I love history, and the Cock Hotel in Stoney Stratford has it in abundance. Prominently positioned on the original A5 or Roman Watling Street, Stoney Stratford was a key stopping point for horse and carriage on the road north to Chester from London. The Cock Hotel was a Coaching Inn in which horse and passenger could get a good nights rest. Interestingly (well for me anyway lol) The saying ‘A Cock and Bull story’ originated from The Cock Hotel and The Bull Hotel which are positioned next to each other, on the high street Stony Stratford. Anyway, that’s enough of the history.

The Cock Hotel has a function room with a bar to the rear of the hotel. A lovely courtyard with festoon lights. The front reception room was very light and made for great post-ceremony photos. The small town is an exciting place to walk through to get some portraits. We found a full house size mural of Queen Eleanor, who would have passed through the town on her burial route to Westminster Abbey (sorry). Well, it made for a great backdrop as it matched Claire’s urban style and her colours too!

Buckinghamshire Wedding Photographer

From the moment we met Claire and Chris back in August 2018, we knew this was going to be a particularly fun day. A very laid back couple and a meaningful relaxed wedding, which suited us completely. Chris, you have an excellent sense of humour, and it was a pleasure to capture your morning prep. Very sharp individual and I can see this is in your son too. Claire is so so sweet, such a wonderful caring person. We so enjoyed capturing your day x

What struck me particularly from our meeting was the importance they had for their wedding photography and the faith they had in us to capture their day. With Claire being a graphic designer, this made all the more sense. With that in mind, I was a little nervous at the prospect of shooting a wedding at an old coaching Inn, as usually there are lighting issues and can be rather cramped. Also, I wanted to repay Claire and Chris’ faith in us by shooting a couple of stunning signature photos. When I visited The Cock Hotel, I drew up a few plans depending on the weather. I think their wedding photos tell a fantastic story full of laughter, fun and style; we love them so much.