The Harbour Hotel Wedding Photographer

A Chinese wedding in Bristol

I was looking forward to document the wedding on A & W. I was excited to be the Harbour Hotel wedding photographer for their special day. It was my first time working in Bristol and I was very much looking forward to it. I spoke to the bride and groom on a few occasions leading up to their wedding. It was their warmth and friendliness that impressed me the most. Both very down to earth. Caring and interested. Excited about their wedding (of course) and very eager to share the day with their friends and families. Chinese weddings are lovely but full on. The wedding f A & W was no exception, and I loved it.

Traditions at a Chinese weddings are very different to other weddings that I have documented. The day starts often at the bride’s house and the groom arrives to meet his bride. However, before being allowed in the house, the bridesmaids request payment from the groom and for the groom and groomsmen to play games. Those games can be fairly innocent but sometimes pretty “challenging” too. Luckily, the bridesmaids were very fair and the games were actually funny and everyone seem to enjoy it. Eating some wasabi was perhaps the worst it got, which is not too bad in my opinion. The groom is then allowed to enter the house and needs to find the hidden shoe for his bride to wear. This was not problem for W who found it in record time. It was then time for the tea ceremony with the bride’s parents before heading into Bristol city centre for the rest of the festivities.

A city centre wedding at the Harbour Hotel in Bristol

The Harbour Hotel in Bristol is beautiful and bang on in the centre of town. It has many separate areas. On arrival, the guests (mainly the bride and groom’s close family and wedding party) were invited to a small room for the remaining tea ceremonies, This is an important tradition. This was followed by a small bite to eat while the bride changed into her white wedding dress. We took the opportunity to take some photos before guests arrived for the wedding breakfast. It was served in a gorgeous room that had been beautifully and tastefully decorated.

The bride and groom were announced in and there were a couple of short speeches before everyone tucked into a lovely three course meal. The mood was relaxed, with people mingling in between courses and children running around and playing, Then, the bride and groom and their families went round each table toasting the guests. At this point some guests left while others arrived for the evening party. After a change of clothes, it was time for the first dance which was beautiful. The bride and groom had obviously rehearsed it and it was greta to watch.

It was a beautiful city wedding with two of the loveliest people that I have met this year. Independently of the wedding venue, the outfits, the weather, etc.. it is generally the bride and groom and their attitude that will make a wedding successful. A & W were so nice before and during the wedding day and it was clear to see how much their families and guests cared for them. Below are some of my favourite images from their wedding day, I really hope that you like them. If you are looking for a The Harbour Hotel wedding photographer (or any other venue for that matter), I would love to hear from you. Thank you for visiting.