Georgian Townhouse Wedding Photographer photo of a bride and groom at the Plantation Gardens, Norwich

The Georgian Townhouse Wedding Photographer // Lesley & John

The Perfect Intimate Norwich Wedding Venue

It’s always a treat to be asked to be The Georgian Townhouse Wedding Photographer for the day. A popular intimate Norwich wedding venue that has a lovely private room and serves delicious food. Lesley, the beautiful bride featured in this blog post, decorated the space beautifully as you can see further down the blog. One of my favourite things about a wedding at the Georgian Townhouse is actually what’s 10 minutes walk down the road – the Plantation Gardens. An absolutely stunning Victorian garden that is perfect for a few photos of just the bride and groom.

bride and groom at plantation gardens norwich

South African Lesley and Brummie John are a super kind and gentle couple who wanted an intimate wedding with their nearest and dearest. Lesley, her daughter and bridesmaids got ready at their home before heading to St Peter’s church in Cringleford for the ceremony. I instantly warmed to the vicar who said I could take photos from wherever I wanted. He told me how he vowed to be as helpful as possible to photographers when becoming a vicar after hearing lots of stories in his former job at Jessops from photographers about strict rules imposed on them in churches!

Following on from a lovely ceremony I headed to the Plantation Gardens on Earlham Road to meet Lesley and John for a few photos. It started raining as soon as we go there but fortunately that didn’t put them off. The clouds shortly cleared and we had a really nice time taking a break from the party and walking around the beautiful gardens taking some photos. Back at The Georgian Townhouse we rejoined their guests, had a delicious meal, enjoyed some very funny speeches and a surprise, touching rendition from musical John to Lesley. There were tears. The evening ended with an impromptu jam session lead by John’s brothers in the other room before an early finish. Lesley and John had to be up early the following morning to get for their honeymoon flight!

I’ll let Lesley tell you more about their special day amongst some of my favorite images from their day…

cute cockerpoo dog ready for the wedding bridal preparation at home gorgeous wedding dress sibling hugs

How did you guys meet?

We met on an online dating website. John’s profile immediately stood out for me, and we bonded initially over chit chat about learning to play the guitar. For our first date, John did the hour-long drive to Norwich, where we walked around the Norwich Cathedral followed by a lovely dinner.

walking down the aisle church ceremony exchanging of rings

Tell me a bit about yourselves

John was born in Birmingham and had lived and worked in Ipswich doing Aviation Insurance for 17 years when we first met. I was born in South Africa and came over to the UK to Norwich after I finished my studies at vet school, and have lived here for 20 years.

bride and groom walking back down the aisle candid wedding photography happy photo of son hugging new step mum confetti funny photo of confetti going places it shouldn't

How did the proposal go down?

After just a few dates, we both realised that we had something special. I insisted on waiting at least a year before getting engaged. So John waited till our 1 year anniversary of having first met to propose to me on bended knee beside a bench outside the Norwich Cathedral with “Portuguese Love Theme” playing on his phone! I was blown away!

big group shot of whole wedding party
vintage wedding car
arriving at the plantation gardens
The Plantation Garden Norwich Wedding Photographer

How did you choose your wedding venue?

We wanted an easy, intimate venue with a romantic atmosphere that took care of everything for us. The Georgian Townhouse stood out during my internet searches and when we went to have a look it just felt right. We felt very well looked after right from the start; the setup, service and catering was superb: all that we had hoped for. The magical Plantation Gardens just across the road also had a huge part to play in our decision: it was the ideal setting for wedding photos: a hidden secret Victorian garden in the middle of the city.

walking around the gardens with white umbrella
beautiful bride and groom looking at each other - natural relaxed photo

What sort of experience did you want your guests to have?

We wanted our guests to feel like they had escaped the rat-race of everyday life to come and be part of an intimate, special day to celebrate our joy of becoming united as one. We longed for them to feel that warm fuzzy feeling that we felt! We wanted them to be spoiled with delicious food and drink and excellent service. Most of all, we wanted all our guests to relax and have fun and laugh a lot!

Gorgeous wedding dress
Wedding photo at the greenhouse
Walking to the Georgian Townhouse

Can you describe some of the details and stylings, did your wedding have a theme?

John happily left the styling of our wedding to me, and I joyfully accepted, immersing myself in every intricate detail: I absolutely LOVED it! The styling was feminine, floral, romantic and organic, and the colours were teal and gold with shades of white. There was Gypsophilia and fairy lights everywhere! Hessian string, lace doilies and a polaroid camera (for the guests take selfies and stick in a guest book) also made an appearance!

Georgian Townhouse Wedding Photographer shot of the beautiful tables
decoations
laughing guest
documentary wedding photos of the guests

What was your best decision during the wedding planning?

John’s family were very much involved in the music at the church and at the venue, my brother’s mum-in-law did the church flowers, and I enjoyed designing and making the stationery, cake and fudge favours. Having family involved and doing things ourselves not only put a personal stamp on our wedding but also saved money!

groom's speech
clapping
laughter and kisss

What was the hardest decision?

Most decisions came so easily, as if they were meant to be, but if I had to choose one it would be whether to have my hair up or down!

bubble blowing and catching black and white fun photo
cutting the wedding cake at The Georgian Townhouse
boy dressed as a bridesmaid
The Georgian Townhouse garden for group shots
kids being kids

What were your favourite memories of the day?

The moment after the vicar pronounced us man and wife and the cheer we got from our guests.

Having our wedding pics taken by the lovely Winston in the Plantation Garden: it had been showering and then the sun came out. The sunshine streamed down on all the beautiful flowers: the colours were so vivid and we were both on such an emotional high, and Winston made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera.

During John’s speech he sang the most beautiful song to me, to the music of Elton John’s ‘Your song’, everyone loved it!

first dance with live music
smiling bride

What advice would you have for any couples planning their wedding?

Don’t spend too much time trying to decide between all the many choices out there: just go with what feels right in your heart. Also, book a great wedding photographer: I couldn’t have imagined anyone better than Winston!

guests dancing and having fun
brother on the keyboard
The Georgian Townhouse wedding reception final dance

Superstar wedding suppliers who helped make this wedding amazing:

Venue: The Georgian Townhouse
Couple shoot location: Plantation Gardens
Dress: WED2B
Makeup artist: Isabelle Page
Hair: Angela Perkins at The Pavilion
Floristry: Pick-a-Lily

I’m a Norwich Wedding Photographer who travels all over the country and beyond capturing beautiful weddings. If you’d like a Georgian Townhouse Wedding Photographer, or a wedding photographer for anywhere in the UK or further afield, please do get in touch!

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