It’s always such a joy, and I feel truly humbled when people recommend me to their family and friends; it’s such a wonderful feeling. That’s the way it was with Luke and Suby’s autumn wedding at The Great Barn in Rolvenden. Lukes mum Lyn is a friend and my yoga teacher, and I was thrilled when they booked. I was also really looking forward to working at The Great Barn again as it had been a while!
Restored Windmill
I joined Suby and her family at a beautiful windmill in Benenden, Kent, called Old Smock Mill. It’s a luxury B&B that has been through a beautiful restoration and conversion. As an aside, it was featured on TV in early 2021 with Sandi Toksvig in Extraordinary Escapes. The interior has large, heavy beams and high ceilings where you can still see the original machinery. It’s beautiful, and a very romantic setting, which was perfect as the couple would be spending their wedding night there!
Handmade Details
My husband Jim joined me for the day as an assistant, and he caught up with Luke and the boys at The Great Barn before the ceremony for a few fun shots.
When I arrived at the barn, I found many handmade details to photograph, from the bunting and the strings of photographs to the gift table and the jars of pretty flowers. Lukes very clever stepfather had made the bar for the wedding, and it looked terrific decorated with the couples theme of wooden hearts! It indeed was a family affair. They had all been at the barn for the two days beforehand, getting everything set up!
Barn Ceremony and Reception
When I arrived, the catering team had set out the ceremony chairs in the lower part of the barn facing a raised area where the couple would exchange their vows. The bride arrived in a Volkswagon Camper Van and beamed as she walked towards her groom!
They made their promises and headed out into the bright October sunshine through a bombardment of confetti and the drinks reception held in the outside barn and the beautiful grounds.
After family photos, I took a relaxed stroll with the couple around the barn for some shots of the two of them in the fast-fading light.
An Indian Wedding Breakfast
The wedding breakfast was a fabulous Indian meal, mostly vegetarian which is perfect for me! It was unusual but perfect for the couple and the setting. It was one of the loveliest wedding meals I’ve ever eaten!
Multilingual Speeches
The speeches were both funny and poignant and very lovely. Luke even managed his speech twice, in both English and French!
A little later, the dancing kicked off enthusiastically, not long after!
Creative Shots
To finish the evening, I took the couple into the open barn outside to capture a creative shot of them with the twinkle lights that had been carefully arranged and displayed by Lukes stepdad. I love to incorporate key personal details in any creative photos that I do for couples.
This wedding celebrated the coming together of two families and friends from all over the globe. It was warm, welcoming and extremely fun. I loved every minute of photographing Luke and Suby’s big day; it was an honour and a pleasure and one I’ll remember for a long time to come.
The Suppliers
Venue – The Great Barn at Rolvenden
