Clearwell Castle Wedding, Gloucestershire - Kieran & Christina

Back in 2012 I was a fresh faced recruit eager to have a crack at Royal Marines training down at the Commando Training Centre in Exeter. I remember my first week quite clearly, I was having difficulties shaping my beret so It didn’t look like a flat helicopter landing pad on top of my head, alas, I was getting nowhere with it. I was with a group of roughly 50 guys all in the same position as myself, a steep learning curve it certainly was and the beret was the least of our worries. Most of us were having problems with them and accepting the fact that we would look rather silly for a while. This is where Kieran comes in, I clearly remember noticing him for the first time because of his beret, so perfectly shaped, almost glowing like a halo on top of his head, all I could do was stare in disbelief. I had to ask this stranger for assistance and that was the first time we spoke.

A very long story short, we were together during training all those years ago, after our training came to an end we went to different units and didn’t see each other again. However, If there’s one thing military service gives you it’s a network of bonds and friendships like no other. 

So here we are, 2019 and I’m photographing the wedding of an amazing friend and fellow Marine who has entrusted me with capturing the most important day of his life so far. It was fantastic seeing him again and an absolute honour being part of this day.

Right, now I’ve got my little bromance introduction out the way, let’s move on to Christina who was Kieran’s stunning fiancée and the real star of the day. Charismatic, considerate and very friendly, as soon as I met her it made total sense why they were getting married, a perfect match. 

Their venue for this glorious occasion was Clearwell Castle within the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. A magnificent, gothic mansion oozing with luxury and 18th century elegance, a photographers dream to have the opportunity to shoot at. With me was Michael Griffin, a close friend and Mr videographer extraordinaire himself who was working his magic to capture the entire day in motion. Just down the road from Clearwell Castle was St Peter’s Church, the space where Kieran and Christina would share their vows and become husband and wife.

The day was a real buzz from start to finish. I made sure to unpack a box of perfect weather first thing that morning or we would have spent the whole day indoors hiding from serious downpours, (It was either the good weather or dolphins, I decided to keep the backflipping dolphins for my next oceanic wedding). 

We had an amazing time all day, the creative vibes were flowing with our images/video while we grabbed as much content as we could. The atmosphere was electric, the celebrations ceaseless, Michael and myself had one goal throughout, capture and deliver the best collection of memories possible. 

Many congratulations to you both and I look forward to catching up again one day soon.

Here are a few of my favourite images from Kieran & Christina's Clearwell Castle wedding..