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Wedding day photography at Notley Abbey Buckinghamshire

Kate & Matt's wedding

Notley Abbey

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Couple wedding photos historic venue driveway

Choosing Notley Abbey

Kate and Matt knew that they wanted to find a wedding venue with a true, English country wow factor, seeing as they had so many friends coming to their wedding from abroad. The couple only viewed two wedding venues during their search, Notley Abbey being first on their list. They fell in love with the classic English charm of Notley Abbey and the online planner tool was a complete bonus. Communicating their thoughts and plans through the planner saved so much hassle and paperwork, not forgetting the ease of keeping on track when it came to the guest list.

Bridesmaids & Groomsmen wedding photo
Group wedding photos

The Bridal Party

The bridesmaids were a mixture of family and friends; Kate’s older sister, cousin and two best friends and the page boy who was the couple’s nephew. The bride took her bridesmaids dress shopping in London and Kate had a clear vision in mind of what she really wanted her best girls to wear – she was proven wrong. Each bridesmaid ended up wearing a different dress, a dress that suited their individual styles, but based around either a pale pink or pale blue shade. The groom’s party were a little trickier when it came to planning their wedding attire – seeing as they were all from Australia. They ended up hiring blue, three-piece suits with fabulous peacock lining and brown shoes. The couple splashed out on Matt’s wedding suit and bough it from Clements and Church in Oxford. They provided an amazing service and Matt was delighted with the style, fit and colour of his suit once the big day arrived.

Beautiful outdoor wedding photos at Notley Abbey Oxfordshire

The Big Day

As a surprise to everyone, Kate and Matt’s dog, Bailey, was their ring bearer. Bailey wore a stunning floral garland and proudly carried the wedding rings around her neck as she was escorted up the aisle by the bride’s brother. Kate and her father walked down the aisle to ‘A Thousand Years’ by The Piano Guys and as she saw Matt, Kate just couldn’t hold the tears back.

The couple had named their tables in The Monks’ Refectory after beaches in Australia (where they got engaged) and their quirky table plan had been handmade using wood and chicken wire. The couple chose a wild and romantic floral theme featuring hues of pink, blue, purple and cream.

Flowers were strung around the table plan and when it came to the wedding reception tables, they each followed a truly English, country garden theme. Tall glass vases filled with a combination of white hydrangea and twigs, hung of which hung round baubles filled with tea lights. The couple hadn’t rehearsed their first dance but had so much fun in the spotlight dancing to ‘Ho Hey’ by The Lumineers. Their band played music throughout the rest of the night and the dance floor was full right up until the very last minute.

Top Tip

When asked if there was any advice that they would give future wedding planning couples, Kate and Matt said that it would be to hire a wedding videographer. “Our videographer captured so many moving moments in a different way. We were so glad we hired him”.

Suppliers

Photographer: Jonanthan Fenton | Wedding Dress: Justin Alexander | Suits: Clements and Church, Oxford | Florists: Forever Green, Thame | Band: Hand Fulla Soul | Videographer: Antoine Lyons | Music: Owain Pennington