Nonsuch Mansion wedding

It’s always a pleasure to shoot at Nonsuch Mansion in Cheam. This Georgian mansion stands in Nonsuch Park, where Henry VIII used to have a palace in the 16th century (though the original palace was unfinished at Henry’s death).

The old palace was demolished in the 1680s by Charles II’s mistress Lady Castlemaine, who sold off the materials to pay gambling debts! Ironically, the wood panelling ended up in the Great Hall of another Surrey stately home wedding venue, Loseley Park near Guildford!

The present mansion was built in the 1730s and modified over the years, most notably by the Farmer fanily in the early 1800s. The Tudor style of the building echoes the style of the original palace.

Nonsuch makes a great location for a wedding because of its intimate feel despite having plenty of room for the celebrations, not to mention the extensive park which is a great place to take photographs!

As the guests gathered, they were invited to add their signatures to a surfboard – the couple are avid surfers!

Civil Ceremony in the Orchid Room

Kate and Martin’s civil ceremony took place in the Orchid Room, ably officiated by the registrars from Weybridge Register Office. After the ceremony and the signing of the register, we all emerged on to the lawn where drinks were served and group photos began.

Photos in the park

Once the formal group photos were done, we took the couple off into the park for some photos of just the two of them. I find many couple appreciate having this quieter time, to just catch their breath after the excitement of getting married! After a cloudy start to the day, luckily the sun emerged as we were doing this and we got some great photos!