The Cary Room at Cockington Court in Torquay is now the default room for weddings. This is a larger, lighter and brighter room which can hold up to 55 guests. There is a lot more natural light and you are no longer standing in a doorway like you were in the smaller room, so the photos look much nicer than they used to!
The room still needs a little bit of lighting to make you pop in the photos. Don't worry though, it isn't a full blast burst of light in your faces, it's some soft light, bouncing off a wall. All the indoor photos below use lighting. It's subtle but really works well in the Cary room!
Let's take a look at some photos from different weddings I've shot there, and then below I'll offer some more tips, tricks and good ideas.
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Getting there can be a little tricky as it isn't the greatest signposted place in Torquay. Here is a Youtube video of the route you need to take to drive to the car park closest to Cockington Court and to Cockington Church:
This shows you all the way to the car park closest to the ceremony room. Feel free to pass this on to all your guests as it is just as confusing for them!
The registrar will like to see the Groom around 20 to 30 minutes before the ceremony. This gives them time to do their legal bit and have the Groom hidden out of the way before the Bride arrives. The Registrars like the Bride to be ready to see them about 10 to 15 minutes before the ceremony.
TIP: If you want photos of the arrival of the Bride, aim to arrive 20 minutes early to give me time to do my part before the Bride sees the registrar.
I will know where to take you both to see the registrar and which room you'll be in, so just let me guide you around.
After the ceremony the registrars will ask you wait in the Rose Garden while they complete their legal paperwork. I usually take some group and formal shots in the Rose Garden while we wait.
If you fancy confetti you are no longer allowed to do this in the Rose Garden. I usually set this up near the Church as the Church is a really nice backdrop and the path is a lovely leading line. Bubbles also look great here (See photo above)! The confetti needs to be organic; petals etc.
The area is absolutely lovely but there is one major drawback to having your wedding here; there is nowhere sheltered for photos if it is raining. If it is raining the only place to take photos is in the ceremony room, but time may be limited because another wedding could be following closely behind. One solution could be to bring a lot of umbrellas for everybody. Another solution could be to have a reception set-up somewhere else and have the photos taken there.
Unfortunately, I have no magic place to take amazing photos if the weather is really wet. It would be in the Cary Room for as much time as we are allowed, or following you to another location.
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