Suzi Lawrence Photography

Natural Photography made with love

Wedding

Lapstone Barn Relaxed Countryside Wedding

I’ve been looking forward to sharing this wedding on the Blog, as I loved spending the day with this lovely couple and all their friends and family. Emma and Charlie planned their wedding from outside of the Cotswolds so we had had an initial Skype consultation and discussed what they were looking for and their ideas for the wedding day, they were super relaxed and wanted a real celebration, good food, good music and a brilliant party to celebrate with their friends and family.

As a photographer capturing the natural moments this was a great gig…there were so many emotional and funny moments during the day, neither Charlie nor Emma take themselves too seriously and really set a fun tone for the day. They had their whole wedding and reception at Lapstone Barn so once the guests had arrived they could relax.

There’s the perfect suite upstairs at Lapstone Barn for the Bride and her party to get ready and know that they don’t have to travel far to the Ceremony. They can even spy on the guests arriving which is always fun!

The flowers from this wedding really blew me away! I love colour and the mix of big, full, sumptuous pink and peach peonies and roses (some of which were a variety called ‘Miss Piggy’-how great is that!) added real luxury to the styling. Emma had mentioned they wanted long banqueting tables with flowers running along the middle and I adore this set up, it has a real Mediterranean feel and is great for the party vibe, it certainly didn’t disappoint, it was gorgeous! The beautiful Ceremony room was decorated with giant floral urns and delicate vases of flowers hung off the end chairs to create colour down the isle, this was the work of the wildly talented Jo at Aqua Florist, definitely check her out if you’re at the planning stage of your wedding.

The brilliant Angharad James harpist played as the bridesmaids and Bride came down the isle and a really special personal touch (and a first for me) was the bride Emma’s sister singing in a trio during the Ceremony, this was a real tear jerker. And I was very pleased to capture the moment the Celebrant accidentally used the Best Man’s name instead of the Groom’s during the Vows, Charlie’s expression was hilarious!

Other mentions should go to the delicious looking ‘naked wedding cake’ created by Fran at the Cut Above Cake , the beautiful wedding gown that looked stunning on Emma from Paverly Bridal in London and the calming serene team getting everyone ready in the morning from Sandra Elizabeth Hair and Make Up.

We had a stunning sunset with really beautiful golden light after the wedding breakfast and with the space at Lapstone we were able to go off for a quiet little wander by the fields to get some couple shots and give Emma and Charlie a chance to chat to each other and take a break in all the excitement. This is something I feel is really important for the couple, a wedding can be overwhelming and busy with all the people you care about there, so the couple shots gives you an excuse to check in with each other and say “hello, we just got married!”

After this little time out it was time to get on the dance floor and WOW what a band! EVERYONE was dancing, what a party, The Indie Killers sure know how to fill a floor and were amazing, another top recommendation!

Alongside me for the day was Rob from Chime Films, as a photographer I often work alongside videographers and we don’t always know each other but it’s great if you can be a team for the day and Rob was brilliant to work with, very easy going.

This was a really joyous occasion. I think it really proved that when the day comes around it should be your chance to finally relax and enjoy the celebrations. If you choose suppliers you can talk to and who are experienced they should have everything in order so you can trust them to take over on the day, leaving you free to look gorgeous and party!

Venue- Lapstone Barn

Florist- Aqua Florist

Brides Dress – Paverly Bridal

Grooms Suit- Hackett

Hair and Make Up – Sandra Elizabeth Hair and Make Up

Harpist – Angharad James Harpist

Cake – Cut Above Cakes

Band – The Indie Killers

Videographer- Chime Films

Skål, snowdrops and sunshine at Clearwell Castle

The Spring sunshine we had took me back to a wedding this time last year at the stunning Clearwell Castle.

Charlotte and James’ wedding was packed with personality! When we met to chat about their day, they said they were keen on all things Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings, they’d chosen Clearwell as a stunning local Castle to fit their fairytale/fantasy wedding. It’s full of gothic detail, has a very mythical feel about it and plenty of grandeur!

James and Charlotte met thanks to their mutual love of motorbikes and James arrived with his Groomsman at the castle on their beloved bikes. What an awesome modern fairy tale entrance (another form of horsepower!)

Charlotte’s intricate dress from Chanticleer had been altered especially to add in a lace lilac train at the back which was the colour running through all the details of the day, a beautiful leaf detail dress with sparkling embellishment and a simple silhouette with a dip to show off Charlotte’s back tattoo looked gorgeous on her.

The Ceremony was super emotional as they’d done something very few couples are brave enough to do…written their own vows!!!! Not a dry eye in the house and I (as usual) was a bit ‘watery eyed’ behind the camera too!

Family was hugely important to both Charlotte and James on their day and their flowergirl (the multicoloured unicorn) James’ niece definitely had her fair share of the limelight. Charlotte had moved to the UK from Denmark and her family were in full Viking swing, leading the way with plenty of ‘skål’ toasts to celebrate!

It was a fantastic day, very unique, alternative, a real coming together of two families and traditions and all the better for it! Skål to that!

(Please click on images to see them properly)

Happy Valentine’s Day, Enjoy a Complimentary Engagement Photoshoot!

Happy Valentines Day!

I have a very exciting offer launching today with the amazing Hannah Kimber Jewellery. I’d met up with Hannah Kimber about working together and thought a really exciting opportunity and offer we could do together would be to offer couples creating a bespoke Engagement ring with Hannah a complimentary Engagement shoot with me to celebrate!

‘Gift of an Engagement Session worth £250’

An Engagement Shoot is a lovely chance to capture some natural shots, in a place that you both love, maybe on a dog walk in the fresh air, at home or a couple of different locations. It could be where you got Engaged (if it’s close to home).The shoot takes a maximum of two hours and can be a really good idea if you are feeling a bit apprehensive about being in front of the camera on your wedding day or just a celebration of your Engagement and a chance to show off your lovely new Engagement ring!

And what better time to launch this exciting offer than Valentine’s Day!

I visited Hannah at her studio recently. She’s based in Cheltenham in a beautiful Regency studio in the heart of Cheltenham. With years of experience and awards she’s a super professional and can take your ideas and create a personal and stunning piece of jewellery that will be treasured for a lifetime.

Hannah is very relaxed and friendly too so there’s no need to feel intimidated or uncomfortable, she’s happy to talk prices and options and her passion for her work is obvious, not to mention all the lovely Thank you cards and Testimonials she has. To find out more about creating a bespoke Engagement ring, click here Hannah Kimber Engagement Ring 

Whilst at Hannah’s I photographed some of the current pieces she’s been working on which were stunning, I’m like a magpie and love, love, love jewellery, especially working with sparkly rings and diamonds! It’s also really interesting to see behind the scenes at all the stages of creating these special pieces of jewellery, from the initial design to the work bench to the final polished sparkler!

I’m really excited to meet some of Hannah’s clients and capture some beautiful and fun engagement images, it’s such a special time, a real declaration of love!

And on that note Happy Valentine’s Day!

These images feature one of Hannah’s beautiful creations.

Terms and Conditions

Hannah Kimber Jewellery and Suzi Lawrence Photography reserve the right to cancel this offer without notice at any time. For clarity, if the offer is cancelled, only existing booked photoshoots will be progressed. Each photoshoot is offered solely by Suzi Lawrence Photography. No other photographers will be engaged. Photoshoots are subject to Suzi Lawrence schedules, availability and terms and conditions. Offer applies to Gloucestershire only.

Lapstone Barn Wedding- Louise + Fraser

Meeting Louise and Fraser for our initial chat I discovered they were a very chilled couple, looking for something very individual, a day that was not about following convention but celebrating their way with the people who mean the most to them. This is something I really enjoy capturing as a wedding is a personal celebration I think it should always be about doing it your way.

They had decided on a civil ceremony and had chosen Lapstone Barn, a really stunning new Cotswold Barn venue, Agi, the General Manager and Katie, the Wedding Director at Lapstone Barn are both really friendly professionals so it all felt very relaxed on the day!

Louise and Fraser were having an initial ceremony which was small and intimate in the morning, this, in their eyes, was a more of a formality and then the second, bigger ceremony in the afternoon would include more guests and readings. Both the ceremonies were full of laughter and a few happy tears at the main ceremony, it felt very personal and the Celebrants were fantastic, choosing a celebrant who helps you feel at ease and brings a sense of excitement and joy to the ceremony makes all the difference.

Louise and her bridesmaids and both Mothers were in the lovely Hayloft at the top of the barn whilst Louise got ready and were able to keep an eye on guests arriving and nip down to check on everything and say hello. It’s a great space for relaxing and has enough room for all the outfit changes and many, many bags of essentials needed when getting ‘wedding ready’!!! Louise had two very different outfits, the first for the small, morning ceremony was a very stylish knee length white dress with a bias cut trim across the waist, a great modern bride look. Then Louise changed into a beautiful lace detailed, fishtailed wedding dress from Grand Jour that looked so romantic and suited her perfectly. Louise had help from her talented bridesmaids with her hair and make up, laughing and joking whilst tweaking and perfecting everything, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such relaxed bridal prep!

The flowers for the day were bright and cheerful and the tables were covered in gorgeous jars full of strong colours and wonderful mixtures of shapes and styles. They were all done by Sue at The Bay Tree florist and were different to anything I’d seen before, the mix of colours were fantastic! The look was very rustic and simple but in no way boring!

The cake was also a real triumph, made by a family friend who was once in the cake industry it was a really impressive countryside colour explosion, with painted details, edible flowers, mushrooms and butterflies. Louise was delighted as it was exactly her vision!

After the ceremony everyone enjoyed canapes and drinks in the stylish courtyard and the patio area with garden games. Lapstone Barn is surrounded by open countryside which is fantastic as it feels very private but not hemmed in, it also makes for great shots and the different spaces and backdrops provide opportunities to have some group and couple images without being watched by all the guests.

Louise and Fraser had the day that they wanted without being too tied to convention and it was a real joy to capture such a fun wedding, anyway that’s more than enough from me, here are the images from their brilliant day!

Venue https://www.lapstonebarn.co.uk

Flowers https://www.thebaytreeatcamden.com

Dress http://www.grandjour.co.uk

Celebrant Ruth Gwilliam http://www.ruthgwilliamceremonies.co.uk

 

Natalie and Tom, Upcote Barn

This was such a fun wedding! Natalie was a super organised bride, who had thought of everything and even when the heavens opened and the rain poured they didn’t let it stop their fun for a second. On meeting Natalie and Tom for their initial chat about their wedding at Upcote Barn they told me that their dog Milo would be their ring bearer and that they were having a bucking bronco in the evening, this was a little different and that always makes it a lot exciting!

Despite the rain on the day, it cleared later, (as with every rainy wedding there’s normally a break in the downpour) and this gave us the chance for some lovely couple shots by the lake, (with a boat and everything!) and shots with their brilliant bridal party and yes…the bride to get her go on the bucking bronco!!!! Yaaaaaaas Natalie, you totally rocked being a chilled bride and did yourself proud on the bull!

 

I’d recommend all their suppliers, Natalie and her girls were in very safe hands with Suzanne and Elaine and Natalie looked so beautiful in her Linda Gray dress and veil. The bridesmaids also looked gorgeous in their TFNC dresses. Huge shout out to Teapots and Tiaras who I thought did stunning work creating such a pretty, country vibe, loved all the flowers and styling!

Really nice to work alongside Jan and Eunice the videographers too. Thumbs up everyone!

Venue- The Barn at Upcote www.thebarnatupcote.co.uk

Hair- Suzanne Hale www.suzannehaleweddinghair.co.uk

Make Up Artist- Elaine Morane www.elainemoranemakeup.co.uk

Wedding Dress- Linda Gray Bridal Wear

Bridesmaids dresses- TFNC www.tfnclondon.com

Milo’s collar and bow tie- Millie’s Golden Paws www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Milliesgoldenpaws

Stationary-Luke Fry

Wedding Cake- Julie Golby

Wedding Flowers and Styling – Teapots and Tiaras www.teapotsandtiaras.co.uk

Music- Mark Walby www.markwalby.com

Videographers -Creative Depiction www.creativedepictionstudio.co.uk