DB Photography

Helen & Simon - Hydro Hotel

I had never shot a wedding at the Hydro Hotel in Eastbourne before and its sheer size was the first thing to impress me. Theres always something fun about giant hotels. I love the fact that there is such a big space to explore and to find photo locations in. When you arrive at a venue your brain is on constant vigil, looking for places that might work for photos, as you make your way to the bride. The first thing that struck me was the large Art Deco style reception area, perfect for a wide angled image. Secondly the main staircase, lit up by the large windows, "definitely coming back here later" I thought.

We arrived at Helen's room, a two room suite with lots of natural light. Spot on! We were greeted by lots of happy, smiling ladies. All excited about what the day had in store, and how the weather had turned out, very sunny indeed! We began with photos of the flowers, dress and shoes, all of which I took near the window, taking advantage of all that natural light. One of Helen's bridesmaids was Sharyn, a lady whose wedding I would be photographing later on in the year. There was a lot of laughter and banter between these two, which made it very easy for us to capture some smiles.

After a while Steph went down to see Simon, who had just arrived with his best man. I stayed with Helen and her bridesmaids who were now opening presents! This is something I urge the bride to do whilst I am there. It makes for a lovely photo opportunity. Happy and sometimes emotional.

Once the ladies were all dressed and ready I took some shots of Helen in the room before we went down. Again utilising the light source. Then it was off to the wedding!

The ceremony room at The Hydro was very impressive. A large blue room, full of light. I was delighted and it really helped to create some standout images. The ceremony had lots of emotion. Theres something so great about a groom shedding a tear as his bride arrives, you certainly see the love in that moment. The ceremony continued to be full of emotion right the way through, it was lovely.

We all made our way back down through the hotel and out on the big croquet lawn for welcome drinks and more photos. A place that Helen had pointed out to me before as somewhere she would like some photos taken, was the spiral staircase on the outside of the building. I made sure to take the time to utilise this great feature and was delighted with the results. Another great feature was the swimming pool area, which was well worth a wander down and brought about some nice shots.

Helen & Simon - Hydro Hotel

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