Stonehouse Court Hotel

The arched stone entrance at Stonehouse Court in Gloucestershire is deep, lamp-lit from inside and flanked by bay topiary, and we came back to it over and over because it works in whatever condition your day throws up: a bridal portrait with the train down the steps, the two of you kissing under the arch, your wedding party across the steps, and the same spot again when the front floodlights and the wet ground bounces it all back. That mattered here, because we shot this one in snow and then rain. Clear umbrellas along the lamp-lit drive, a frosted field under low winter sun, a small snowman in the background, none of it cost us a thing. Indoors there’s a blazing panelled fireplace to warm up beside and take a few frames. Couples often marry at the village church nearby and come back to the manor for the rest. Bring boots if it’s January and let us use the weather instead of hiding from it.