From across the lawn, Pembroke Lodge looks almost still. Around the side of the house, the chairs were already in place and a small sign read The Wedding of Elena & Vance. I photographed the garden before it filled with people. Later, when you see the same path with guests standing on either side, you can feel how quickly it changed.

Vance wore red tartan, which stood out against the clipped hedges and pale walls. I went close for the detail of the laced shoe and pulled back again for the portraits by the house. When Elena arrived, the car gave us two very different frames. In the first she pauses in the open doorway with her dress and flowers. In the second, there is just her face in the light by the window.

Inside the Russell Suite, daylight fell across the tables through the tall windows. The flowers and linens were pale, and the floorboards gave the room a warmer tone. I made a wide photograph through the doorway and a closer one from table height so you can see both the room and the details waiting for the guests.

The fireplace and mirror made a quiet photograph of their own. I’ve kept it here because that mirror turns up again in the final frame of the day, with Elena and Vance in front of it.

Elena’s veil was already down when I made the black-and-white portrait before the ceremony. Further along the path, a bridesmaid turned to look back as Elena approached. The view from the end of the aisle shows how tucked away the garden feels, with trees all around and flowers around the wooden gazebo.

When the guests stood, the aisle narrowed to the space between them. I wanted to see Elena arriving from their side of the day too. At the front she and Vance came together under the flowers. I moved between wider views through the greenery and close details of their hands, the rings and the signing. It’s the change in distance that gives this part of the story its rhythm.

After the ceremony there was time for a drink and a few photographs by the house. Then Elena and Vance and I went into the gardens. The sunshine made it a lovely part of the day to photograph. We could work in the open and then step into the softer light under the pergola, sometimes only a few paces away.

Some of my favourite frames are the smallest ones. Elena glances back under the roses. A few photographs later, she and Vance are face to face under the pergola with hardly any space between them. By the overlook, the view opens up again and the veil catches the light. There was room for a kiss beneath it and, later, for Elena to lift her bouquet into the air while Vance held her. That’s the frame on the cover.

I ended the selection back indoors. The two of them stand in front of the mirror, where the light is soft again. After the wide garden views, it feels like a good place to leave them.