A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of shooting Tahnee and Ken’s beautiful wedding at the Four Seasons Hotel on Park Lane. As you would expect from one of London’s top hotels it exudes style and luxury, and the abundance of black marble and deep red fabrics throughout the hotel make for some very photogenic backdrops. With its oriental painted screens and red earthenware you’d think the hotel had been designed around Tahnee’s very colour scheme.
I just loved the reflective quality of the marble which set off beautifully Tahnee’s fabulous red Michaelangelo shoes and her bouquet of red roses and white lilies from the talented Anita at Brompton Floral Designs, and the ornate chandeliers hanging from the high ceilings which made the most striking hanging rail for Tahnee’s stunning Sincerity gown supplied by London Bride. You’ll notice from the images I was just a little bit taken with one particular hallway – I could have shot the whole wedding there if I had the opportunity, but that would have meant missing out on the splendour of all the other amazing areas to shoot in the hotel.
One of my favourite places was the Amaranto Bar with its wall of fine wines which I thought would make a perfect post-ceremony resting spot for the couple to celebrate their newlywed status. The barman, seeing what we were aiming to achieve with the photos dashed over with a couple of glasses of champagne, sourcing only their finest crystal flutes. Now that’s what I call service…only he forgot to bring a 3rd glass but I’ll let him off on this occasion!
Another of the hotel’s beautiful rooms is the Pine Room where the couple held their Chinese Wedding Tea Ceremony, a sacred ritual whereby the bride is formally introduced to the groom’s family, presenting them with a sweet tea symbolising sweetness in the new union, in exchange for jewellery and lucky red envelopes containing money. The ornate pine used to decorate this decadent looking room was reclaimed from the interior of the town house which previously stood on the site where the hotel was built, and I love the cloudy sky painted on the ceiling giving the room a playful, contemporary charm which you can see as Ken and Tahnee emerge from the Oak Room after their white wedding ceremony.
After a quick receiving line we headed up to the 10th Floor to take in the amazing view afforded from the private lounge . Courtesy of the good old British weather the London skyline was shrouded in a heavy blanket of cloud so the view wasn’t quite at its best, but its still a little haven of tranquility up there and Ken and Tahnee got to steal a few moments together on the white leather sofa before they headed back down to enjoy the champagne reception with their eagerly waiting friends and family.
A massive thanks to Tracey Hosey, my fabulous photographer friend, who was my trusted second shooter for the day and delivered some cracking images many of which you’ll see here, and to the events manager Helen Aspinall and all the staff at the Four Seasons Hotel who treated us like guests rather than suppliers. What a truly wonderful experience in a chic and unique venue.
