When I met Kate and Lawrie for their engagement shoot back in May, I had a feeling that their wedding was going to be a hugely entertaining occasion and I wasn’t wrong! They have a lovely, playful relationship and this certainly was in evidence through all the festivities.
The ceremony was held in the beautiful 12th Century church of All Saints in Petham. It was a wonderfully relaxed service, with plenty of smiles and laughter all round, and a very jolly Vicar who was very accommodating – and bopped down the isle ahead of the bridesmaids and Kate and her father! I was helped out at the end of the ceremony, by some very enthusiastic confetti throwing, which provided great images of the couple leaving the church.
The reception was held at the family farm, nestled in the midst of beautiful Kent orchards with a picturesque view of Canterbury Cathedral in the distance. Kate and Lawrie had tirelessly transformed the historic brick and timber barn where the wedding breakfast and celebrations were held, and it looked stunning. Hay bales and firepits extended the rustic theme into the courtyard, where Kate and Lawrie had set out a whole range of lawn games for their guests – good fun to capture on film!
I adored Kate’s elegant bridal gown (designed by Pronovias from TeoKath), fitted at the waist and with a V shaped back, it suited her slender figure perfectly and way her hair was styled (by Jessica Hawkins) Kate looked like a goddess!
I thought their bold colour scheme worked amazingly well – the bridesmaids were dressed in deep blue with bright yellow shoes, each carrying a posy of sunflowers that contrasted beautifully with their dresses and echoed Kate’s rustic sunflower bouquet. . In the barn, the sunflower theme was continued into the table decorations. I loved the other little touches – each guest had a Lego character by their place name. Very original and very amusing! Instead of a wedding cake, family and friends made cakes which were truly delicious, while strawberries from the farm were served with cream for the dessert. It’s little touches like these that made the wedding so original and personal.
As a wedding photographer, I’m conscious that it’s vital to plan the day with the bride and groom, so that we can maximise the timing with the least disruption to the celebrations. We’d arranged for Kate and Lawrie to slip out for some portrait shots, while their guests were being seated for the wedding breakfast and, as luck would have it, the rich dark grey sky gave us a very dramatic backdrop, and wonderful lighting for the images.
One of the highlights of the day has to be the singing waiters. Kate’s father had organised them as a surprise – Yasmin and I were the only people in on the secret. The challenge was to stealthily get ourselves into position to capture the event when they began to perform without looking suspicious. What a great idea – everybody loved it and the pictures speak for themselves. Another was their band The Milestones – they had the dance floor rocking with their incredible vocals, energy and vibe.
Here are some of my favourite images from their fabulous, fun filled countryside wedding! Thank you for making me and Yasmin feel so welcome and such a part of your special day!
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