We’re sharing the loveliest winter wedding today, with stunning couple Lottie and Will, in the heart of Somerset. Their day has warmth and elegance with wonderful, person styling touches throughout, and is captured beautifully by Priston Mill wedding photographer Martin Dabek.

Wedding photography

Photographer’s website

Bristol and Somerset wedding photographer Martin Dabek – https://martindabek.com

Wedding photographer review – Martin Dabek at Priston Mill

Martin photographed our wedding at Priston Mill in December 2025. The main reason we booked Martin was his focus on candid photography and his wonderful portfolio. We cannot speak highly enough of Martin. He is personable, charming and a pleasure to deal with. Martin made the build-up to the day as smooth as possible and really engaged with us to ensure that he was tailoring his photography to our preferences. It was evident throughout our dealings that he really listened to us and accounted for what we wanted. Several of our guests have commented on how pleasant Martin was and the fact that he seemed to capture everything without ever being intrusive. Taking couple photos with Martin never felt forced or awkward – he totally put us at ease and just wanted us to be ourselves. Martin brings warmth and energy in the best possible way. It was a privilege to have him photograph our wedding, he really enhanced the experience!

Wedding Story

Best wedding moment or memory

The entire day was one (all too short) highlight – but a standout moment was being on the mezzanine level at the reception (for a photo) and looking down to see all of our favourite people having a wonderful time and thoroughly enjoying the day we had planned! We felt so loved and lucky.

Tell us anything you did differently – any NEW traditions (or if you had none at all!)

Lottie came down the aisle to ‘Harry in Winter’ and we processed out to ‘Concerning Hobbits’, both played on the organ by the talented Richard Johnson.

We worked in (and still love) London, so we booked a red double decker bus to take our guests to the wedding reception – it was lovely seeing the childish side that it brought out of so many adults!

We had two long tables and named each of the four sides for the Harry Potter houses. Obviously we had to explain that we weren’t just putting all of our evil friends on the Slytherin side…

We own a longsword (bought by Lottie for Will as an engagement present because of a running joke) and used that to cut the cake.

We had a ‘his’ and ‘hers’ selection for Cocktail Hour after dinner (Espresso Martini and Hugo Spritz).

Wedding suppliers

Wedding venue name + review

Priston Mill wedding venue in Bath – our reception was in the Tythe Barn.

The staff at Priston Mill were incredible throughout the entire process. On the planning front, they were communicative and helpful at every turn and so accommodating with special requests. Their list of trusted suppliers really helped to streamline the planning.

A special thank you goes to our wedding co-ordinator, Clara Smart, who we adored working with. Her enthusiasm and professionalism made planning the wedding reception so enjoyable. On the day itself, the staff went above and beyond to ensure that both we, and our guests, had the best day. Everything ran smoothly and that was in no small part down to the dedication / attentiveness of the staff. The food was the best we have enjoyed at any wedding. Admittedly we are biased, but we have since been reliably told the same by plenty of our guests!

Florist name + review

Our wedding flowers were handled by Holly at Ambience venue styling. She was brilliant at guiding us through the process. We had some rough initial ideas (e.g. colour palette and the inclusion of Autumnal orange roses etc.) but she did a fantastic job of refining those and recommending the correct balance of different flowers to achieve the desired effect.

Hair + makeup name + review

My wedding makeup was by Charlotte Tillyer

My hair was styled by Kamila Roberts 

Both Charlotte and Kamila were absolute dreams and I loved working with them. Charlotte gave me really good advice for skincare at my makeup trial and I found it made a real difference by the day of the wedding. She really nailed my makeup brief – it looked exactly how I hoped it would and lasted all day and night!

I had a lot of fun working with Kamila. I had a couple of specific ideas that I hoped could be incorporated into an updo and Kamila played around with some ideas at the trial to make it work. On the wedding day, it came together perfectly!

Getting ready with my bridesmaids and mum on the morning of the wedding, Charlotte and Kamila brought a lovely energy to my house – really upbeat and positive but so calming and supportive. They had the timings planned perfectly and my bridesmaids and I were all ready in plenty of time to enjoy some fizz and photos!

Wedding cake maker name + review

By bespoke wedding cake designer David at The Cake Architect –  Tasting all of our favourite flavours lovingly prepared by the Cake Architect was one of our planning highlights. We had so much fun collaborating to create the perfect design, which included stacks of some of our favourite books and individual layers for Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter respectively. Our guests were all so impressed by the final work, it was a sight to behold and an amazing tasting experience!

Stationery designer’s name + review

Holly at Ambience prepared our wedding stationery. As with our flowers, she took exceptional care to understand what we wanted, made helpful suggestions throughout and delivered the final versions perfectly. We were so happy with the elegant but fun menus, table plan and signage.

Wedding wear

Tell us a little about your outfits – both of you!

Will – A tailored Navy Check suit (3 piece), with a few custom details added like the gold and blue marble lining of the suit jacket / back of waist coat. Champagne coloured tie and pocket square.

Lottie – I wore a floor-length white dress with a corseted, strapless top and off-the-shoulder sleeves, and a fit and flare skirt with train. I had a cathedral length veil with tiny, subtle diamantes that glinted under light – it made me think of sunlight glittering on snow, perfect for a winter wedding! I wore white satin block heels (from Rainbow Club) for the first part of the day. They were so comfortable through standing for the ceremony and the photos afterwards! My husband also had some custom white converse made for me (with ‘Mrs’ on the side and light blue soles) for the dance floor.

Dress or suit shop name + review

Will – Moss Bros

Lottie – My wedding dress and veil were both from Clifton Brides in Bristol. It was the first dress I tried on and I just knew it was the one (although I obviously tried on many others just to make sure)! I had such a fantastic experience at Clifton Brides, they were so warm and friendly both times I visited (for the initial dress shopping and then to collect the dress and choose my veil) and gave really good guidance and advice to help me find the right dress and accessories for me.

Styling and personal touches

We had bookmarks made (embossed with guest initials) for our wedding favours made by Wild Origin, an incredible Cornish business that makes handmade leather goods. The bookmarks came out beautifully and provided all of our guests with a lovely keepsake. Cornwall is very important to us (our favourite place in the world and where we got engaged) so it was important that we found a way to factor in a few Cornish elements. Wild Origin really helped to provide that. The other Cornish touch was provided by Camel Valley – their Annie’s Anniversaire vintage was perfect for our bubbles and was a throwback to celebrating our engagement at Camel Valley Vineyard.

Wedding ceremony and readings

We got married at St Mary’s Church, Darlington Street, Bath. Fr Peter was generous with his time in preparing for the wedding and did a brilliant job of delivering a warm and personal service for us. We both love Christmas so picked hymns that made our ceremony feel like something of carol concert. Members of the City of Bristol choir (of which Lottie is a member), conducted by David Ogden, sang some specially selected pieces and really stole the show! Our readings were St Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians and a Lovely Love Story by Edward Monkton. The perfect blend of sincere and silly, both were read beautifully by our friends Angharad and Sarah.