Dedicated to Love
March 25, 2015
Rebecca & Ian's Valentine's wedding at Southend Barns
So what better day of the year to tie the knot than the one date in the calendar dedicated to love - Valentine's Day! Rebecca and Ian married at the stunning Southend Barns in West Sussex, a venue very familiar to me and a really beautiful choice in which to celebrate the most romantic day of their lives!
One thing I loved about the couple's take on the Valentine's theme was the gorgeous and unusual colour scheme which was woven throughout the outfits, decor and flowers. Ian and the groomsmen offered me a glimpse of this vibrant colour palette when I arrived at Crouchers Country Hotel on the morning of the wedding to find them looking very dapper in blue suits with purple ties, accessorised with soft coral rose button-holes. This lovely oak-beamed characterful accommodation in Chichester provided a relaxed but modern backdrop for some fun group shots of these guys.
Over at Southend Barns Rebecca was in the luxurious bridal suite being immaculately styled by Chichester's ID Makeup, Hair & Beauty.
Rebecca looked radiant as her mother and Maid of Honour helped her into her gorgeous strapless bridal gown with lace bodice and A-line ruffled skirt.
Dressed and ready to see her groom Rebecca looked very beautiful and quite the picture of romance against her plush bouquet of pinks and corals which warmly complimented her peachy complexion and the long soft curls in her hair.
The details on the day are always interesting to photograph as often they may not be seen or noticed by all of the guests (such as the rings, perfumes and shoes). I like to capture these for the couple's album as I feel they can often reveal something of the couple's personalities and are a little expression of something more individual about the wedding day.
Rebecca and Ian had also brought many personal touches to the day through their hand-drawn signage and carefully crafted stationery and decor. The thought that had gone into tying the various colours together to blend with the outfits and general theme of love was really engaging and delightful to the eye. The ceremony room set the scene with plenty of these unique details, the hanging hearts being just one little reminder of the significance of it being a Valentine's wedding.
The service itself was beautiful and the happiness between the couple was very evident and heart-warming.
The weather was a real mixture that day and after the ceremony we stole a few minutes between showers to pop outside and get a couple of group pictures while it was fine. The mood is always lighter after the vows are done and dusted and we had some fun photographing the guys and the bridal party whilst the rain held off for a few minutes!
The colour scheme I mentioned set for the day was summed up beautifully in this next image.
Stealing away from the crowds it was prime time to utilise the brightness of the day and get a few images of the newly married couple together. What I loved about Rebecca and Ian was how brave they were in front of the camera and how willing to try lots of different ideas in a limited time! Past experience tells me that happily cooperative clients equals fantastic pictures! Rebecca and Ian were up for posing against a backdrop of the quirky cow illustrated wallpaper in the barn and were so obliging that they even achieved some stunning images in the rain, and you would never know!
The light was starting to fade and heading back inside I took the couple into the barn where they were going to be having the reception. It was laid up and decorated magically, named hearts hung off chairs instead of name place cards, fairy lights twinkled and brightly coloured heart-shaped pom-poms hung from the beams. A lovely photo board showed a few personal memories of the couple and ear-marked some of their travels and journey together as a couple, a lovely touch.
One outstanding feature of the day was the amount of cakes that were on offer at the reception! A lovely hand-written blackboard displayed all the different flavoured cakes to choose from and they each looked absolutely delicious (being a dessert lover, this was my idea of heaven)! All the cakes were homemade and very creatively crafted, nothing had been done by halves at this wedding!
The evening celebration kicked off with a fabulous party band from Chichester, The Deloreans. After some dancing, lots of laughter and buckets of smiles the evening wound to a close leaving in all our minds many memories of fun with family, friends and of course feasting on fabulous cake!
Rebecca and Ian were great sports and a pleasure to photograph and I was very happy and honoured to be part of their wonderful wedding and also to share my Valentine's day with them!
Congratulations Rebecca and Ian, thanks for having me and may your anniversary be a very special and romantic day forever more!
Love Kelly x
Kelly Hearn A.B.I.P.P - A.M.P.A