So today (saturday 5th) should of been this couples wedding day at Notley Abbey, Buckinghamshire, however Covid changed that. So I suggested a champagne picnic at the stunning wedding venue in Buckinghamshire and do a little pre wedding photo session, to give them something to enjoy and remember the day by. I am so happy with the engagements photos. The couple were super giggly and utterly loved up! I am glad I was able to give them a day to remember and made the what would off been wedding date a joyous experience. Planning a wedding is difficult as it is without the current pandemic thrown into the mix. First time photographing at this venue in Buckinghamshire how stunning is Notley Abbey? I am very lucky to be able to offer my couples something that full of love and thought especially on a day that was meant to be more.

Can’t wait for their wedding in February next year and celebration in August.

here’s a sneak peek 🥰

Love Carla

The gorgeous Katie and Simon got married in November at the stunning venue called Secret Garden., Kent. The weather was picture perfect deep blue skies, gentle sunshine and just the right amount of cloud. I have been obsessing over this wedding for ages - Katies style had me written all over it. It was hard not to “borrow” the dress and Dr Martens haha.

What I adore about this wedding is Katie use to teach my children at primary school, she was also a bridesmaids to another wedding I photographed who was also a teacher who taught my children as well. You can find the wedding here Emma & Jack

On the day itself I was chatting away to her parents completely forgetting that these guys have seen me very very drunk as a plus 1 to another wedding many years ago and the bride from that wedding was also a guest and remembered me, I actually got on the dance floor with a young man and we did a strictly come dancing style dance where I ended up flashing my knickers to everyone - I got a standing ovation for it though 💁

I cannot believe I forgot about how I basically entertained the guests with my dancing or didn’t make the connection who Katies parents were 😂, we had a giggle over it.

Back to the wedding it was full retro, with dinosaur cake made by the amazing Cake Witch her cakes literally fill the room with the most inviting delicious smell and taste divine! Then there is that dress literally a unicorns dream, my candy floss sparkly bride! The Secret Garden in Kent is so pretty and whimsical it really is a photographers delight as a Kent wedding photographers I get excited when I find out the venue booked is here. With its wild flower meadows, quirky green house, cobbled pavements and sparkly lights everywhere - heaven.

I asked Katie and Simon a few questions so I’ll let them finish the blog post off. If you love the pictures then leave the couple some love in the comments!

How did you both meet?
I joined the Dungeons and Dragons group that Simon was already in and he used to walk me to the train station afterwards.

How did you know they were the one?
It was at a Cure concert in Hyde Park, I’d last seen them when I was 15 with my first boyfriend and I remember looking at Simon and thinking ‘and now I’m seeing them with my last boyfriend’.

Can you tell me how you proposed?
It was Christmas day and I had a shocking hangover and was in my pajamas. Simon got home from work and after we’d open our presents I was on the sofa stuffing my face with cheese when he handed me a card with a lot of very romantic sentiments and ‘PS Close your eyes’ at the end.

What made you guys choose your wedding venue?
The sausage rolls. We both decided quite early on that food would be one of the most important elements and The Secret Garden do the most amazing homemade sausage rolls.

What was your inspiration behind your wedding theme/day?
There wasn’t any! We just picked a lots of different things that we loved, everything from Portal to Jurassic Park to my love of giant neon puns and threw them together then hoped for the best.

What was your first song and why?
The Book of Love by Peter Gabriel. We realised we didn’t actually have ‘a song’ so in the name of democracy we made playlist where we both added songs we loved and picked from there.

If you could give any couples getting married one tip what would it be?
Don’t read too many articles about what you ‘must’ do and when. It will stress you out and on the day you won’t even notice the placecards you spent hours looking for.

What tips would you give to couples to keep that spark alive?
Whenever possible don’t take life too seriously.

Wedding Suppliers
Hair stylist: Christopher Wise
Website: @chris_snips
Make up artist: Jessica Hawkins
Website: https://www.jessicahawkinsmakeup.com/
Brides Dress: WardrobeByDulcinea
Website: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/WardrobeByDulcinea
Bridesmaids dresses: Willow and Pearl
Website: https://willowandpearl.co.uk/
Brides Shoes: Dr Martens
Website: https://www.drmartens.com/
Suits: Next
Website: www.next.co.uk
Florist and Venue Decoration: Anemone Blue
Website: https://www.anemoneblue.co.uk/
Cake: The Cake Witch
Website: https://thecakewitch.co.uk/
Band/DJ: Fred Clark and Iain Baker
Website: https://www.fredclark.co.uk/
https://www.iainbakerweddingdj.co.uk/

Zoe & Jonny got married at Wadhurst Castle, Sussex. Cool venue and doggo friendly - bonus! They are a gorgeous couple and completely into photography so got to have some creative fun with them! Anyway I sent them some homework and absolutely love what they said in their questionnaire! Hope you love the images as much as I do and if you fancy having a photographer who is more than just a photographer on your day to capture it then please get in touch. I wanna know all about your plans and can help, advise and recommend a number of suppliers.

Here’s what they said.

How did you both meet? 

We met at Focus DIY in 2003. Jonny already worked there and I got a job on the checkouts on Saturday’s whilst completing my A-Levels. 

How did you know they were the one? 

Zoe: I know its cliché to say, but we are soul mates. We have always ‘got each other’ and are always on the ‘same page’. We have grown up together and grown closer during that time but our outlook and goals have always included one another. I just couldn’t imagine my life without Jonny and his commitment to coming to see me every weekend in London did and will forever mean everything to me because neither one of us wanted to give up on what we had. 

Jonny: Zoe has always made me really happy and when she went off to University I knew then she was the one because of how much I missed her and I just wanted to be with her. I spent three years driving to London every weekend so I could spend time with her. I love her so much and always will. 

Can you tell me how you proposed? 

Well…we kind of just decided together in June 2018 that the time was right! We have been together for so many years and have always talked about the future and ‘when we get married’ that after attending a friend’s beautiful wedding in Majorca we were once again talking about ‘our wedding’ and how we would do things and Jonny said ‘shall we just do it?’ and that was it. We started planning and got married just over a year later. 

What made you guys choose your wedding venue? 

I was searching for dog friendly wedding venues!! It was very important to us that our beloved cocker spaniel Coco was a part of our day. I had never imagined looking at a castle before but up popped Wadhurst Castle. As soon as we pulled up and walked around to the back and saw the beautiful views and landscaped gardens, we just knew that’s where we wanted to get married. The icing on the cake was the stunning walled garden which was licenced to marry us outside (another thing on our wish list) and meant that Coco would be able to run around in a safe, enclosed space! Then we saw the castle itself, which was absolutely beautiful and the rooms all interconnect which allowed for a free flowing and open space between the bar, dance floor and dining room. The bridal suite, wow…the room itself is absolutely stunning but you are drawn to the balcony and windows which are floor to ceiling revealing the most amazing view of East Sussex. It was just perfect in every way. On top of that Sue the venue manager was so helpful, relaxed and made us feel extremely welcome, important and could visualise our ideas and offered some of her own. We left feeling extremely excited after we booked our wedding for Thursday 8th August 2019 ☺ 

What was your inspiration behind your wedding theme/day? 

I have always loved the rustic/vintage look and always imaged having old ladders, crates, log slices as centre pieces and started to buy/source these items. We decided to collect glass jars and decorated them with lace/beads. My Mum is amazing at arts and crafts and she made all of the bunting and dream catchers (something I had seen on Pinterest and loved!). I found a lovely little shop in Hastings Old Town which sells the most beautiful dried flowers and I decided to use them, that way we were able to prepare all of the decorations prior to a couple of days before. I then found a company called The Artisan Dried Flower Company that make wedding bouquets, button holes and corsages using wild meadow flowers which fitted perfectly with the other flowers I had already bought helped to reflect/capture the vintage theme, plus, we got to keep them all!! 

What was your first dance and why? 

Eric Clapton, You Look Wonderful Tonight. 

Jonny: It just reflects everything about Zoe and how wonderful she looked not only that night, but the whole day! 

If you could give any couples getting married one tip what would it be? 

During the (wedding) day itself take some time away from everybody to spend 5/10 minutes alone. The day goes incredibly fast and you will probably feel like you barely see your new husband/wife as you are circulating around your friends and family. 

What tips would you give to keep that spark alive? 

Tell each other that you love them – every day! 

Talk…talk about anything and listen 

Laugh with each other 

Make time for each other

Support each other’s own interests 

Wedding Suppliers

Hair Stylist: Kitty Radford-Earle (Friend)

Website: 

Make-up: Own make-up 

Brides Dress: Jesus Peiro

Website: http://www.pantilesbride.com/

Bridesmaids Dresses: ASOS Design maxi dress with flutter sleeve and lace insert

Website: https://www.asos.com/women/dresses/bridesmaid-dresses/

Brides Shoes: Warehouse sandals with toe post

Website: https://www.asos.com/warehouse/warehouse-sandals-with-toe-post

Suits: Empire Mills Signature British Wool – Taupe 

Website: https://www3.next.co.uk/g232237s10#542317

Grooms Shoes: Derby Lace Up – Tan 

Website: https://www3.next.co.uk/g23398s10#193365

Florist and Venue Decoration 

Bouquets, button holes and corsages – Wild Meadow dried flowers

Website: The Artisan Dried Flower Company - https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/558352450/wild-meadow-dried-flower-lapel-corsage?ref=yr_purchases

Centre Pieces / Decoration – dried flowers from Reste, Hastings 

Website: www.reste.co.uk 

Cake: Sandra Brasier (Friend) 

Website:

DJ: Alfie Eldridge from Matt Maurice Event Production

Website: www.mattmaurice.co.uk 

So here it is the sneak peek of Jonny & Holly’s wedding which took place on a gloriously hot day in April at cool wedding venue - The Gardens, Yalding, Kent! Now these two are blooming epic, their taste in music is exquisite so much so I got them to send me over their playlist for the day which I have been playing whilst editing their collection. Holly with her boho chic wedding styling and Jonny with his immense suit, I am in love and thoroughly enjoyed being part of their day and also having a dance on the dance floor! Also brides should do a speech! This wedding venue has so much to offer and is a wedding photographers dream.