Rosie & Jack’s Ivy Lodge Wedding

Rosie and Jack’s wedding was my first wedding at Ivy Lodge as the lead photographer. Although it was far from my first time photographing at this beautiful Cotswolds venue. I’d previously been to Ivy Lodge several times as a second photographer. So I already knew just how much potential it had for relaxed documentary moments mixed with more editorial wedding photography.

Ivy Lodge only opened last year, but it has quickly skyrocketed into becoming a firm favourite amongst Cotswolds couples! And it’s very easy to see why.

Rosie actually found me through a personal recommendation from her sister, which is always such a lovely way to book a wedding. There’s an extra level of trust when someone comes to me having already heard about their experience from someone they know, and Rosie and Jack’s day was exactly the kind of relaxed, stylish wedding I love photographing.

An Indoor Ceremony Followed by Drinks in the Sunshine

Rosie and Jack held their ceremony inside Ivy Lodge, surrounded by their closest friends and family. Afterwards, everyone headed outside for one of my favourite parts of any wedding day: confetti.

From there, the celebrations flowed naturally into an outdoor drinks reception. This is always one of the best opportunities for documentary photographs. Guests greeting each other, champagne in hand, conversations happening everywhere and the newlyweds finally getting a chance to enjoy the fact that they’re actually married.

We also used this part of the day for Rosie and Jack’s couple portraits and group photographs before everyone headed back inside for the wedding breakfast.

One thing I particularly love about photographing an Ivy Lodge wedding is having the option to move between the interiors and surrounding outdoor spaces throughout the day. It creates variety in the gallery without needing to disappear for huge amounts of time for photographs.

Editorial Wedding Photography at Ivy Lodge

Alongside all the natural moments happening throughout the day, Rosie wanted her wedding photography to have an editorial edge.

For some of their portraits and group photographs, I brought in my signature daylight flash style. Using direct flash even while there is plenty of natural light gives photographs that slightly elevated, fashion-editorial finish. While still keeping the colours and atmosphere of the wedding day.

It’s a style I particularly love for modern Cotswolds weddings. It creates that polished magazine feeling without needing the photographs themselves to feel overly posed or serious.

The result was a gallery that moved between completely candid moments and stronger editorial portraits. Rather than forcing Rosie and Jack to choose between the two.

Rosie & Jack’s Ivy Lodge Wedding on 35mm Film

Rosie also chose to add 35mm film photography to her wedding coverage.

Film brings something completely different to a wedding gallery. There’s a softness, grain and nostalgia to 35mm that digital photography can’t perfectly replicate. And I love weaving those frames throughout the story of a wedding rather than treating film as a separate photoshoot.

For Rosie and Jack, I photographed a mixture of portraits and little moments from throughout the day on film, giving them photographs that already feel slightly nostalgic — the kind that could have been discovered in an old family album years later.

Combining digital, daylight flash and 35mm meant we could create several different visual textures while keeping the overall gallery cohesive.

Looking for an Ivy Lodge Wedding Photographer?

Having photographed at the venue several times and now having photographed my first full wedding there as the lead photographer, I can safely say Ivy Lodge has become one of the Cotswolds venues I’m always excited to return to.

My approach as an Ivy Lodge wedding photographer is predominantly documentary, allowing the majority of the day to unfold naturally, combined with editorial portraiture, daylight flash and optional 35mm film photography.

I want couples to spend their wedding actually enjoying it — not disappearing for hours for photographs — while still coming away with a gallery that feels considered, stylish and editorial.

If you’re planning an Ivy Lodge wedding and are looking for relaxed, natural photography with an editorial finish, I’d love to hear what you’re planning.

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