Wow! What an absolute ball this wedding was! I first heard from Izzy & Jake back at the beginning of the winter lockdown in 2021 when I had an offer running. Straightaway from Izzy's description I knew this was going to be such a fun day, without hesitation they booked in after seeing my portfolio on my website and that was that. Then we got a consultation date in for later that year to meet and it solidified even more so for me how much this day was going to be so up my street. Jump forward to their engagement shoot in April 2022 and I got to meet their gorgeous little boy Freddie and their dog Billie.
The next step was their big day in August 2022 which for me started at their flat in Bournemouth, to my amazement Izzy was almost completely ready on my arrival which is amazing as for most brides it's a complete rush until the end, this made for the morning to be so much more relaxed which was wonderful. Just as I arrived I got to say a quick hello to the wonderful Maibel who I've worked with previously at my Scaplens Court wedding, so it was wonderful to see her again and trust that Izzy's make up would be amazing! After some time of getting detail shots of the shoes, jewellery and the stunning flowers by Bottom of the Garden Flowers, it was time for Izzy to get in to her stunning dress from Sarah Jane Bridal, this was such a gorgeous moment with her and her bridesmaids and then before we knew it the time had come to get in the car and head over for the ceremony.
Izzy & Jake had booked Highcliffe Castle for their venue for the ceremony, they were blessed with some gorgeous weather so that the stunning ceremony room was filled with light. One of my favourite moments from this whole day was Izzy's walk down the aisle, she was incredibly emotional and once she'd reached the end she saw Freddie for the first time all day so rushed over to him to say hello and then she turned to Jake and gave him the biggest bear hug. Moments like these are 100% why you need a photographer, most likely with all the emotion and adrenaline Izzy would've forgotten this happened, but now she has the photos to cherish forever.
After a beautiful ceremony filled with tears and laughter the drinks reception started on the lawn and giving me enough time to photograph the group photos, after this the rest of the guests left and set off for the final venue whilst me, Izzy & Jake took our time to get some photos of them in front of the castle which was a really special moment. When we'd completed these it was time for us to set off to Jake's grandparents house in the New Forest where they'd beautifully decorated the garden. When I arrived I was amazed! It was truly as though their vision had come to life!
When I arrived I gathered all the guests to create two lines ready for Izzy & Jake's arrival, in which they were absolute covered in beautiful multicoloured confetti, which was so fun and looked amazing; to be honest at moments I struggled to see them through the camera as there was so much! After this they mingled with their guests which gave me time to snap away getting candid shots but also to have a good look around at what they'd created.
When first entering in to the garden I was greeted with massive bouncy castle and I just knew the young ones were going to have a ball in there! Walking up the driveway I was then hit by a mouth watering smell, which definitely got me hungry! Fired Up! BBQS were cooking away the feast that was going to be ready in a few more hours, a short walk away was the incredible bar that the couple had built themselves. All the drinks were provided by them and it was so fun as they'd created cocktails named after special moments for them which the guests then could try to create. Walking further up again was a coconut throwing, a photobooth area they'd also built, photo walls and beer pong. In between all the fun their stunning decorations of bunting, festoon lighting and flowers was just amazing! It had such a relaxed and fun vibe with all the games, hay bales to sit and relax on, a marquee and dancefloor, it was all exactly what Izzy & Jake had first described to me!
Shortly after this the BBQ was served and without a doubt I would recommend Fired Up! to anyone looking for a BBQ meal from now onwards, the food was incredible! Luckily enough for the guests, for a dessert Izzy & Jake had hired out an ice cream van, which everyone was desperate for as it was such a gorgeous but very hot summers day. I then continued snapping away people playing beer pong and cards against humanity which was fab for some candids.
Time was going by so quickly that before I knew it, it was time for speeches which were so great to hear, I'm pretty sure Izzy found out some new things she'd never heard about Jake! This is always such a lovely moment as I love to learn more about my couples and capture some genuine laughter. Straight after speeches we were so lucky to have two of Izzy's bridesmaids sing their first dance song which was so special. Then I whizzed the happy couple off for a few more photos as it was just gorgeous lighting I couldn't resist, and I'm so so happy with the beautiful shots I captured. For when the evening guests arrived they were also then treated to a lovely hog roast provided by Hog Roast BBQ
Then it wasn't long before I had to leave and unfortunately a lot of guests weren't on the dancefloor and had gone back to sit and chat, so the incredible bridemaids rounded up everyone for me and got so many people on the dancefloor which was fantastic and I'm so certain that this then set the mood for the rest of the evening.
Without a doubt this was one of my favourite weddings of the year, it was so much fun and so relaxed with it's festival vibes, I'd love to have more weddings following this style.
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