I've been looking forward to sharing this beautiful wedding. This was my first time as a wedding photographer at The Old Kent Barn and it was a real pleasure. A beautiful sunny day, the Wisteria still in bloom, gorgeous couple, and lots of stunning details to photograph - the stars were obviously aligned 🙂
I loved their wedding stationery - with beautiful signs, a table plan, table names, and menu. The theme of 'bringing the outside in' worked so well at the venue and enhanced the ambient relaxed feel. The genuine leaf place holders for the wedding breakfast were a brilliant idea and looked amazing. You may have imagined that the mix of British & Swiss cultures would have caused divide to the day, but whether it was the personalities of their guests or the atmosphere Hannah & Jérôme had created, everyone seemed as close or even closer here than many weddings of one nationality. Everyone was going out of their way to mingle, and were all thoroughly enjoying themselves. The mother of the bride's surprise speech in French went down especially well, as did the video presentation by the couple's friends.
After the sun had set (and I'd taken the couple around the grounds for some golden hour portraits) we headed inside for their first dance where the fairy lights adorning the pillars of the main barn provided a stunning backdrop that I was keen to utilise. After this, we all headed outside for a sparkler tunnel before a few night portraits around the grounds.
I absolutely loved photographing this wedding and am so pleased to share it. Here are few words from Hannah & Jérôme in their words:
How did you meet, & how did you become engaged?
"We met 7 years ago in London at work! He was sitting opposite me in our office :)"
How long did you take to plan your wedding?
"We planned our wedding within 10 months, so as you can imagine it was full on from the start. Especially as we live in Switzerland, so planning a wedding from afar was also a challenge in itself!"
What made you choose your wedding venues and how did you decorate them?
"Our venue really surprised us when we visted it, I orignally didn’t want a barn venue but when I went to OKB I was blown away by the beautiful surroudings and how relaxed the whole place felt. We had a special moment when we first walked in the grounds they were playing our song on the outside speakers, so from that moment, we knew it was the place for us.
As for the style of our wedding, we wanted to keep things simple, elegant and fresh. I choose to have white flowers with greenery for all the flower decorations. To tie in with this, I had real leafs persevered for the table names, fresh white linen, white chair covers with white roses. The main style I went for was bringing the outdoors in."
What inspired you to style your day the way you did?
"We wanted the whole day to feel relaxed for everyone, so having the ceremony outside really set a beautiful atmosphere for the day."
How did you decide on your dress and accessories?
"I went for a completely different style to what I thought I wanted. It took me a while to find my dress, but when I did I knew it was perfect. I wanted to feel comfortable and I didn’t want anything too detailed, and this was the same for my whole look. I had a small hair accessory and my shoes had a very small heel. I also kept my make-up very natural, as I do not normally wear much."
How did you decide on the outfits for the groom and groomsmen?
"As we live abroad we wanted to go with a brand we knew and trusted. We also wanted them to be good quality, as we bought all the suits for the groomsmen. We were so happy with the overall look of the groomsmen, the tie colour really complimented the suits."
Who gave you away / walked you down the aisle? And did you walk down the aisle to a particular song?
"My dad gave me away, it was such a special moment, one of my favourites from the day. We walked down the aisle to Yellow by Coldplay instrumental version which our favourite song. It brought a tear to my husband’s eye."
Would you like to share anything about your vows? Did you tailor your own?
"We kept the traditional vows, as we wanted to keep the ceremony short and sweet."
Did you have any readings? If so, what were they and why did you choose them?
"We had one reading, which my brother read after we said our vows. I choose the reading because it reminds us to think about all the important things in life."
Please describe your wedding breakfast and the reasons behind it?
"Our wedding breakfast was a 3-course sit-down meal. We wanted the food to be as ‘British’ as possible so that the Swiss guests can enjoy some of the specialities. We had mini Yorkshires, mustard sausages canapés, fish & chips cones and 'Eton Mess' all to tie in with the British theme. The guests had already pre-ordered their food on the RSVP, they had 3 options to choose from so we knew that everyone would be happy. After all food is a very important part of any wedding 🙂"
Did you provide wedding favours? If so, please provide details or what and where you sourced them
"I saw a great idea online and we wanted an element of fun for our favours, so we got scratch cards and of course a bag of Swiss chocolate."
Please describe your cake and why you chose it?
"We wanted our cake to be simple and tasty. We were hesitant whether to have a cake as I have seen at many weddings people don’t eat much of it, so therefore we kept ours small. The cake was decorated with the same flowers that I had in my bouquet"
What was your first dance track and what did it mean to you?
"Our first dance song was of course Coldplay again! Sky full of Stars. We were always going to dance to this song as it means a lot to us, and we liked that it was uplifting, as we wanted our guests to join in the dance halfway through."
What was your favourite part of the day and why?
"I loved every moment of the day, from the special moments with my Mum and bridesmaids in the morning, to dancing away, it was all wonderful. I really tried to take everything in as everyone said to me before that it goes so quickly so I enjoyed every second. I would say my highlights were, my Dad seeing me in my dress for the first time, walking down the aisle and seeing everyone you love in one place, to saying my vows to the man of my dreams, and my Mums surprise poem in French!"
What led you to choose Nick from Parkershots as your photographer and please can you comment on the results?
"I saw Nick from Parkershots' work online and I knew straight away that I wanted him as my photographer as I really like his unique style. I would 100% use Nick as my photographer again. He was amazing on the day, everyone commented on how polite and friendly he was. As for the pictures, well they just speak for themselves. We absolutely love them!! I can’t thank him enough for my beautiful wedding pictures that we will treasure forever."
On reflection, is there anything you would have done differently with foresight?
"There is nothing I would have changed. It was perfect."
If you could impart any words of wisdom to a bride to be planning her marriage and wedding day, what would they be?
"Do not let stress/nerves ruin any moments of the wedding prep /wedding day as it will all work out perfectly, so no point stressing about that small things. Enjoy every moment as before you know it, its all over."
Is there anything else that you would like to add?
"I wish I could do it all over again. I am already talking about renewing my vows haha"
The Suppliers:
- Bride’s gown (Designer and boutique) Wtoo, Helena Fortley https://helenafortley.co.uk/
- Jewellery (Designer & Boutique) Browed MOB
- Shoes: Roland Cartier
- Veil / Headpiece : Donna Crain
- Perfume : J’adore Dior
- Hair Stylist : Hero Hairstylist https://www.herohairstylist.com/
- Make-up Artist : Helen Lee https://www.helenleemakeup.co.uk/
- Florist : Maggie Rose Flowers
- Rings : 77 Diamonds
- Venue : Old Kent Barn
- Décor / Styling : Old Kent Barn
- Cake Maker : M&S
- Caterer : Old Kent Barn
- Bridesmaids Dresses : ASOS
- Groom / Groomsmen suits : M&S
- Wedding Planner: Old Kent Barn
- Stationery: Rather Lovely Stuff
- Entertainment : Apollo Funk
- Photographer: Parkershots
- Honeymoon :Trailfinders
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