IAN + SARA // A WINTER WEDDING AT DEWSALL COURT

Ian and Sara had the most beautiful late November wedding at Dewsall Court, near Hereford. Sara is a more than a dab hand at crafting lovely things and is responsible for most of the gorgeous details you’re about to see below, including the hanging paper curtain in the ceremony room – honestly, this lady has some serious skills! Check out her craft blog Some Bright Spark. Ian is a graphic designer and art director… so between them I had a hunch this was going to be one good-looking wedding. It was exactly that, but much more importantly it was just what they wanted – a small, intimate gathering in a beautiful place, where everyone felt very much at home. Where their own daughter Lila and all the other kids could come and enjoy the whole weekend as much as the grown ups. The day was relaxed and unravelled gently, and at times I felt as though I’d happened across a large and lovely family, having a ball in their countryside pile. There was some specially crafted fun to keep the small ones entertained, including a full blown dress-up extravaganza (little did their parents know, as they enjoyed dinner in the conservatory, that a spaceman and some fairies had taken over the barn).                                      After dinner and speeches came roaring fires and a pub quiz masterminded by a friend, then candlelight and dancing.

Ian and Sara were a dream to work with, leaving me to capture things as I saw them (a freedom that always brings out the best in me), and braving the chill for just long enough for us to giggle our way round the gardens for some photographs. Some of my favourite little touches included the hilarious place name anagrams, meaning that guests had to work out which was their comically jumbled name – see if you can spot the one that made me laugh out loud the most! Oh, and the flowers… the flowers! I’m a sucker for some succulents and this wedding had them in glorious abundance.

But most of all I loved seeing Ian and Sara get wed, and everyone have such fun together, while the wintry sun poured over everything, and the rooms of the house filled up with light and life and laughter.

It was as tough as ever choosing my favourites from their day, but here are some of them. Hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Flowers: Love, Lily // Dress: Jenny Packham // Kids creche and dress up joy: Cicciona’s