The countryside is host to not only rural ways of living but also history embedded in large houses and mansions built by or for leading lights of the es.
Our guests couldn t dance and were wearing masks, but our wedding day was still perfect
Meet three couples who made their masked-up, socially-distanced nuptials an unforgettable event
11 July 2021 • 6:00am
Take a pew: guests at the indoor part of the Woofords’ ceremony stayed masked up
Credit: Weddings by Nicola and Glen
Weddings are back. After a year and a half of cancellations, postponements, guest restrictions and shortened ceremonies, there has finally been a relaxation of the rules.
As of June 21, there was no longer a cap of 30 guests in England – couples can now invite as many as they want – but weddings have not yet quite returned to the free-for-all of previous years. Social distancing must be maintained until at least July 19, when all restrictions in England are due to be lifted (for Scotland it’s Aug 9, while Wales reviews its guidance on July 15).
Wildflowers for the Queen, by Hugo Rittson Thomas
- Credit: Wildflower Press
Cotswold photographer Hugo Rittson Thomas is perhaps best known for high-profile photographic portraiture, including images of HM Queen Elizabeth II, Prince William, the Dalai Lama and David Cameron. He also has a deep interest in garden and nature photography, reflected in his latest publication.
You re well known for your Royal portraiture, Hugo, with the astonishing
The Queen s People coming out in 2016, but your first published book was
Secret Gardens of the Cotswolds, in 2015. What attracted you to horticultural photography?
I grew up in the Cotswolds on a farm and have always felt part of nature, being outside was far more common than being inside – whatever the weather! I recall at my prep school I was given a one-yard-square plot to cultivate, and was thrilled to win a prize for my efforts. Sometimes it exists within me as a tiny seed and sometimes it’s in full bloom – but the pass