Bristol Registry Office Beese’s Tea Gardens Wedding Photography - James + Polly

When I first received the enquiry from Polly about the plans for her wedding, I was intrigued. We set up  call and had a chat about the plans for the day which included a wedding at the Grand Chamber at Bristol Council House, followed by a ride on the famous Bristol Packet along the River Avon to Bees’s Tea Gardens. The day sounded magical and we were booked!!

On the day, I arrived at the Bristol Harbour Hotel an hour and a half before the wedding where Polly and the bridesmaids were preparing for the wedding.  They were all ready, literally! Whilst the drinks were handed around I set up a couple of group photos just as her Dad arrived to have some pictures with his daughter.  I walked the two minutes to Old Bristol Council House ready for the wedding.

By positioning myself at the top of the staircase, I could photograph the guests as they arrived for ceremony before heading back outside to get Polly and her father walking along Corn Street from the Harbour Hotel back towards the Old Bristol Council House.

After the ceremony, the whole wedding party consisting of around 80 guests walked from Corn Street to the river and the Bristol Packet which was going to take us to Beese’s Tea Gardens about 45 minutes away.

With all the guests aboard, we set sail and gently travelled along the River Avon with the drinks flowing and the music playing to the onboard guests.  What a great way to travel!

On arrival at Beese’s, a second confetti shot took place as the couple set foot on land and this was followed up by a small selection of family photos and the wedding party. The guests were dotted around the venue in the glorious summers afternoon sunshine with music playing a Saxophonist playing in the background.

The speeches took place before the wedding breakfast which also involved an entertaining short film made by the groomsmen!  The guests made the most of the warm evening sunshine and returned to the outdoor seating and picnic benches with the live music continuing in the background. I took the couple away for a 5 minute photo session with the river as a background before they headed inside for the first dance. The Saxophonist joined everyone on the dance floor which is always a great moment to get the guests dancing!