I’ve been intending to share some images from Amber and Tom’s wedding for a while, in fact this absolute corker of a wedding took place over a year ago at Southend Barns – and of course, in my usual style I’m just getting around to featuring it.  If you’re looking for some outdoor summer wedding ideas then take a look at this wedding, it was like walking into pretty pastel town, Amber had chosen really girly colours, floral loops for the flower girls rather than bouquets, and Amber herself actually reminded me of Khaleesi – you know AKA Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones. She looked utterly beautiful.  There’s much to love about Southend Barns and as you would have seen in my main gallery and my instagram I am lucky enough to be a regular photographer at this exquisite venue; it produces chilled, smooth running, extremely pretty yet atmospheric weddings, the owners and staff have pretty much hit the nail on the head when it comes to questioning what a perfect venue has to offer.

My lovely friend and fellow photographer, Charleigh, joined me for their wedding for some practice of her own while she was building her wedding photography business, a bonus for this lovely couple as they gained a second photographer, and with their ceremony being held in the fabulous Secret Garden – a log walled hidden outdoor space surrounded by pretty flowers, trees, fields and alpacas for the ultimate country feel, and adorned with slated pews draped in fur throws, it’s the perfect backdrop for so many outdoor summer wedding ideas. Amber had chosen for the cute wooden pergola to be decorated with pretty pastel flowers, and to fill the garden with giant bubblegum balloons. Having Charleigh with me meant she could capture some gorgeous wide photos from the bottom of the aisle during the ceremony while I focused on the close ups. The sun had his hat on which always makes a wedding that is partly in shade and partly in the bright sun challenging but of course we nailed it and it was so sweet to see each of Amber + Tom’s children (minus the baby of course) all do a reading in front of everyone.

We really made the most of the gardens at this wedding, the weather was glorious and they had a nice long break before the wedding breakfast which meant they could spend loads of time enjoying drinks outside with their guests, nibbling on delicious canapés, and just chilling in the collecting yard, there was also enough time to spend in the private garden for some intimate family photos and romantic portraits.  Speaking of romantic portraits, the beautiful light in the evening was divine, we wondered into the yellow crop field out back just as the sun was setting and captured the prettiest of photos of these newlyweds. I’m not going to lie, I was in my absolute element. I even ran back out there a little later with the bride, groom and their children for a stunning silhouette family photo which is now one of my favourite ever photos.

The evening party was back in the Threshing Barn, and it was great to catch up with the The Big Town Boppers, who always know how to keep everyone on the dancefloor all night.

My personal favourites from the day are below, and if you’d like to meet me and see this beautiful venue as well as sourcing lots of outdoor summer wedding ideas, I will have a stand at their Wedding Fair in January (if a global pandemic doesn’t get in the way, I mean what are the chances of that?!)

My Tip from this outdoor Summer Wedding

Consider any obstacles walking up the aisle! When photographing the ceremony set-up, I decided to move the beautiful bubblegum balloons from the edges of the aisle to the perimeter of the garden to prevent these balloons knocking bride or the bridesmaids over on their walk up the aisle, haha. There were some strong winds and they were blowing in every direction and definitely would have caught guests in their seats and anyone walking up the aisle. They still looked beautiful where we moved them to but definitely made it safer and saved a lot of embarrassment.

Need more inspo, here’s…

Amber + Tom’s Dream Team:

Venue: Southend Barns

The Dress: Pearl white rose vintage lace from Bleu Bridal

Bridal Hair: Lavish Locks

Florist: Sam from The Crazy Daisy Company

Groom and Groomsmens Suits: Hugo Boss from Black Tie in Crowthorne

Engagement Ring: Canadian Ice from Goldsmiths

Wedding Rings from Beaverbrooks

Daytime Entertainment: Soloist James Tattington

Evening Band: The Big Town Boppers

Bridesmaids Dresses: ASOS

Catering: Roots Catering

Wedding Stationary: Zap Creative Ltd

Decor Hire Company: The Wedding People Sussex and Bubblegum Balloons

Cake: Krispy Kreme

 

Did you know, Southend Barns is listed as one of my Venue Buddies – you can see numerous more photos from weddings I’ve photographed there and read all about this venue and why it’s one of my favourite venues to work at over on my Southend Barns Venue Buddy page.