S & E's Beautifully Stylish Wedding at Island Hall
Island Hall has a way of making a wedding day feel like it belongs in a different century, in the best possible way. S & E’s day had all of it: a bedroom full of nervous laughter, a walk down a staircase that has seen two hundred years of family history, vows under a tree older than the house itself, and a marquee lit up on an island reached only by a footbridge. Island Hall is one of the venues I come back to again and again, it’s featured on my guide to the Top Five Wedding Venues in Cambridgeshire, alongside the rest of my favourite Cambridgeshire wedding venues. Here’s how the day unfolded.
Getting Ready In The House
S got ready with her bridal party in one of Island Hall’s bedrooms upstairs, a quiet, light-filled room that made for some of my favourite images of the whole day. When it was time, she made her way down the house’s ornate central staircase, the kind of architectural moment you can’t manufacture on a blank canvas venue.
Vows Under The Great Oak
S & E were married outside on the lawn, in front of family and friends, under the great oak tree that anchors the whole garden. Island Hall itself stood behind them as a backdrop, real light, real reactions, and a setting that needs no dressing up.
Over The Bridge To The Island
After the ceremony, drinks flowed on the lawn while the light softened. Then the whole party made the walk over the footbridge onto the island itself, where a marquee had been set up for the reception, private, self-contained, and genuinely unlike anywhere else I shoot. There’s something about crossing water to get to your own reception that changes the mood of a day.
A Stylish Reception On The Island
The flowers throughout the marquee were by Feather and Ferns, soft, seasonal, and completely in keeping with the setting, and the food came from Little Piggy Catering. Both know this venue well, and it showed.
Portraits Through The Grounds
My favourite part of most weddings, and this one was no different: twenty minutes alone with S & E, walking through the grounds while everyone else had a drink. No posing, no lists, just following the light and letting them be a couple rather than a bride and groom for a bit.
On The Day
- Venue: Island Hall
- Flowers: Feather and Ferns
- Catering: Little Piggy Catering
- Photography: Juan Muiño Wedding Photography
Getting Married At Island Hall?
If you’re planning a wedding at Island Hall, or a venue like it, I’d love to hear from you. Take a look at my wedding photography packages to see how it works.
Chippenham Park Wedding: Jacquie & Rhys
Every time I pull through the gates at Chippenham Park I get the same lift, it's one of my favourite venues to shoot. Jacquie and Rhys's wedding is one of the days that reminds me why.
A Relaxed Start
Jacquie's prep was held in the Chippenham Park Bridal Suite, one of the most beautiful rooms I've photographed in, spacious, elegantly decorated, and easy to work with as the light moved through the morning.
A Judgement Call
The weather wasn't going to behave. Becky, Chippenham Park's wedding coordinator, made the call to move the ceremony indoors, into one of the venue's stunning rooms. Jacquie and Rhys said their vows to the sound of a summer rain storm outside, and it passed within the hour, that's Chippenham's weather for you.
Onto The Grounds
Guests spilled out onto the grounds around the marquee once the rain cleared, and with permission from the team, we made our way to the bridge for a few more portraits.
"I got to witness the best first dance I'd shot in years. Jacquie and Rhys had been practising, and it showed, they spun around that dancefloor like they'd been on Strictly."
Staying To The End
Because I stay through to the end of the celebrations, I also got to photograph family and friends dancing the night away, a little less polished than the first dance, but just as much fun.
A Perfect Day
Everything about this wedding worked, the decor, the running of the day (thank you, Becky), and most of all Jacquie and Rhys themselves, who didn't stop smiling. A huge thank you to them for their patience through "just one more" shot, and to Becky, Hugo and Becca and the whole team at Chippenham Park, who always make me feel welcome. Evening film by David Grace at DG Pictures.
Getting Married at Chippenham Park?
See the full guide to photographing your day, ceremony options, timing, and what happens if it rains, or browse more real Chippenham Park weddings.
Chippenham Park Wedding Photography The Chippenham Park Guide
St John's College Wedding
Pekka & Muriel
Pekka and Muriel married at St John’s College, Cambridge, in a small, intimate wedding, exactly how they wanted it. Bridal prep at Muriel’s home was relaxed and quiet, filled with classical music, as she and her small bridal team got ready for the day.
When Muriel walked down the aisle at St John’s College Chapel, the whole room fell silent. She looked elegant and completely at ease, and it’s one of those moments where you could feel the entire chapel hold its breath.
The Ceremony
From my position I watched Pekka’s face as he saw Muriel enter the chapel, pure pride. Their wedding was exactly what they’d planned: small, intimate and genuinely perfect.
The Grounds at St John’s College
St John’s College is one of those rare Cambridge colleges that manages to be genuinely impressive and relaxed at the same time. Surrounded by iconic views, Pekka and Muriel’s guests wandered the grounds and took in the best of Cambridge.
Drinks were served on the main lawn with the Bridge of Sighs in the background, and the wedding party gathered in the college’s beautiful cloisters.
The Reception at La Pergola
From the college, the wedding party moved to one of Muriel and Pekka’s favourite family restaurants, La Pergola in Cambridge, where the Italian family-run restaurant welcomed the guests with real Italian hospitality.
I shoot weddings with 300 or more guests, and I shoot small, intimate ones like this. Both are packed with just as much emotion, and I think smaller weddings like Pekka and Muriel’s will only become more common.
A huge thank you to Pekka and Muriel for letting me be part of their day, and to St John’s College for their genuinely welcoming approach to wedding photographers, and to every guest who let me grab just one more shot.
Planning a Cambridge College Wedding?
If you’re planning a wedding at a Cambridge college, read our guide to photographing a Cambridge college wedding for what to expect, from chapel ceremonies to college grounds and formal photography restrictions. To see more of my approach to relaxed, documentary wedding photography, visit our wedding photography portfolio.
About Juan
I’m Juan Muiño, a wedding photographer based in and around Cambridgeshire, UK, shooting throughout the UK as well as destination weddings. I’ve been a photographer all my life, and alongside weddings I run a portrait studio and shoot headshots for actors, performers and presenters.