Alex and James – Sunny Burton Dassett Hills Engagement Shoot

by Rebecca | Jun 29, 2017 | Engagements

Alex and James – Sunny Burton Dassett Hills Engagement Shoot

Alex and James are getting hitched next month and to celebrate their engagement took to the beautiful hills of Burton Dassett on the edge of the Cotswold for this lovely shoot. Their wedding photographer Will Patrick Weddings captured these fabulous images for the couple.

I’m a big fan of pre-wedding shoots as not only are the results beautiful, it gives the couple the chance to relax in front of the camera and with their photographer. Will has managed to get the couple to really feel at ease and because the location is not only stunning, but has meaning to Alex and James, the results are really natural. I also love the impromptu ice-cream stop!

Will’s photography is informal, relaxed and contemporary and that really comes across in Alex and James’s shoot;

How Did You Meet

We met through mutual friends at a party on Boxing Day in Alex’s home town of Worcester…our first date was then New Year’s Day in London where we went to a BBQ restaurant and shared ribs and chicken wings!

The Proposal

James proposed on Sunday 29th January 2015 at the top of a hill in the country park, Burton Dassett which is on the edge of the Cotswolds. From the beacon where he proposed you could see Worcester, where I grew up, Solihull, where James grew up, and where we live now in Warwick. Prior to the walk at Burton Dassett James planned a weekend filled with great food, a meal at our favourite restaurant and a lazy Sunday morning breakfast of smoked salmon and scrambled eggs (food plays a big part in our relationship!).

Before he actually proposed James (always the joker), said ‘I’ve got a present for you’ and got out of his pocket a blue plastic ring which he’d got in a cracker at Christmas! My heart was beating so fast as I thought he was going to pull out a proper ring…which after about 30 seconds of me looking confused and disappointed he did! After the joke ring he got down on one knee, opened up a ring box with a beautiful diamond ring and asked me to marry him.

Burton Dassett Hills

We chose to go back to Burton Dassett as it’s such a beautiful location. We were really lucky with the weather and even managed to flag down an ice cream van to add to the pics!

The Bling

The ring was from Peter Stephan in Royal Leamington Spa. James chose the ring because he knew it would be one I’d love, I’m also a massive fan of Disney so it had to be a princess cut!

Favourite Moment from the Shoot

The picture with the ice cream van is brilliant, we literally flagged him down! I also love the ones with us by the beacon as that’s where James proposed and the ones when we’re laughing – Will asked us to say something to make each other laugh…I’m not going to say what James said but it makes me smile every time I think about it!!

Any Advice for Others Having a Pre-wedding Shoot

Although we’d met Will and knew he was great, we were both a bit unsure what to expect and thought it would be really awkward being photographed, but we couldn’t have been more wrong. We had such a lovely afternoon with Will it was like going for a walk with a friend who happened to have a camera! So the advice we’d give is relax, don’t over think it and enjoy the experience, choose a location where you feel comfortable as well!

Our photo shoot has made us so excited for the big day now, it’s one less thing to worry about/feel anxious about and we can’t wait to see what amazing shots Will will get at the wedding!

I love this pre-wedding shoot, it’s so relaxed and natural. Congratulations to Alex and James on their engagement and wishing you both the best day next month for your wedding. I can’t wait to see the images of your big day.

Huge thanks also to Will of Will Patrick Weddings for these great images, be sure to check out his website for more of his beautiful work.

with love

| Photographer – Will Patrick Weddings | Engagement Ring – Peter Stephan |

Gorgeous Thrift Store Find Dress for Handmade Hereford Water Garden Wedding

by Rebecca | Jun 28, 2017 | Real Weddings | 1 comment

Gorgeous Thrift Store Find Dress for Handmade Hereford Water Garden Wedding

This beautiful handmade wedding, is truly inspirational. Lucy and Mark’s celebration shows just how brilliant a day you can create when you are lucky enough to be surrounded by wonderful friends and family to help you enjoy the journey of planning your wedding. The couple and their family and friends created almost every element of the day themselves, with the help of some well chosen wedding suppliers. I love all the little details, the personalised ceramic napkin holders made by Lucy’s mum, an artist, the handmade bridesmaid dresses, the shawls knitted by the bride and the stunning flowers, many arranged by the wedding party.

I also adore the fact that Lucy didn’t plan to get her stunning wedding dress from a charity shop, that it was just serendipity. It fits her perfectly, was such a lucky find and was also for a good cause! So brilliant all round. I’ve always loved the line from that Sheryl Crow song, If It Makes You Happy;

“We went searching, through thrift store jungles, found Geronimo’s rifle, Marilyn’s shampoo and Benny Goodman’s cursive pen”

Because its true, you do never know what wonderful charity treasures you’ll find and what stories you’ll imagine or new memories you’ll make. I once found a dress for a student ball rummaging around our local charity shop, it was amazing, a pale blue vintage 1970’s halter neck chiffon dress…it fitted me perfectly, I loved it, it made me feel incredible when I wore it, it was just perfect! So get rummaging folks, you never know what gems you might find, maybe even a perfect dress like Lucy.

Lucy and Mark were married on the 23rd of July last year in the beautiful surroundings of Westonbury Mill Water Gardens in Hereford, they chose a great guy, Che Birch-Hayes Photography for their wedding. Che has a wonderful relaxed and gentle style, capturing the emotions and all the details in an authentic and charming way, the light and colour in his photography is captivating. So let me now hand you over to bride Lucy to tell you more about their day;

The Engagement

We met whilst studying at university in Newcastle in 2009. We got engaged in June 2015 on the side of a hill in the Cotswolds.

The Venue

We found the most amazing venue partly by chance – it was a outdoor water gardens, Westonbury Mill Water Gardens that is incredibly natural so this inspired the rest of our wedding.

The gardens looked really beautiful and matched the natural style we were looking for. The owners were lovely, and spent a lot of time answering our questions. They had only hosted a few weddings before and were therefore very open to accommodating anything we wanted.

The Dress

The dress was bought from Clic-Sargeant charity shop. I went in with my mom and godmother for fun. After a few…interesting… dresses, they gave me this one to try on. It fit perfectly and I loved it so that was it!

I also wore my mom’s veil, some leather boots from a vintage shop, A necklace with Whitby jet (a family tradition) and fresh flowers in my hair.

Hair and Make Up

Lucy’s gorgeous hair was styled on the day by talented wedding hairdresser Tabitha MacCurrach-Paine , with her pretty natural look make up by Grace of Grace Beauty.

Grooms Threads

Mark’s suit was from House of Fraser, with a tie from BHS. He also wore some Marvel cuff links a gift from Lucy on their wedding day.

the wedding rings sat on the piano keyboard

Photography

The couple chose Che Birch-Hayes Photography to capture their celebrations. Their wedding planning was trans-continental as Lucy was in South Africa for a lot of it of the times;

As well as having pictures we loved, Che was willing to Skype Mark in the UK and me in South Africa! Che was friendly, unpretentious and genuinely wanted to listen to what was important to us and our families. He made an effort to see the venue prior to the wedding to get ideas and to hear ours. We loved his enthusiasm throughout, and appreciated his respectfulness on the day.

Handmade Bridesmaids Dresses

The pretty bridesmaids dresses in different colourful fabrics were all handmade by the bridal party, a huge task, but worth it as they looked amazing;

Stupidly, we decided to make all the (seven) bridesmaids dresses ourselves. The fabric was from George, South Africa, and Hereford. Dresses were made by Lucy, Mark’s mom and the bridesmaids.

Their shoes were from Clarks and the girls wore fresh flowers in their hair. All the bridesmaids shrugs were handmade too, knitted by Lucy and her mom. Their necklaces were made by Isla Clay.

The Ceremony

My Aunt Joyce played a processional and recessional that she had written and played at several of my family members’ weddings. It was somewhat of a challenge getting a piano into a field, but it was completely worth it!

Flowers

Lucy’s bridal bouquet, the corsages and buttonhole were all created by the incredibly talented Caroline Ede of Rough Acre Wedding Flowers.

The rest of the flowers were from flower wholesalers in Spaulding, Lincolnshire. This allowed us to get a tremendous range of colours and flowers. We had a great team of friends and family putting together the bridesmaids bouquet and decorations, led by Mark’s mom and sister in law. Jenny, Marks sister decorated an archway with the foliage from Mark’s parents garden and the flowers.

Stationery and Favours

The Save the Dates and the invitations were designed by my sister, Rosie. We couldn’t have been more pleased!

Our wedding favours were a bag of wildflower seeds and a personalised handmade ceramic napkin ring (the perks of a mother who is an artist!)

We found the most amazing venue partly by chance – it was a outdoor water gardens, Westonbury Mill Water Gardens that is incredibly natural so this inspired the rest of our wedding.

glass bottle house in grounds of water garden

The Marquee

The couple sourced their marquee from Burgoynes Marquees of Lyonshall, Herefordshire;

We chose Burgoynes because they were local, friendly and very adaptable to our needs.

Catering

Our catering was done by Ruth Watson and her fantastic team. They did a fantastic job at catering for a wide range of diets and everything they produced was delicious.

Lawn Games

The guests were entertained in the beautiful surroundings of the water garden and the weather was perfect for it.

The Cake

One of the bridesmaids, Hess, handmade the cake, which was a beautiful cake with a layer each of baileys, chocolate and cardamom, and lemon.

Entertainment

We were so lucky with the band that we hired, who were called Hope Street. They were incredibly talented, and they pitched the set list perfectly. All of the guests were up and dancing the entire time!

First Dance

Lucy and Mark took to the floor in their gorgeous marquee for their first dance, choosing the Ellie Goulding song ‘How long will I love you’

Thank you so much to the newly wed’s Lucy and Mark, for allowing me to share their wedding on Adored Bride today. Big thanks also go to Che Birch-Hayes Photography for these beautiful images.

with love

Epic Modern White, Foliage and Gin Inspired Country Wedding by The Crawleys

by Rebecca | Jun 26, 2017 | Real Weddings

Epic Modern White, Foliage and Gin Inspired Country Wedding by The Crawleys

This breathtaking wedding captured by The Crawleys is such a stunningly beautiful day. A charming Cheshire church wedding, an epic confetti throw, a country pub reception and cool marquee wedding breakfast. A marquee decorated with two huge real trees, fairy lights, festoon lighting, silver pineapples, gramophones, lots of foliage and white blooms with metallic accents and gin favours. The couple’s friends and family all got involved, there was a gin bar, ping pong table, photo booth and hay bale seating around firepits for toasting s’mores. It’s just a brilliant day.

I have been so excited to share it with you because it features two of the nicest people, my friends Rob and Jem. Not only is it’s their first wedding anniversary, (congratulations you beautiful beings) …. but their wedding just also happens to be flippin epic too!!! Jem looked incredible in her bespoke Emma Beaumont two piece dress and her beautiful Sophia Webster flats. I love the subtle boho feather theme too in the brides shoes, the stationery and the grooms cuff links.The whole bridal party looked fabulous, including gorgeous Buddy their dog and there is so much joy and laughter in these pictures.

Rob and Jem chose to have their day captured by the brilliant Liam and Bee of The Crawleys and the images are wonderful. The Crawleys are exceptionally talented and some the friendliest, most down to earth folks you’ll meet and that is exactly what you want at your wedding;