fbpx

Millie & Sam 

Date – August 26th 2023

Venue – The Mill Barns, Shropshire

Notes – Summer wedding, energy, emotion and drones!

MILL BARNS WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER – SHROPHIRE WEDDING

As an experienced Mill Barns wedding photographer I am very familiar with this awesome venue! I first photograhed a wedding here back in 2018 and it’s been a firm favourite of mine ever since! In fact it’s been my most photographed venue the last three years running! Sometimes I have to pinch myself and rememeber how lucky I am to get to work at places like this week in week out! Enough of me waffling, let’s talk about Millie & Sam’s wedding! Now this was a very memorable day and one I’ll always look back on fondly! These two were incredible to work with and really brought the energy! I had the best time capturing their day! Being a Mill Barns wedding photographer that’s all I can ask for 🙂

BRIDAL PREP 

Wow, this is always an awesome part of the day! As a Mill Barns wedding photographer, I just love this venue for prep! Millie has such a magnetic personality and everyone just gravitates towards her! Her energy really was infecious and it was so easy for me to get great photos of her and the squad! When I walk into the room and the vibe is like this, I just know we’re going to have an amazing day! One thing I always try to do in the morning is get all the squad together! So often you will be all spread out over the room or rooms and while that’s ok, it’s nice to bring you all together a few times! The morning just flies by and I think it’s important to capture the true essence of it!

Being a very experienced Mill Barns wedding photographer, this venue is like my second home! In recent years I have done 10 or more weddings a year here! I feel very blessed and grateful, I get to work here so often. It really is amazing!

GROOM PREP 

Now onto Sam and the lads! Groom prep is never as long or as delicate as bridal prep, as the boys don’t really take long and usually don’t have to have hair and makeup! More often than not, it’s shirts and ties, a few drinks and they’re on thier ready to go!

With that in mind, I had to think on my feet and get some great candids of them while Millie and the girls were having her hair & makeup done! I asked Sam if he would be up for doing the getting ready photos in the space outside the bridal suite. It’s so well lit and really does offer the opportiunity for all the groomsmen and fmaily etc to be in one place! Knowing this amazing venue like the back of my hand, really does help me in these situations!

Safe to say, I got some great shots of the lads! As usual I also got Sam his ‘Hero shot’ which is a must at every wedding, I never leave you out fellas! To top it off we got some fab walking shots on the iconic Mill Barns bridge too!

THE CEREMONY – FROM A MILL BARNS WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER 

As someone who’s been a Mill Barns wedding photogrpaher since 2018, I’ve seen this room dressed in so many ways! It honestly never ceases to blow me away, it truly is stunning! The light, the gorgeous timber beams and the large bay windows, it’s the stuff dreams are made of!  

So it was time, the guests were seated and Sam was nervously waiting at the top of the aisle for his bride! The atmosphere was palpable and I had a sneaky feeling there might be a few tears! I am happy to report, there were many happy tears! The second Sam locked eyes with Millie, he went! Now for me as a Mill Barns wedding photographer this is pure gold! It’s what I hope will happen at every wedding, these are the moments I LIVE for!

As you can imagine from what I’ve already told you about these two, the ceremony was amazing! The emotion, the laughter, it really did have it all!

THE CELEBRATIONS AT THE MILL BARNS WEDDING VENUE

With the awesome ceremony now come to an end, it was time for the party to really start and boy did it start! What an amazing group of people Millie & Sam had invited to thier wedding, these lot knew how to have fun! It’s at this time right after the ceremony, I love to let the moments unfold naturally! For me this isn’t a time I like to interfere much, the groups pics and couples stuff can happen later! This is the time for YOU and your guests to share those special moments!

During this time I will just blend in, becoming invisible so you can just enjoy every second and really be yoursevles! Being a Mill Barns wedding photographer, I am totally spoilt for choice for locations to get great candid photos! There’s so much space and the outdoor terrace is available even if we have rain! I am happy to report Millie & Sam’s wedding stayed dry, so we were able to really take advantge of everything the Mill Barns has to offer!

THE PORTRAITS AS A MILL BARNS WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

The party was in full swing and with all the candids and family photos done, it was time to get these two love birds out for photos! For every wedding I do, I tend to try and time this first photo session with when guests are starting to make their way into the wedding breakfast! Firsty so you guys have some privacy and secondly so there’s not hundreds of people in the background of your photos! It does look a lot better, trust me on this one! Unless you want people in the background? That’s totally fine too 🙂

Before we started the couples shoot, I had a quick chat with Millie & Sam and had a quick glance over their mood board, which just gives me a refresher of what they like! Most of my couples give me free reign here, but I am all about tayloring something unique to you!

Millie & Sam were keen on some drone photos too, so we did that as well, which looked amazing! As a Mill Barns wedding photographer, I know the grounds well and the best places to get some great pics! It was a dream to photograph these two, their connection was so obvious and they smashed all the poses I gave them!

THE SPEECHES AT THE MILL BARNS

Now onto arguably one of my favourite times of a wedding day, the speeches! This is when the real emotion comes out and not forgetting lots of laughter usually! It’s a time where I need to bring my A game, so I don’t miss a moment! Things happen very fast and are so fleeting, blink and you’ll miss it! I knew with this group of people it was going to be good and it did not dissapoint! Make sure to look through the photos to see for yourself! 

Being a Mill Barns wedding photographer, timing is everything during the speeches! Not only that but I am trying my best to blend in still as I don’t want to be blocking guests views etc! The Mill Barns boasts such a gorgeous wedding breakfast room, which has all the space you’ll ever need and allows me to work seamlessly! 

THINGS I WON’T FORGET FROM THIS MILL BARNS WEDDING

With a wedding like Millie & Sam’s there were so many standout moments, but here’s a few things that really stuck out to me! First up we have the connection between Millie & her girls, honestly it was amazing to see and to photograph! The Morning was such a laugh and they gave me so many awesome moments to capture!

Secondly Millie & Sam themselves, these two were just amazing! The connection in front of the camera too, it really was special and it’s why they eneded up with so many great pics! Be yourself and don’t take things too seriously is the best advice I can give you ahead of your wedding as it reasults in the best pics!

Finally, I loved the drone shot we got! It was my first time attempting this photo as a Mill Barns wedding photographer, so I was over the moon when it worked out!

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Millie and Sam for allowing me to be a part of their big day! Another huge thank you to all the wonderful staff at The Mill Barns, who really are always amzing and it feels like I am part of the family, love it!

FEELING THE LOVE

If you are looking for a laid-back, photojournalist style for your wedding photography, I might just be the photographer for you. 

Wedding Photography

Capturing moments, documenting dreams.

Birmingham based, UK, and international wedding photographer.

About     Stories     Contact     Privacy

© Philip James Photography 2024