Becky and Dan’s Stennack Farm Wedding was the Perfect Venue for the Beginning of Their Forever
Often when a couple book me for a wedding, I am lucky enough to have met them in person already at a wedding fair and we would have had a good natter about their plans. I remembered Becky and Dan from the fair where I met them and their calm and gentle nature were apparent from moment I met them.
Fast forward just over a year and it was their turn to hop on a zoom call with me and to go through all of their plans for their wedding just a couple of weeks before the big day. However, this zoom call was one of a different nature as within minutes of getting chatting, the couple told me that they had some news and they are expecting their first baby. I have definitely become more emotional since having my own children but this news on a zoom call was a lot! I was so pleased for them both and knew that this would add an extra element of delight to their wedding day as their signage spelled out very clearly; this was the beginning of their forever!
The day arrived and I pulled into Stennack and quickly got to work photographing the venue while it was still quiet. I love this venue for so many reasons. It is quiet and peaceful (until the wedding celebrations kick off, of course!). It is part of and right next to a farm, not that you would know this unless you are as nosey as I am! The only sign of this is the cattle that wonder out into the luscious, wild paddock behind the barn of a morning and then back again in the afternoon. Each and every time I have photographed a wedding here, I always try and use the back of the barn for photos as it is so serene and picturesque – and a bonus if the cows are close enough to make the shots too! I have also seen countless children with their parents stood watching, counting and admiring the herd from the fence. A welcome break for a parent with a little one who has sat through an entire wedding breakfast, I am sure! When I think of Stennack, however, I always think of the iconic straw bales that are placed around the site. They make for the best backdrop for a number of different shots from the whole group shot to the groups and couple shots. I have even used it as a backdrop in the dark for a champagne spray which was so much fun and kept the vibe in keeping for these night time images.
Becky and Dan soon were greeting each other at the end of the aisle and Becky looked absolutely stunning in her dress which enhanced her early and elegant baby bump. Her cathedral length veil was a statement of emotion in itself, embroidered with ‘Those we love don’t go away, they walk beside us every day’ which was an ode to her late father. I always get so emotionally tied up in these small but hugely significant elements of the day. I see it at so many weddings where loved ones who are sadly no longer with us, have a special place and are remembered in such beautiful ways. I am sure that they are always there, watching over the couple and I know they can be felt.
This emotional entrance was soon behind them as the rings were brought in by a very special guest; Murphy, Becky and Dan’s Springer spaniel who is so lively that he wasn’t trusted to walk down the aisle but was rather carried by Becky’s Bridesman! They looked such a sight and there wasn’t a person in the room who wasn’t beaming from ear to ear watching Murphy wriggling away with excitement while Dan tried to release the rings from his collar!
The couple said their ‘I do’s’ and headed out into the terrace where they were serenaded by the incredible tones of Georgia Lewis. That girl can sing! The day seemed to whiz by and before I knew it, they were dancing to their first dance which was a first for me! A country song about a dog! Becky and Dan weren’t keen on an emotional first dance so they did it their way! The only shame was that Murphy, by this point, wasn’t able to steal the show again as he had been taken home! Still, it didn’t detract from the fact that I got some lush shots of the couple dancing with their nearest and dearest under the drapes and the lights of the barn which aptly spell out Mr&Mrs!
