called the cowshed. Which was perfect for wedding prep with multiple rooms and a large living area to get ready in

Bride getting her hair done at the secret garden

Groom getting ready at the secret garden in ashford

Groom getting his tie and suit on whilst smiling at the secret garden kent

Bride having her hair and makeup applied at the secret garden in kent UK

Bride and groom sharing coffee ahead of getting ready for their wedding at the secret garden in ashford kent

Bride getting ready in her wedding dress at the secret garden

Bride and groom waiting before they head off to their ceremony at the secret garden in Kent

The secret garden wedding venue

There are lots of options for different photos at the venue - Below are some of my favourite spots to photograph there

Outdoor gazebo at the secret garden in ashford

Indoor ceremony room at the secret garden

The glasshouse wedding breakfast at the secret garden

PLace setting at the secret garden in Kent

Ceremony room at the secret garden in ashford

flower arch at the secret garden ashford

beautiful chair decoration at the secret garden wedding venue

First look:

Bhakti and Mehtan opted for a first look - this is where we have couple photos ahead of the ceremony and couples arriving. It is incredibly popular in the states and is slowly increasing in popularity here. It was the perfect opportunity for us to take a relaxed walk around the gardens and into the unspoilt rooms ahead of guests for some intimate portraits. As you will see later on as well it will also mean this lead to plenty of opportunities for candid photos with guests and of course more time with your guests

Ceremony

The ceremony room looked gorgeous and so did the couple - those grand chairs really work as well - beautiful room to consider if your outdoor ceremony cannot happen as planned

Groom waiting for the bride at the altar at the secret garden in Mersham

Bride and groom smiling during the ceremony room at the secret garden ashford

Bride and groom at the altar at the secret garden ashford

Bride and groom having a milkshake at the secret garden ashford

The confetti walk

Loved the fist bump during their confetti walk - that was awesome. I like to line people up either side, it means you get more photos, everyone gets a chance to throw confetti - it works really well.

Family photos

Lots of options for where to take family photos here, obviously outside in the gardens would be a perfect spot if weather allowed, otherwise the main dining room served us well, the light is fantastic in here and all i need to do is avoid me trying to have my reflection in the vast array of mirrors!

Guests

This blog was written in 2021 and the thing we will all remember the most is that time when we couldn’t mingle and meet friends and family. This was my first wedding with the guest limit raised and they were able to sit down together for a meal - and it was wonderful to see again. I loved taking these documentary photos on the day.

Groom laughing and holding flowers at the secret garden in ashford

Indian ceremony ritual at the secret garden in ashford

Wedding cake at the secret garden ashford

First dance

Bhakti and Mehtan’s first dance was a dream, we elected to go for indoors because of the weather and used the ceremony room. I normally set-up a few lights so i can create an atmosphere and then just document this moment in front of your friends and family

Secret garden: Amazing night time photos

Bhakti and Mehtan came back after all their guests had left to get some nightime photos here. We spent 30 minutes at all the best parts of the venue to get some gorgeous photos and allowing me to create unique images with all my various different lights

Bride and groom cuddling under the chandelier in the ceremony room

Bride and groom cuddling under the arch at the secret garden in ashford

See more of my portfolio

See my collections page

Flowers - Anemone blue florist
Make-up - Ambreen Makeup
Dress - Helena Fortley
Cake - The cake witch
Venue - The secret garden

Matt Trott 10/5/20 Matt Trott 10/5/20

Bradbourne House wedding photographer

Bradbourne House

Bradbourne House Wedding photography

Kelly and Liam’s wedding at Bradbourne house was a fantastic victory - a victory against the odds, with Covid -19 rearing it’s head they had already moved their wedding day twice but at last were fortunate to just beat the 30 to 15 guess limit - I know it may not seem like much but it really is at the moment - and their wedding was all the more intimate, romantic and quaint as a result of it.

candid moment of Bride and groom laughing at each other during their wedding day at bradbourne house

Kelly and Liam 1 - Covid 0

This was my first wedding shoot at Bradbourne House and it did not disappoint. It is a collection of wonderfully colourful rooms with gorgeous light and has a beautiful large set of grounds with small river and waterfall to offer some lovely photo opportunities.

I have shot many weddings in Kent and at many venues but this venue certainly has a fantastic vibe with each room offering something different.

The Details:

Kelly and Liam chose to dress Bradbourne House in a gorgeous set of colours that really complimented the colourful interior of each room - The flowers looked beautiful in the Ceremony room, delicately and gently hanging from the chairs and again dressing the wedding breakfast tables they really blended fantastically well. All the flowers were provided by coco and bloom.

Kelly’s dress was provided by Amore and fitted beautifully - It was elegant and had some fantastic detail - all accompanied by a gorgeous long veil - I love long veils as it offers a huge amount of creative options - Just see some of the couple photos down below.

Bradbourne house wedding photographer-1.jpg

Gorgeous ceiling in the committee room at bradbourne house

Upside down ceremony flowers during wedding ceremony at bradbourne house

Beautiful wedding cake at bradbourne house

The wedding preparation

Bradbourne House has two very large rooms which are just perfect for wedding preparations - Kelly had organised hair and make-up in different rooms, which worked so well. Lots of mirrors - for some awesome reflection options:

Hairspray during wedding prep at bradbourne house

mother of the bride putting hat on at bradbourne house

wedding dress being buttoned up at bradbourne house

bride in her wedding dress at bradbourne house

That first reveal

I always ask my brides if they want a first reveal to Mum/Dad/Sister - someone close to them - It often creates a wonderful moment of emotion and on this occasion it did not disappoint, mum/dad and baby boy created some beautiful emotional and funny moments.

emotional dad sees his daughter in wedding dress for first time

bride's son sees his mum in wedding dress for the first time

bride and son laughing at bradbourne house during wedding prep

Bradbourne House: ceremony

There was some absolutely beautiful moments during the ceremony - made all the more touching due to Connor who was amazing throughout. The bradbourne house indoor ceremony room was perfect on a cold windy day - the light is stunning and with the gorgeous ceiling and chandelier its a beautiful ceremony to get married in.

bride looking at groom at bradbourne house

bride and groom laughing at bradbourne house

bride and groom exchanging rings in the ceremony room at bradbourne house

cute paige boy at wedding at bradbourne house

bride groom and son cuddling at bradbourne house

Bradbourne House: The confetti walk

This was a gooood confetti walk - considering the guests were limited for this wedding, it’s amazing how many awesome confetti photos you can get when you arrange a confetti tunnel. This side of bradbourne house is more protected from the wind as well.

Confetti kent wedding at bradbourne house

Photowalk

This is my favourite part of the day - it’s often a chance to get away from the wedding day business for a short while and just relax a little, have fun and celebrate the fact that you are now married - and that’s what Kelly and Liam did - even though it was a cold and windy day, just look at those smiles.

See more of my portfolio

See my collections page

Flowers - https://www.cocoandbloom.co.uk/
Make-up (Instagram) - MUA_emmajane
Dress - www.amorebrides.co.uk
Video - https://www.katietulip.com/

More on bradbourne house:

Bradbourne House is a kent luxury exclusive use venue located in the village of East Malling, you are taking instantly by the huge grounds and the drive up to the manor house

Bradbourne house offers so beautifully unique painted rooms - unlike many other wedding venues - teal and gold walls in the Great Hall to the spectacular ornate ceiling in the ceremony room.

Surrounded by 20 acres of beautiful parkland and an abundance of history. This Tudor Grade 1 listed building holds its original character with elegant interiors, a tranquil lake, waterfall and thriving grounds. A blend of tranquillity and classic elegance.

Matt Trott 4/15/20 Matt Trott 4/15/20

The old Kent Barn wedding photographer

The old kent barn wedding photographer - “From the word go Matt listened to our vision for our day, the style we wanted and the natural shots we hoped to capture- and that he did.

Award winning kent wedding photographer at the Old kent barn

Old Kent Barn wedding photography

Ah, weddings…. I remember them, everyone is happy, everyone is having fun - seems a long way away at the minute in the midst of this whole pandemic - anyhoo, a fantastic time to reflect on my last wedding of 2020 at the old kent barn and it was a cracker.

Matt and charlotte 1 - 0 Storm Dennis

Matt and Charlotte had a fantastic vision for their wedding day - it was truly and honestly a fantastically fun wedding - in fact i have never delivered so many photos in a single gallery which just goes to demonstrate how much fun it was.

Storm Dennis was a factor - but in a no way a hindrance as we worked extra hard to execute charlottes vision of trying to get her some outdoor photos in amongst the rain and winds - up steps mr Trott with his direct line to god to give us just ten minutes of rain free weather - which he (or she - i havent got the foggiest) kindly delivered just after the ceremony.

The day started with bridal prep with some fantastic opportunities in the large dressing area at the old kent barn for some eye-watering photos - hair and make up provided by the amazing Jade sayer and Kirsty Smith

The old kent barn wedding venue - matt Trott Photography

Mother of the bride having hair done at old kent barn wedding venue

Wedding dress hanging at the Old kent barn venue

Bride and Bridesmaids laughing at the old Kent Barn in Robes

Reflection moment between mum and daughter at the Old kent barn

Make up being applied to the bride at the Old Kent barn

bridesmaids laughing with bride during bridal prep

Bride looking in the mirror at her make up

Make up on bride in the dressing room at the Old kent Barn

Hairspray being applied to bride during bridal prep

Bride putting her wedding dress on for the first time

That first reveal:

I always ask my couples if they would like a first reveal to dad/mum or someone special - and this one did not disappoint - such a beautiful moment and you can just see the emotion in the photo. My favourite is where you can see charlottes reflection in front of her bridesmaids as well as everyone’s reactions.

Dad seeing daughter all dressed up in her wedding dress at the Old kent Barn

First reveal to Dad of wedding dress at the old kent barn

Emotional dad sees his daughter for the first time at the old kent barn

Bride and dad embrace after seeing her for the first time in her wedding dress

The old Kent Barn venue

The Barn looked absolutely stunning - honestly such a gorgeous venue here with so many opportunities for photographs. Not only that but the staff were heads above any other venue i have worked at - if you are thinking of booking or have booked at the The Old Kent Barn you will not be disappointed - the organisation was simply out of this world

The gazebo at the Old Kent Barn wedding venue

The Sign for the old kent barn wedding venue

Entracce placard at the old kent barn venue in Dover

Table top flowers at the old kent barn wedding venue

Wedding breakfast room ready for guests at the Old Kent Barn

Large light letters at the Old Kent Barn

Beautiful chandeliers hanging at the old kent barn

The Ceremony

Firstly I doth my cap to the venue staff who had to get Charlotte from the preparation area to the main barn - this photo tells the whole story about the care and attention they pay to ensure Charlotte could get to the barn without being troubled by that terribly rude storm.

Staff at the Old Kent Barn holding umbrellas to try and keep the bride dry

The ceremony was a real tear jerker - how Matt you held it together i don’t know, I was a wreck on my wedding day.

Groom arriving in Citroen CV wedding car

Groom and mum hugging at the old kent barn

Bride sees the weather for the first time at the Old kent barn

Bride and dad laughing as they get in their wedding car at the old kent barn

Bride arriving in the rain at the Old kent barn

Groom and best man waiting for the bride to arrive at the old kent barn

Bride hugging guests at the Old Kent Barn

Groom waiting for bride to walk down the aisle at the old kent barn

Emotional groom waiting for bride to walk down the aisle at the old kent barn

Bride and dad walking down the aisle at the old kent barn

Groom sees bride for the first time at the old kent barn

Groom and bride kiss at the old kent barn

Bride smiling at the groom at their ceremony at the old kent barn

Mother of the bride laughing at ceremony

Bride and groom kissing at the old kent barn

Introducing Mr and Mrs Harris:

Yes…. we got ten minutes of rain free opportunity (not wind - but there are some tricks to minimise that) - I asked if the guys still wanted some outdoor photos and was met with a resounding yes - challenge accepted - screw you Dennis we are going to create some magic!

Bride and groom walking outside at the old kent barn

Bride and groom in the wind at the old kent barn

Bride and groom laughing at the old kent barn

Bride and groom laughing in the bad weather at the old kent barn

Beautiful picture of bride and groom at the old kent barn

Groom kissing bride on the cheek over the pond at the old kent barn

Bride and groom embracing at the pond at the old kent barn

Bride and groom walking through the flower tunnel at the old kent barn

Bride and groom laughing in the pavilion at the old kent barn

Bride and groom nose to nose at the old kent barn

Classic wedding photo at the old kent barn

Bride and groom walking at the old kent barn

fantastic wedding photo from the old kent barn

bride and groom cuddling at the old kent barn

unique image taken at a wedding at the old kent barn

Bride and groom family photos at the old kent barn

Bring on the food, speeches and an amazing magician:

Post the family photos, it was time for the wedding breakfast - Matt and Charlotte paid for a magician to entertain guests at this point and he was so so good - have a look at some of the reactions below to his tricks:

Guests chatting to the groom at the old kent barn

Friend hugging the bride at the old kent barn

Wedding party striking a pose at the old kent barn

bride and bridesmaids photos at the old kent barn

Guest laughing during wedding breakfast at the old kent barn

Guest making funny face into his wine at the old kent barn wedding venue

Magician showing a magic trick at the old kent barn

Bride laughing during magic trick at the old kent barn

Bride and groom laughing during speeches

guest laughing during speeches at the old kent barn

emotional guest during speeches at the old kent barn

Emotional video during speeches at the old kent barn

Bride and groom cutting cake at the old kent barn

Let the dancing commence:

The first dance was beautiful, with Charlotte and her Dad breaking into a fantastically choreographed ditty straight after - so many smiles! Then it was time for people to bust some serious TikTok worthy moves on the dance floor - good job guys:

Bride and groom first dance at the old kent barn

Bride and groom embracing at the old kent barn

Groom lifting bride during the first dance at the old kent barn

Bride hugging groom at the old kent barn

Bride and father dancing at the old kent barn

Wedding party hugging on the dance floor at the old kent barn

Guests kissing grandad at the old kent barn

Bride dancing with best man at the old kent barn

Honestly well done guys on such a fabulous wedding - I had such a good time and so did your guests. It was a pleasure meeting you both and all your fantastic friends and family. Enjoy the photos and I hope you have many many years of enjoyment from them.

Matt

If you want to see more of my work then follow the buttons below to my portfolio or pricing pages

View my portfolio

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From Matt and Charlotte:

“From the word go Matt listened to our vision for our day, the style we wanted and the natural shots we hoped to capture- and that he did.
The whole process was so smooth and easy and Matt was helpful every step of the way, from choosing images on Pinterest to show our preferred style to on the day, being in all the right places at all the right times.
Even when Storm Dennis hit, Matt knew just what to do and got us the outdoor pictures we so desperately wanted as a couple.
We were thrilled with everything and can’t thank Matt enough. And if that wasn’t enough, we certainly didn’t expect a slideshow of highlights when opening our gallery for the first time - such a special touch.
Matt then surprised us again by sending us a personalized memory stick and a selection of our favourite shots printed that we’ve now framed for our home.
Everyone has said how amazing our photos are and how well they capture the day and we couldn’t agree more.”

Suppliers on the day:

Venue: https://www.theoldkentbarn.co.uk/
Flowers: http://www.distinctlyfloral.co.uk/
Make up: https://www.facebook.com/JadeSayerMUA/
Hair: https://www.facebook.com/HairbykirstySmith49/
Cake: https://www.facebook.com/BonBonCakes2/
Video: https://www.visualline.co.uk/

Matt Trott 3/7/20 Matt Trott 3/7/20

Don't worry about wedding day weather

Jo had her heart set on those beautiful fading sun golden hour photos you get just before sunset. So we had planned this in for the right time, but when that time came their little baby (just four months old) was struggling, he wanted cuddles and feeding and by the time he was settled the sun had dipped below the horizon.

For each wedding I always bring along all my equipment and said (imagine me in a superhero stance!) “don’t worry I will recreate it”.

Let me introduce Harry and Jo and let you in on a bit of a secret. That’s not actually the sun!

Whaaaaatttt (i couldn’t work out how to add gif’s to a blog post so that’s the best i can do!

Let me Explain

Before each wedding I plan some of my shots. I ask my clients to create mood boards and fill out a questionnaire so I can really get to learn what they love about photos and how they want their wedding photos to make them feel. Jo had her heart set on those beautiful fading sun golden hour photos you get just before sunset.

So we had planned this in for the right time, but when that time came their little baby (just four months old) was struggling, he wanted cuddles and feeding and by the time he was settled the sun had dipped below the horizon.

Jo was so heartbroken

For each wedding I always bring along all my equipment and said (imagine me in a superhero stance!) “don’t worry I will recreate it”. So I set up a flash, i added a warm gel to the front of the flash and added a sphere to diffuse the light. That was all placed behind the couple and I got down low and started shooting. As i was shooting and checking the exposure I could see how gorgeous they were looking. If someone else took this - i wouldn’t have a clue it wasn’t the real sun.

So never worry about the weather or if things don’t quite go to plan - as long as you have a photographer who can deal with any situation then you can still get the photos you dreamed about.