Keren and James’s wedding took place at Old Down Manor, just up the road from my base in Thornbury, Bristol.

It’s an impressive venue with spectacular views over the Severn estuary and with the unusual feature of having a country park attached to it as part of the estate. All sorts of animals, big and small, commonplace and unusual live there for the public to come and visit. The presence of one type of animal in particular made it an especially suitable venue for Keren, as I will explain in a moment.

Preparations for both the bridal party and the groomsmen took place at Old Down, an arrangement I always enjoy. Not only does it give me the opportunity me to photograph both sets of preparations, but the close proximity of bride and groom also makes for a slightly more exciting atmosphere. They know they are only rooms apart but must not see each other until the ceremony.

As I like to do whenever possible, I took Keren and James off for a few minutes later in the day for some relaxed portrait photography in the grounds. This was where the aforementioned animal came into play. Keren absolutely adores sheep and James, being the obviously thoughtful and loving man that he is, had therefore arranged for Keren to meet one as a surprise. Keren’s reaction was priceless and James presumably felt he’d won some very early husband brownie points. Good work James.

I can confirm that to date, this is the only time a sheep has played a starring role in any wedding I’ve photographed.

The following images are a few of my favourites from the day……look out for the sheep!

Getting married at Old Down Manor? Please get in touch…..I’d love to speak to you about documenting your day.