On the 5th of September I travelled to the stunning location of Lyde Court in Hereford for Katie and Spencer’s wedding. This is a 17th century stone barn and it was right up my street, brimming with rustic charm!

I started off in the main house with Katie and to be honest, I felt like a kid in a candy shop – there were so many beautiful areas to take the accessory shots.  Every room was unique and arty and elegant – I LOVED it!  Anyway, before I get carried away…

It was a lovely morning, Katie and her family were all getting ready together but she was completely chilled out and bubbly.  It was a pleasure to be around her, she was just so happy!  I have a feeling she is always like this as well because I met Katie and Spencer a couple of years ago at another wedding I did…I was looking through those photos from Jess & Pauls wedding recently and she had a beaming smile in every shot!  Also, she and Spencer were quite the dancing fiends and I have proof once again of them burning up the dance floor!

Moving onto the ceremony, they had it all laid up outside facing into the open barn which made for a very relaxed and informal atmosphere.  The guitarist and singer performed as Katie came down the aisle and there were quite a few soggy eyes after that!  At one point, their gorgeous little niece scampered up underneath their hands and stood with them as they were saying their vows – it was SO cute!  Spencers sister, Natalie, also gave a reading which was a lovely touch to the proceedings.

As soon as the drinks and canapes started, the party started too.  There was a great social, fun-loving vibe through all the guests and Katie and Spencer actually managed to go around all of them for a chat – that was about 120 people!

When we did the couples shots, this is when I got to see them for who they are together.  A team.  Katie & Spencer work together beautifully and you can see they are best friends too – which has to be the greatest foundation for a marriage.  Although 7 years in the making, they are obviously pros at this!

So much effort was put into this wedding.  All the decorations and extra details made for a fantastic day.  The children’s tipi went down a storm, the tables were decorated beautifully and the band in the evening rocked our socks off!

This was an awesome wedding and Katie and Spencer, you are an awesome couple!

On Wednesday the 6th of August I photographed the wedding of Tom Pugh & Hannah Love.  For those of you who don’t know this lovely couple and are wondering, ‘Why a Wednesday?!’, Tom is from the renowned Knighton family butchers and in our sleepy little town, we still hold the tradition of half day Wednesdays…So only losing a half day at the butchers was much better for our carnivorous Knightonians!

The wedding was held at the stunning location of Walcot Hall in Lydbury North, Shropshire.  I can’t stress enough how much I loved this place – it had so many beautiful little areas for photos, and the house itself was filled with quirky antiques!  So I started my day with Hannah in the Bridal Suite at Walcot and as we had plenty of time before the ceremony kicked off, I got chance to roam around the big corridors to take photos of various accessories that Hannah was going to wear.  (I did check with her whether she found the old rocking horses creepy or not!)

Despite the fact that Hannah has been with Tom for 10 years and has two beautiful little girls, her nerves were brewing.  She didn’t like the idea of being centre of attention!  She did very well to distract herself by doing her own make-up and that of her Maid of Honour, Clare, and before we knew it, her six remaining bridesmaids were piling into the room and getting very emotional at the sight of their sister/aunty in her bridal dress!

Thankfully, the weather stayed dry enough for them to have the outdoor ceremony they were desiring.  Cast in front of a beautiful fountain, Hannah walked down towards the aisle, taking a few more deep breaths before she joined Tom (who was slightly teary eyed!).  After the ceremony, while the guests were distracted by Pimms, I took Tom and Hannah off for their couple shots.  Despite both of them having quite a shy disposition, they both did really well…at one point, they did so well in distracting themselves with conversation, they zoned out from my direction!

There were so many great locations for photos. I loved the Groomsmen shots with the wood chopping shed, and then they managed to coax Tom on to the Lion!  The Summer House was gorgeous for the Bridesmaid shots, I especially like the one of Hannah with her girls behind her.  I think one of my favourites, however, is the one of her niece reacting to the sight of their dessert platter – what a cutie!  I’ll wrap things up now though and let you decide for yourselves which one is your favourite!

This wedding had a real sense of family closeness and I think that is what made the day so special.  The black and white photo of Tom & Hannah with their girls on the dance floor sums it up beautifully!

Tom & Hannah, you guys make a wonderful family and I hope your marriage makes you feel even more complete.  Many congratulations and I wish you both all the best for your future…

See you in Tuffins!

This past weekend, on the 2nd of August, I travelled up to Carno to capture the wedding of Leanne Jerman & Sam Griffiths.  As I was driving there, it was absolutely pouring down with rain and I prepared myself for a good challenging day!

When I arrived at the family home, Leanne and all the girls were casually getting ready, most of the hair and make-up already done – I was mightily impressed!  One thing I had been wondering about on the way to Hendre Fach, was what prank would have been played on the bride-to-be, which is the custom among the YFC!  Leanne feared for her cat’s safety and she was right to…Apparently some stealthy young farmers came into her house while she was out and sprayed the cat blue!  I only wish I could have seen the cat to document it.

The morning went by without a hitch and before we knew it, it was time to get to the Chapel – which was just down the bottom of their lane (handy!).  By this point, the skies had cleared and the sun was out and it behaved itself for the rest of the afternoon while we were outside doing all the photos – YAY!

The ceremony was packed with friends and family, but there was a balcony I could escape up to in order to see.  Leanne and Sam had two lovely Vicars to take them through their wedding ceremony.  I thought it was really sweet that the elderly Vicar, whom the families had all grown up with, made sure that he was a part of marrying Leanne & Sam, despite his age and frailty.  This must have meant a lot to all of them.  It was also very moving when a friend of Leanne’s closed the ceremony with a beautiful bit of opera.

I think my favourite part of the day was listening to the speeches – you know they’re good when your cheeks are aching from laughing so much.  Not only did they have 5 arranged speeches but others then added their own afterwards – it was clear this Carno couple are well loved!  There were so many fantastic things about this wedding though.  All the decor that Leanne created herself was amazing!  I loved that they had so many children there (two of them were their nieces all the way from Australia) as you will see, the little tinkers certainly made for some amusing shots!  It really felt like I was standing amidst a very loving and close-knit community – something that is quite rare these days.

Leanne, I thought you looked absolutely stunning, and Sam you looked pretty dapper too, but most of all it’s clear you guys are an awesome couple!  Thank you for having me as your photographer and I wish you a very happy future as Mr & Mrs Griffiths!