Chenies Manor House

In spring, the gardens at Chenies Manor House are full of blossom over the paths and tulips in the sunken beds, and you can even hang the dress from a blossom branch. There’s also a proper getting-ready room with mirrors and plenty of space, which keeps the morning calm.

Couples often marry outside, under the ornate white ironwork gazebo on the lawn, and the drinks and the marquee follow there, with the old brick house behind. It’s worth giving us a bit longer for portraits here than you would somewhere else, as leafy arches, topiary, old brick walls and clipped lawns are all within a couple of minutes of the gazebo.

Inside, the beamed hall is darker and warmer, which suits the dancing. Leave the last of the light free if you can. The low sun comes across the lawns in the evening, and with a stone urn in the frame, that’s where some of the nicest portraits come from.