Relaxed yet elegant Coombe Lodge wedding

A bride and groom holding hands walking down a path.

You might think that an elegant wedding can’t also be relaxed and chill – that that level of style requires a level of organisation which stops you from being able to actually enjoy the day. Mia and Joe’s Coombe Lodge wedding is here to make you rethink that, and show you just how sophisticated your wedding day can look and feel without compromising on all the fun you deserve to be having!

One of our favourite Bristol wedding venues

We’ve talked about our love of Coombe Lodge before: and for good reason. It’s one of our favourite Bristol wedding venues, not only because it’s got everything you’d want from a fairytale wedding venue (like a balcony, manicured gardens, and a view of a lake), but also because the building itself proudly represents the local area with distinctive Bath stone walls and a Cotswold stone roof.

Joe and Mia’s wedding morning

From the start, we could tell that Joe and Mia’s wedding was going to be a gorgeous and chilled day. Joe arrived in a van full of their gorgeous flowers for the day, and his friends greeted him at the front of the impressive building to help carry them in. Mia arrived slightly afterwards, and totally perturbed by the rain – she beamed as she stepped out of the car with a wedding dress bag in one hand, and an umbrella already in the other!

Mia and her bridesmaids wore satin pyjama sets as they got ready, with the girls wearing a sage green colour not dissimilar to their bridesmaids dresses and Mia wearing white. Unusually Mia had done her own bridal makeup, so she only had hair to get ready, which they all wore in long loose curls.

Then it was time to put on her gorgeous fishtail dress from Krystle Brides. We loved shooting not one but two dress reveals, the first to her bridesmaids, and the second to her dad. All of their reactions were epic, of course, because Mia looked sensational!

In a different wing of Coombe Lodge, Joe and his groomsmen were getting ready too (this is another thing we love about Coombe Lodge weddings: because you get exclusive use of all 12 bedrooms, you can have everything all under one roof.)

Joe looked incredibly suave in a black tuxedo suit and bow tie from Aristocracy London, and even had his barber pop in to give him a quick trim before the ceremony!

All white everything

To bring the elegant vision for their Coombe Lodge wedding to life, Mia and Joe went for maximum impact using minimal colours. All of their flowers were white (studded with green leaves and foliage), which really complimented the light airiness of both the ceremony and reception room.

Joe and Mia chose to have a sweetheart table seating just the two of them for their reception, an idea we love because it’s a great way to ensure you actually spend time together on the day! The guests all sat on tables named after countries the newlyweds had visited together, and enjoyed biscuits and jam as their favours.

It’s a kind of magic

Luckily the rain cleared up during the day, so after the ceremony Joe, Mia and their guests were able to enjoy a cocktail in the glorious Coombe Lodge grounds. Richard Parsons roamed around during this hour to entertain their guests with magic tricks (he also proudly describes himself as a pickpocket!)

And magic is the word we’d use to describe this day. From start to finish, Joe and Mia were pure magic, having the best time, and enjoying their day to the fullest. Their guests were very up for it too: whilst Joe and his groomsmen enjoyed a cigar after dinner, Mia threw her bouquet down from the fairytale-like balcony.

The sky got the ‘magic’ memo too – which, as Somerset wedding photographers, we’re always thankful for! – and we were treated to the most amazing golden hour photo session. We stole Mia and Joe away in the early evening for 20 minutes or so to explore the venue and grounds, making the most of the stunning architecture that Coombe Lodge has to offer to frame the equally (if not more) stunning Mr & Mrs Clothier. Here, we got the picture to end all pictures – an incredible photo of Mia and Joe silhouetted in front of the orange sunset (if you’re wondering why it’s called golden hour, it’s because the position of the sun bathes everything in a warm, golden light. This is that, on steroids!)

Then, whilst the sun finally set below the horizon, Joe and Mia headed back inside to cut the cake and officially christen the dancefloor, soundtracked by our brilliant pal, Bristol DJ Kieran Clarke.

A bride and groom holding hands with tattoos on their hands.
A bride and groom posing in front of a doorway photographed by Bristol wedding photographer at Coombe Lodge Blagdon
A bride holding a bouquet in front of a wall.
A bride and groom walking down the aisle at a wedding.
A bride is walking down the stairs of a mansion.
A bride and groom looking at each other in a garden.
A black and white photo of groomsmen walking down a hallway.
Bridesmaids in sage green dresses walking down a path.
A woman is dancing on the dance floor at a wedding.
A bride and groom standing in a garden at Coombe Lodge Blagdon
A bride walks down the aisle with her father.
Two naked women sitting on steps in front of a house.
A bride and groom taking a selfie at a wedding.
A woman is putting her wedding ring on a bride's finger.
A black and white photo of a bride and groom holding hands.
A bride and groom cutting their wedding cake in front of a crowd.
A man walking down a hallway with wooden walls.
A man in a suit smoking a cigar in front of a building.
A bride and groom holding hands walking down a path.
A bride and groom walking down the steps of a castle.
A bride and groom exchanging their wedding rings.
A man in a tuxedo is standing in front of a mirror.
A bride and groom sharing a microphone at their wedding reception.
A bride and groom standing in front of an archway at Coombe Lodge Blagdon
A bride and her bridesmaids hugging in a room.
A bride and groom standing in an archway at Coombe Lodge Blagdon
A wooden sign in the middle of a grassy field.
A bride and groom exiting a building with confetti thrown at them.
Four bridesmaids in satin pajamas posing for a photo.
A bride smiles as she puts on her wedding veil.
A bride and groom walking down a path in a garden.
A woman with her arms up in the air at a party.
A man in a suit is putting a ring on a man's finger.
Two brides laughing while holding a glass of champagne.
A small sack with a heart on it sits on a table.
A room with tables and chairs set up for a wedding reception.
A bride and groom smiling at each other in a room.
A bride and her mother laughing in a room.
A group of people laughing at a party.
A bride and groom sharing a kiss at Coombe Lodge Blagdon taken by a Bristol wedding photographer
A wedding dress hangs in front of a mirror.
A bride and groom standing in a large room with a piano.
A bride and groom standing in front of a manor house.
A large stone house in the middle of a grassy field.
A man wearing a hat at a wedding reception.
A bride smiles in front of a mirror.

Coombe Lodge wedding photographers

Speaking of brilliant Bristol wedding suppliers…we had so much fun as Joe and Mia’s Coombe Lodge wedding photographers, and were honoured to be part of their wonderful day. If you’re looking for photographers who fit perfectly within a relaxed wedding day whilst immortalising all of the stylish moments, then we’d love to hear from you. You can get in touch with us here!

And some other brilliant Somerset wedding suppliers too:

Venue: Coombe Lodge
Hair: Hair by Kansas
Videographer: A Perfect Memory 
Dress: Krystle Brides
Suit: Aristocracy London
DJ: Kieran Clarke Entertainment
Magician: Richard Parsons