I would love to share some images and behind the scene shot of a styled fine art wedding photography shoot that took place in the winter days at Kingswood Arts, a new wedding venue opening at the trendy London area Dulwich. Kingswood Arts has been established as an arts hub and it is now broadening its reach to general public as an events venue.
Apart from the wedding venue, the couple and guests, weddings are incomplete without photographers, beautiful wedding dresses, flowers and gorgeous hair and makeup! Same is for a styled wedding photography shoot. We have arranged for beautiful flowers from Harley’s Flowers, dresses from Sandra’s Bridal, and hair & makeup artist Alyse Baker at our shoot to make the venue and our beautiful couple Richard & Beth picture perfect.
Fresh snow for the season fell on the day of the photography shoot – it didn’t affect the spirit of the participants but only created a more romantic vibe!
As Beth was getting ready, I scouted the venue for the best settings and lighting for photos. The venue s is sectioned into different rooms, each with its own merit for creating photo backdrops! The main hall is bright and airy, with walls painted in pastel green and highlighted with golden decorative details. The windows are draped with gold coloured curtains. The room generates a welcoming vibe in an elegant yet luxury setting. It is good enough for a Marie Antoinette inspired movie!
The attaching side hall has dark wooden panels lined walls, a Victorian fire place and subtle wall lights, slightly more low key but equally stylish. The patterned ceiling is an incredible feature of its own. I can see both rooms are well suited for wedding ceremonies and wedding receptions.
Then there is the entrance hall, dressed also in dark wooden panels on the wall and featured by a delicately carved wooden staircase, as well as a ceiling-to-wall window which helps lit up the room beautifully. The chic leather sofa was a nice addition, harmoniously in line with the room’s colour tone.
We were spoilt with choices for locations that worked well for photos, and worked through the rooms accordingly to capture the essence and feel of those rooms so we could show case the venue to perspective wedding couples. As a real life couple, Beth & Richard definitely fit well into the styled wedding settings! As we found it difficult to choose between Sonia’s beautiful wedding dresses, we ended up photographing the bride in two dresses – one has hand painted flowers on the silk dress, the other has a sumptuous amount of tulle layers (the latter definitely reminded me of my own wedding dress!).
In addition to the main venue rooms, I also found that the corridor between the main entrance and the first hall an interesting area to photograph in, as it was covered in lovely painted wall paper and another full length window that created some interesting contrast.
Despite the sub-zero weather, the groom and I managed to sneak outdoor for some groom portraits in the snow. The yellow stone façade of the Victorian house definitely lent a photogenic face to photographs! I couldn’t wait to take more pictures in the garden capturing the grand architecture in the warmer days.
If you are looking for a wedding venue in South London Dulwich area, it is definitely one to check out. It is also worth noting that Kingswood Arts is run for the community on a not-for-profit basis, so it is also a good karma wedding if you decide to hold your wedding there!
Are you looking for a fine art wedding photographer that can help capture the day in a natural yet stylish way? I would love to hear from you. I am a London based published and awarded photographer. My expertise would allow me to help capture your day in the unobstructed reportage manner, yet creating natural looking magazine worthy portraits. Please click here to connect with me, or here to find out more about my wedding photography.