Normanton Church Wedding Photographer

Photographing Weddings at Normanton Church

I absolutely love being a Normanton Church Wedding Photographer. The fact that I live down the road plays a small part… Normanton church, set on the shores of Rutland Water, is truly spectacular. It is absolutely steeped in history and holds over 100 weddings per year. It’s easy to see why it’s one of the most popular wedding venues in the area. Read on to find out why I love photographing weddings here. If you’re planning a Normanton Church wedding, or maybe you have already had one. Let me know in the comments!

To see lots of real weddings, from venues in and around Rutland, make sure you visit my blog page.

Normanton Church – Steeped in History

St Matthews Church is a grade II listed building located on the shore of Rutland Water. Normanton used to be a village. The church, built in the 14th century served as a parish church until the 1700s. At this time, a large part of the village was demolished to create an estate for the Heathcote Baronets. They used the church as a private chapel and mausoleum. In 1826 a portico was added, creating an eye-catching alcove.

In 1920, the Heathcote family relocated and the estate was divided up. The Nave and Chancel were replaced in 1964, but the church sat unused and unloved until the 1970s. At that point, the village of Normanton was to be flooded to make way for a reservoir. The church would have been partially submerged by the water, a public outcry led to it being saved. The church was de-consecrated and the bottom level filled with rubble and topped with concrete. It was connected to the shore via an embankment, and all of it was surrounded by boulders to create a breakwater.

The site was home to the ‘Normanton Church museum’, and is now located in the visitor centre . To this day it is used as a venue for civil weddings. This is where I come in as your Normanton Church wedding photographer.

Photographic Opportunities

The area around Normanton Church as a whole, is a buzzing centre for photographers. Whether it is nature, landscape or wedding photography. Many a times I see people on the shore with tripods and remote cable releases. Dragging the shutter speed to get those silky smooth waterscape images. I love to use the scenery to frame the images I take, making sure there’s foreground interest, leading lines, the rule of thirds. I, personally, like to use a wide angle lens to get a lot of the scene in my images. When the church looks as beautiful as it does then I want to make sure my memory card is full of the sharpest, best photos I can take. Taking care of the composition and delivering photographs for brides and grooms to treasure forever.

Beautiful Weddings | Normanton Wedding Photographer

Every wedding is special, so why should you choose to get married at Normanton Church? Well, firstly, it’s so unique and unlike any other venue I have worked at. It’s great to have the ceremony here, then a few group photos and a couples’ shoot in the grounds. This gives you the freedom to then go and have your arrival drinks, wedding breakfast, speeches, cake cutting, first dance and all that jazz in another local venue. (of which there are plenty to choose from!)

The wedding ceremonies I have covered here are always beautiful. The local registrars are very passionate about the venue, and clearly love to marry couples there. As the father of the bride or groom, walks down the aisle, you can see the pride on their face. The guests look on, and the partner waits at the top of the aisle to welcome their beloved. This is one of my favourite parts of a wedding. The anticipation and joy on all of the guests’ faces is such a beautiful moment to be a part of. Something I love to photograph.

A Stunning venue

After some vows, and possibly a reading or two, wedding rings are exchanged. This symbolises the never ending love between these two people. The couple will now proudly be announced as married, and will exit the church together. Confetti isn’t allowed at Normanton Church. But, I have known of many lovely couples to provide bubbles for the guests to blow instead. (it’s a good idea to get your bridesmaids, ushers or best man to hand these out in advance). The moment after the ceremony is finished is such a beautiful time. Everyone is congratulating you, you’ve just said “I do!”. This is a good opportunity to find a quiet area around the back of the church for me to take some natural, beautiful photographs of the two of you.