Liz and Gerald

Cotswold Wedding Photography

Liz and Gerald are from London and contacted me last year, we decided to meet to discuss their wedding further, and met in a typical Cotswold village, Bourton-on-the-Water, a stone throw away from the lovely Hyde Barn. As soon as I met this couple I knew they were going to be uber cool and after hearing more about the wedding  knew I couldn’t wait to photograph it. But before jumping ahead to the wedding date we meet a few months before to have a pre wedding /engagement session and at the same time have a catch up about their wedding plans.

The wedding day looked like the weather gods weren’t happy, I headed past Hyde Barn and through to the other side of Stow-on-the-Wold to meet Liz at a beautiful little (ish) cottage. The girls were getting ready here at Lime Cottage in Longborough as as the day ticked on the weather started to improve, it’s a great relief to the Bride and groom and especially me to get that perfect wedding photography collection.

Liz has incredible taste, from her mother’s old retro case that was pulled out of the attic to her vintage shoes, jewellery and her amazing dress. Liz was very calm and Cheltenham based Anna White was there to do her make-up and Hair, as well as the rest of the bridal party. Liz’s father arrived a little later, he was  such lovely man, full of beans and the life and party of the room, he was such happy man and I guess he had every reason to be, he was about to see his daughter in her dress and then proudly give her away to Gerald. At this point I tend to head over to the guys and capture them getting ready before greeting the wedding guests, so I hopped in the car and headed back through Stow-on-the-Wold to Hyde Barn.

Gerald tightened his tie and pinned the button hole before checking the rest of the guys then made his way over to the barn. This was a true international affair, family and friends have travelled from around the world. The main room filled with a colourful group of people, in more ways than one and the inside looked incredible with the lanterns hanging amongst the rafters. It was set to look amazing in the evening when illuminated by small lights. The ceremony wasn’t going to be your usual ceremony as this was a Jewish wedding, my first and one I was so excited about. Liz and Gerald first mentioned back at our first meeting in Bourton-on-the-Water and I couldn’t wait to witness the Jewish ceremony and the Hora planned for later in the evening.

Liz arrived on time and the room awaited for the graceful bride to take her place at the front with Gerald, both donning huge smiles. The registrars carried out a legal ceremony followed by what was considered the proper ceremony, I wish all weddings were like this, it felt like a real celebration of their love and that so many people could be involved. The ceremony took place under a Chuppa, a symbolic house where the couple will build their future together. This ceremony went almost with out a hitch, after the rings were exchanged Gerald had to stamp on a glass (where everyone shouts ‘Mazel tov’ – Congratulations) but it didn’t break on the first stamp. You can see the photo where Liz is laughing, thankfully the glass broke on the next stamp, to Gerald’s relief! Liz and Gerald headed back down the aisle to cheers and adoring smiles and outside for a bit of fresh air in the lovely grounds of the venue.

One of the greatest things that Hyde Barn has to offer is the beautiful grounds and views. It is a perfect place to be able to collect a whole range of wedding photographs without having to drift too far away, allowing you to be not long away from your guests. The formal photos always have a great backdrop and these particular ones were entertaining, and with such a fun group of people it was inevitable to grab some funny images. But after the tussle with family , friends and the wind we headed off for some (slightly windswept) romantic keepsakes.

The food was calling, and as usual the food looked (and tasted impeccable). The new Bride and Groom were welcomed in to the room ready to be seated for their first married meal, what a great way to start. The speeches were very entertaining and the best-men had pulled out all the stops for an audio and visual  presentation topping off a great part of the afternoon.

The cake looked beautiful and it almost seems a shame to cut it up, but needs must and i’m sure it tasted as good as it looked, so with the cake cut, we all waited with great anticipation for the first dance and the Hora . There’s not much I can say about the Hora that the photos don’t say themselves, but it was great to watch and looked such fun.

After all the excitement of the dancing it was just left to take advantage of the fabulous arbor outside, so armed with a flashgun and a few sparkers we called it a night… with sparkle! I had an incredible time at this wedding, throughly enjoyed the Jewish ceremony and met some lovely people, I’ll never forget this day and i thinks it’s pretty safe to say neither will Liz and Gerald!

I would like to wish them a huge congratulations, and all the best for their future together. To see more weddings at Hyde Barn click here.