It was nice to return to the Osborne Hotel so quickly. Ryan and Laura had bridal prep to first dance booked, so this was how I captured their magical day.

When I’m asked how many photos do I deliver I always reply with “The more smiles, tears, hugs and emotion there is, the more photos I will deliver”. This was one of those times were I delivered several hundred because there was a lot of emotion throughout the day.

Let’s look at the day and then I’ll go into more detail below.

The Osborne Hotel is located in Torquay, Devon, overlooking Meadfoot Beach. The Weddings page on the Osbornes website has a weddings section, but it does not do the location, nor their views any justice.

On a dry day, this is one of the nicest places you could get married. For a Wedding Photographer, there are a few challenges here but the location and scenery more than make up for it.

On the day of Ryan and Laura’s wedding, the rain was forecast. What was great was that the decision to have it indoors or outdoors was left until about a couple of hours before the ceremony started. The hotel really did leave it for a long as was possible before the decision was made.

The Bridal Prep was in the “Palm room”. With amazing views out and a large work area (with table) for the hair and make-up, this was a really nice room for the Bridal Prep.

The Bridal and bridesmaids headpieces looked amazing, as did the hair and makeup.

The ceremony went really well and I love how the hotel guests all shout out ‘congratulations’ as the newlyweds walked back up the path.

Even I and the second photographer had a meal (rarer than you may think). The Lamb we had was the best I’ve ever tasted. I was seriously impressed with the food here!

Wedding Photography Equipment used

2 x Sony A9
1 x 85mm F1.4
1 x 24mm F1.4
2 x Godox AD200
1 x Godox V1
1 x Godox pro trigger

Photography Tips

• The LED lighting inside the reception area causes havoc with the white balance. The flickering remains until 1/20 shutter speed. Make sure you take test shots and check for issues caused by the lighting. For me, overpowering their lighting was essential for the settings I wanted to use for the reception.
• On a sunny day, any wide shots of the ceremony, gazeebo and scenery will be somewhat tricky. You’ll need a camera capable of some really good dynamic range.