A rustic barn for an autumnal wedding

Hatice and Jon chose the charming rustic barn that is ‘The Great Barn’ in Ruislip to host their autumnal wedding back in October. Having already enjoyed a fabulous Turkish affair earlier in the year they were looking to now make their marriage official with their nearest and dearest.

Having enjoyed lunch with Hatice and some mutual friends a week before the wedding I knew I was going to thoroughly enjoy capturing the day as this bride and groom knew how to have fun!

I had the pleasure of being joined for the day by my second shooter Laura and we arrived to a flurry of activity at the barn with the grooms party still there arranging the final details. They soon scurried off while Laura and I got to work capturing the lovely flowers by Viva Creative Flower Company which decorated the fairy lit barn to perfection.

I can remember in one of our pre wedding calls discussing the days timings with Hatice. I mentioned how often things don’t run to time on the wedding day. We had a bit of a joke as Hatice promised me her day would run like clockwork...well Hatice kept her side of the bargain but groom Jon didn’t get the memo! With a slight delay he soon arrived in looking the part! Hatice arrived shortly after in a vintage police car which was the first of many nods to this couples careers.

The beautiful bridesmaids walked the aisle in Jarlo London gowns followed by the beautiful bride in a dress all the way from White Angel Gelinlik Ve Abiye in Turkey.

One of my favourite moments from the ceremony (bar the huge grins on both the Bride and Grooms faces) was Jon’s nephew standing up as the ring bearer and getting the rings out of a personalised mini police car by PJ Shaw Toys.

These thoughtful details carried on throughout the day including a racing themed table plan by Happily Ever Hausers featuring a race card style description of each guest, in tribute to this couples love of horse racing (At Christmas Hatice messaged me about a race in Ireland where a horse called Ellie Mac was running...I totally blame her for the tenner I lost haha) The beautiful personalised cake topper by Fira Studio was a perfect finish to the rustic naked wedding cake by The Cakery,Leamington Spa and looked perfectly at home in the traditional barn. The grooms sister had even made figurines of the couple that were incredibly lifelike! Talking of talented family members, Jons Aunt had drawn a brilliant sketch of the inside of the barn which took pride of place on the front cover of the photo books that adorned each table for guests to flick through. The rest of the wedding stationary had been artfully crafted by Grey Fox Designs and fitted the theme of soft pinks and country wedding perfectly.

After a heartfelt ceremony with the beaming couple, featuring a lovely reading by one of the flower girls and a reading written by two of Hatice’s closest friends, the wedding party were let loose into the quad behind the barn for fizz and canapés. We then dragged the couple off for 15 minutes alone to capture some couples portraits amongst the orchard before they got to enjoy a wedding breakfast by Dubilicious catering.

The speeches were up next with both bride and groom taking to the stand first to say a few words. They were rounded up with a ‘this is your life style’ speech delivered by Jons brother and best man, complete with photo slide show projected on a huge screen to see some of Jons best shots over the years.

Before first dance and the evening kicked off I made the most of the orchard and the dark evening drawing in with some off camera flash shots. Winter weddings may mean less light but there’s lots of fun to be hand with a flash in hand. Onwards to the barn for a first dance before the party really kicked off. Seeing the totally proud look on Hatice’s fathers face during the first dance and when he then took to the floor to dance with his daughter completed my night perfectly!

Hatice and Jon you have a truly awesome group of friends and the most wonderful loving family. It was a pleasure to a part of your big day and I wish you a lifetime of fun and adventures...I know you have already kicked that off with what looked like the most epic honeymoon...I was green with envy seeing the honeymoon pictures! XxX

Venue: The Great Barn, Ruislip

Wedding Gown: White Angel Gelinlik Ve Abiye (Gaziantep, Turkey)

Bridesmaids Gowns: Jarlo London

Beauty and Hair: By the bride herself

Suits: Slaters Menswear

Florals: Viva Creative Flower Company

Sketch of Barn on the photobook by Jons Aunt (Chris Dougall)

Welcome Sign: Peach Wolfe Paper Co

Invite: Grey Fox Designs

Guest book: Fira Studio

Cake initials topper: Fira Studio

Table plan: Happily Ever Hausers