Megan and Matt at Boconnion House

Journal

BOCONNION, BODMIN MOOR

Megan and Matt got married on Thursday 18th May 2023 at Boconnion, a beautiful country house wedding venue on the edge of Bodmin Moor in Cornwall. The sun was shining, everyone was in great spirits, and from the moment I arrived, it was clear this was going to be a wedding full of laughs. One of the things I love about Boconnion is that so much of the wedding party can stay on site. There’s loads of room in the main manor house, along with the surrounding farmhouses and outbuildings, so everyone can settle in and enjoy the whole experience together. And enjoy themselves they certainly did!

The day started in probably the funniest way possible, with all the lads heading straight for the outdoor swimming pool in the gardens. What started as a swim quickly turned into jumping, bombing and generally messing about in the water Then Matt’s groomsmen, who I’m pretty sure were all rugby players, decided to take things up a notch. They picked Matt up above their heads and launched him into the pool! I was in stitches photographing the whole thing. If this was how the day was starting, I knew we were in for a good one.

After spending a while laughing with the lads and capturing all the poolside antics, it was time to head up to the manor house to see Meg and the girls. There were plenty of lovely details to photograph, including Meg’s dress from Elaine Rawlings Bridal, shoes, jewellery and the rings. I hung her dress in a space where the natural light was pouring through the windows, creating these gorgeous golden beams across the fabric. Hair was being done by Rhian Rosen and makeup by Georgina Yates, both of whom are always lovely to work with. The atmosphere was relaxed, with everyone chatting away and getting ready for the day ahead.

The bridesmaids and Megan’s daughter, who was the little flower girl, were all wearing matching dressing gowns, which made for some lovely photos. Everyone was in high spirits, but there was a nice calmness about the room too. I then dashed back over to the lads to see how Matt and his groomsmen were getting on. Well, they certainly weren’t short of entertainment…

Matt was the only one wearing pants under his kilt, and not just any pants, tartan boxers, naturally. The rest of the lads stayed true to Scottish tradition and wore nothing underneath theirs. I managed to get some great photos of them outside before the guests arrived. There were also a few moments involving the groomsmen lifting their kilts and attempting the Full Monty, but those particular photos are probably best left off the blog. I’ll let you use your imagination!

Once I’d finished with the lads, I was back and forth between the guests arriving, the final touches of hair and makeup, and the children running around causing the usual wedding-day mayhem. When Meg was ready, we took a few portraits in the bridal suite. The window light in that room is absolutely beautiful, and it’s one of those spaces that makes photographing a bride really easy. The light does so much of the work for you. Another favourite spot of mine at Boconnion is the staircase in the main house. There’s some lovely light coming in from above, making it a great place to photograph a bride before she heads off to the ceremony.

Meg made her way down the stairs towards her mum and dad, who were waiting at the bottom to see her for the first time. One of the bridesmaids followed behind, holding the train of Meg’s dress and veil, and the light coming down over them was just perfect. It’s moments like these that make the quieter parts of a wedding day so special. A lot is going on, but sometimes all you need is a beautiful room, some lovely light and a few seconds to capture what’s happening.

The ceremony took place outside on the lawn at Boconnion, with blue skies overhead and green trees and grass all around us. May really can be a lovely time of year to get married in Cornwall, especially when the weather plays along like this. The bridesmaids and flower girls made their way down the aisle one by one before Meg arrived with her dad. Their daughter did a brilliant job of looking after the rings and bringing them over at just the right moment. It’s always lovely when children have a little role to play in a wedding, and she took hers in her stride.

The ceremony was led by Lisa from Celebrant in Cornwall, who was fantastic. She shared some funny stories about Meg and Matt, how they met and a few details about their relationship. It was personal, relaxed and full of laughter, which suited them perfectly. There were plenty of smiles throughout, and it was one of those ceremonies where you could really feel how much everyone was enjoying themselves.

After the ceremony, a string quartet played some beautiful music while everyone enjoyed drinks and soaked up the sunshine. Boconnion has so much space around the house and gardens that we could move everyone to a different spot for the confetti photos. We lined up the wedding party to create a confetti tunnel, with Meg and Matt’s daughter leading her parents forward with a basket of petals while everyone showered them with confetti. It worked brilliantly and made for some really lovely photos. Next up was the big group photo with everyone. To get the shot, I had to climb up onto a garden wall, which perhaps wasn’t the wisest decision, but it gave me the height I needed to fit everyone into the frame. Thankfully, it worked out really well!

With the formal photos out of the way, it was time for more drinks and some gorgeous canapés from Avo Catering Co, a sustainable Cornish catering company. The food was fantastic, and everyone was settling into the afternoon nicely. We then spent a bit of time capturing smaller family and friend groups, which quickly turned into another round of laughter.

Matt’s groomsmen decided to throw him into the air for a Superman-style photo. I knew they were going to give him a lift, but I wasn’t quite prepared for just how high they were going to launch him! Thankfully, he landed safely, and the resulting photos are hilarious. The bridesmaids and groomsmen were just as entertaining. There were silly group shots, the lads lifting Meg up, and then promptly dropping her on the lawn. Everyone was absolutely howling with laughter, and it was impossible not to join in. These are some of my favourite parts of a wedding to photograph. The posed photos are great, but it’s often the completely ridiculous moments in between that people end up looking back on for years.

Once we’d finished with the group photos, I whisked Meg and Matt away for a little time together and some portraits around the grounds. We started near the swimming pool and under the trees, where the light was lovely and soft. We then wandered up the lane towards the main road and back again, making the most of the dappled shade beneath the trees. The grounds at Boconnion offer plenty of different backdrops without having to go far, which is ideal when you want to give a couple a few different looks without disappearing from their guests for too long.

I also took a few photos on my film camera, which worked particularly well with all the greens of the trees and the bluebells that were out at that time of year. Film has a lovely way of capturing those colours, and I really liked how those images turned out.

It was then time for the wedding breakfast, so while Meg and Matt took their seats, I grabbed some photos of their rings, Meg’s bouquet and the incredible wedding cake by Polly Webb Cakes. The cake was a real work of art, very tall and skinny, and looking as though it was defying gravity! It was one of those cakes that you couldn’t help but stop and look at. After the meal came the speeches, and there were plenty of laughs, with a few proper tears thrown in too. When you’re photographing speeches and the whole room is roaring with laughter around you, it’s pretty hard not to start giggling yourself.

After the meal and speeches, everyone headed back out onto the lawn to enjoy cocktails in the late-afternoon sunshine. This gave me another chance to take Meg and Matt away for a few more portraits, this time in a different part of the garden where there’s a giant swing. They had a lot of fun pushing each other back and forth while I photographed Meg’s dress moving in the breeze. It was a lovely, relaxed way to spend a few minutes together, and the swing gave us something a little different from the usual couple portraits. There was also a beautiful wisteria tree on one side of the manor house, which made a stunning backdrop for a few more photos. Between the gardens, the trees and the gorgeous light, there was no shortage of places to photograph these two.

As the evening got underway, everyone moved into the main barn for the first dance and live music from the Blue Lion Band. If you’ve not come across them before, they’re a brilliant build-your-own band, with options ranging from a four-piece right up to a thirteen-piece ensemble. They brought a fantastic atmosphere to the evening, and the dance floor soon filled up. Meg and Matt’s first dance didn’t stay a two-person affair for long. Before we knew it, everyone was joining in, and the groomsmen were back to their usual antics, picking each other up and getting dangerously close to giving the room another glimpse of what was underneath those kilts! There was so much energy on the dance floor, and it made for some brilliant photos.

In between all the dancing, I took Meg and Matt outside for a quick breather and a few sunset portraits. We headed down into the field, where the sky was looking particularly good. I asked Matt to pick Meg up with the sunset behind them, and it worked brilliantly. The clouds in these photos were absolutely stunning, and the light gave the images a completely different feel from the portraits we’d taken earlier in the day. It’s always worth sneaking away for a few minutes at sunset if the weather allows. You don’t need to be gone for long, and it’s a lovely chance for the couple to have a little moment together away from the busy dance floor. Then it was back to the barn for more dancing and drinking!

As the night went on and the sun had well and truly set, we headed outside again for some sparkler tunnel photos. Boconnion has a fire pit outside, which made lighting everyone’s sparklers much easier than the usual situation of lots of people struggling with matches and lighters in the dark. We were able to get everyone ready at roughly the same time, and the photos came out brilliantly. Before I left Meg and Matt and their guests to enjoy the rest of the night, there was just one last tradition to fit in: the bouquet toss.

Meg stood at the top of the barn stairs and threw her bouquet by In Bloom Porthleven down into the darkness, hoping one of the bridesmaids would catch it and become the next to get married. Quite how anyone could see where the bouquet was going, I don’t know, but one lucky lady managed to catch it. The other bridesmaids weren’t particularly impressed, which made the whole thing even funnier. It’s an old wedding tradition, but it’s always a good one to finish the evening with.

Meg and Matt, you two are fab, and I absolutely loved being part of your wedding day. Thank you so much for having me along to capture it all!

Here are a few shout-outs to other people/brands involved in the day…

Venue: Boconnion

Wedding Planner: Caroline Griffiths

Dress: Elaine Rawlings Bridal

Celebrant: Celebrant in Cornwall

Hair: Rhian Rosen

Makeup: Georgina Yates

Flowers: In Bloom Porthleven

Cake: Polly Webb Cakes

Catering: Avo Catering Co

Band: Blue Lion Band