A Lilac and Purple Fairytale Wedding in The New Forest
Ooooo, I can't wait for you all to see this one! This is definitely going down as one of my firm-favourites of the year!
I first met Gemma and Karl a year ago at their engagement session, which we did at my favourite spot in Wilverley Inclosure in The New Forest. The Forest was in full-on Autumn-mode, and we had golden trees and beautiful sunshine. My first impressions of the couple were how sweet they were and just thrilled to be getting married. Karl had proposed on the walk back down from conquering Snowdon and taken Gemma completely by surprise. He'd managed to film the proposal too, which I got to watch and it was clear that he had done very well and was (quite rightly too) quite pleased with himself!
The engagement session was lovely and I had been very much looking forward to the wedding ever since. I love Careys Manor, but had only photographed a mid-winter wedding there before, so I hadn't really got to see the building in all it's glory, as it was quite dark!
Now this has been a very very wet Autumn. Unusually wet! But Careys Manor still looked fabulous covered in beautiful red ivy, and after a bit of running in and out, in and out, in and out, we did eventually manage to get all of the group and couples photos taken outside! It was worth the effort, as they look fabulous, and it was lovely to see that the photos (and video) meant so much to the couple that they, and their lovely friends and family, were quite happy to do a bit of rain dodging to make sure we got everything we needed. It certainly makes my day easier when it's raining, but everyone is smiling and happy to go outside even if it's still spitting a bit, rather than scowling at me that their hair might get ruined!
Inside, the autumn fairytale theme came together perfectly and the hotel was a vision in lilac and purple. There was the most stunning wood and flower arch, made by Owen at Little Lillies, which the couple were married under. Owen had also worked his magic on the centre pieces, with individual purple flowers in tiny glass vases, lining the top table, and also decorating the gorgeous cake, by Coco Cakes, Southampton.
The feeling of family being so important was right at the forefront of the wedding, with the Maid of Honour being the Bride's sister, and the Best man being the Groom's brother. Both made lovely speeches, as did the Groom and a very nervous Father of the Bride. They had decided to do the speeches before the food, which I think is very sensible, (and we did at my own wedding), so that everyone can fully relax for the meal and not spend the whole time getting nervous about speaking in front of everyone.
I had some lovely company during the meal, because there were a team of very nice videographers filming the day (Hannah and Tom of Bright Production House). I really like working with videographers. OK, we get in each others way occasionally, but we really do try our best not to, and they always bring their own ideas of couples poses that adds a little something extra to my poses. It helps to keep my photos nice and fresh with ideas. Plus, I get people to chat to while everyone is enjoying their wedding breakfast!
The first dance was an adorable mix of being slightly embarrassed that everyone was looking at them, and just looking deliriously happy at being newlyweds. It was very sweet, and probably has my favourite photo of the whole day. See if you can guess which one is my favourite!
Congratulations again to the gorgeous new Mr and Mrs and may I wish you every happiness for the future!
Venue: Careys Manor
Dress: The Bridal Mill, Botley
MUA: Rebecca Grace
Hair Stylist: Bridal Hair by Abby
Rings: David Mellor
Flowers: Owen at Little Lillies
Suits: Cavendish Menswear
MOH dress: ASOS
Cake: Coco Cakes, Southampton
Invites: The Invite Shack
