The gardens gave us room to slow down. Katherine put a warm wrap around her shoulders and we followed the paths away from the barn. By the water, the brickwork appeared again behind them. A little further on, orange leaves hung over a bench. The colours sat beautifully with Nathaniel’s green striped tie and the white flowers Katherine carried.

We stopped on the wooden bridge and beneath the old brick arch. Each place offered something a little different, from reflections on the water to the shelter of the wall. Mostly I let them stay close and move at their own pace. In one photograph Katherine comes through the arch towards me with Nathaniel behind her. In the next she’s laughing, still holding the bouquet in front of her dress.

There was a bench tucked into the greenery, so we sat for a few minutes. Nathaniel leaned towards Katherine, and their foreheads met as they smiled. After that we walked on through the formal garden. She went a few steps ahead, he caught up, and the photographs became a little more playful. We finished beneath a large tree before returning to the people waiting inside.

Later, we went back into the gardens. The light had changed completely. The trees that had sheltered us earlier were now catching the low sun, and there was a warm glow around Katherine’s hair and wrap. They stood close by the steps, with their arms around each other, while the sun slowly dropped towards the brick wall.

At one point the light came straight between their faces. Then I moved a little and it fell behind the trees, leaving a soft edge around the two of them. Katherine tucked her head against Nathaniel’s chest and he held her close. I chose a photograph from this part of the day for the cover because it brings back how warm those few minutes felt.

There is a lot to take in at Tudor Barn before the first guest arrives. Outside, the low roof runs above warm brick walls and dark window frames. Inside, the beams cross overhead, with strings of lights and greenery woven between them. The room was ready for Katherine and Nathaniel, with white flowers along the tables and soft green fabric falling towards the wooden floor.

I photographed the tables while the chairs were still empty, then went closer to the small details. A decorated display stood beside the fireplace, and coloured glass caught the light in the little windows. Later those same spaces would be full of people. It’s lovely to have both parts of the day, the room waiting and the room being enjoyed.

Nathaniel waited at the front, beside the windows, as guests settled into the rows of wooden chairs. Katherine was just downstairs, her bouquet of white flowers in her hands. Before she came in, there was time for a close embrace and a smiling photograph. Then the red curtains opened onto the aisle, and everyone turned towards her.

The brick fireplace made a warm backdrop for the vows. Katherine and Nathaniel stood facing each other beneath the flowers, close enough that the small looks between them were easy to see. From the back of the room, their friends and family filled the foreground. Nearer the front, I could see their hands coming together and the ring sliding into place.

After the signing, the two of them wrapped their arms around each other. Katherine rested her head against Nathaniel and then reached up towards his glasses. He was smiling as she did it. That little sequence is one of my favourites from inside, just before the guests began making their way out for the confetti.

Outside, everyone lined up across the grass with the barn behind them. The pair came out through the doorway and walked towards their guests as the confetti started. There are petals caught in her hair as they walk between the guests. A few steps further on, they stop for a kiss, with people still gathered close around them. The room had felt wonderfully intimate, and now the whole celebration was out in the open air.

By the time we returned, the long tables I had photographed earlier were full. The room seemed much warmer with people leaning across to one another, glasses on the tables and the lights glowing above them. When Katherine and Nathaniel came in, napkins went up in the air along both sides of the room. They walked in smiling, still arm in arm.

At their table, the two of them found a moment for another kiss. I photographed it with the glasses and flowers still in front of them, then moved back towards the red curtains. From there you could see the tables stretching into the room under the greenery. The celebration had filled every part of the barn.

Back inside, the beams and hanging flowers framed the dance floor. Katherine and Nathaniel took each other’s hands and came close beneath the lights. There are a few quiet pictures of just the two of them here, followed by a wider frame with their guests gathered around the edge of the floor. We had started with the barn waiting for everyone to arrive. By the end, it was full of the people who had come to celebrate them.