Rural wedding Archives - Surrey Wedding Photographer - Guy Collier Photography

Hunstile Organic Farm wedding photography – Lydia + Jonny

2023 you are spoiling me in the most outrageous wa

2023 you are spoiling me in the most outrageous way, and Saturday was no exception. L + R’s beautiful day at the stunning RHS Wisley was off-the-scale gorgeous, emotional and bursting with love. We got back to 2020 for the start of this journey, and when you-know-what was laying waste to all of the plans. Between then and now they’ve eloped (I was booked so couldn’t do it but Helen Lisk you did a fantastic job of that!), had a little boy, and suffered no small amount of heartbreak. Today took us back to where we did a pre-wedding shoot in the depths of those times of social distancing and the most perfect weather you can imagine. It seemed more than fitting for such a warm, generous and just bloody wonderful couple. I’d keep my fingers crossed that this bigger day would happen, and it unfolded in ways I couldn’t have dreamed of.

Moments of gentle splendour punctuated the entire day. Wisley was achingly gorgeous and gave us light that will be hard to beat. In the middle of it all were these two fantastic people.

Like I said, spoiled. Rotten.

Alongside me were some fantastic colleagues on the day and you’ll find their instagram accounts listed below. But thanks must go to Sue, Linda, Maggie and the wonderful team at RHS Wisley. Nothing was too much and every one of them was a joy to work with. To Hermione and her team at Fresh Catering for sublime food and again being utterly brilliant to work with. To Steph, celebrant, for being huge fun and delivering a wonderful service. To Lily & Myrtle for superb flowers and table design, no mean feat when you’re working in a place like this. To the brilliant Miami Vibe for smashing those 80’s tunes right out of the park.

But mainly to L + R for just being them. It was an epic day. Thank you so much ❤️

Venue: @rhswisleyevents
Celebrant: @splendid.ceremonies.by.steph
Food& Drink: @freshcateringevents
Flowers: @lilyandmyrtle
Music: @miamivibe80sband

Monday gave us this. The brilliant Sarah + Gary at

Monday gave us this. The brilliant Sarah + Gary at the ever-stunning Bury Court Barn, even more sun and a whole load of love. A slightly different day, as it was billed as a vow renewal due to their original wedding happening deep in the horror-show that was 2020 and the dreaded COVID. That was a day for just 6 people, so today was a day for almost 100 and the kind of day we all missed so much in during that time. Today it came screaming back for them as it should have been. Yet another day where I was lucky enough to meet a lot of lovely people, not least Sarah + Gary. Utterly relaxed, basking in the happiness they’ve brought each other, and so very obviously loved by many people. What a job this is. Thank you both so much.

A huge thank you to my brilliant colleagues on the day: Elena, Penny and Sarah at Bury Court Barn for as always being ace to work with. Claire from Totally Flawless for superb hair and make-up. Clare for her excellent flowers as ever. Lisa, Leon and Kim at The Good Life for peerless food and drink. Kyle and Farnham Sound and Light for great music. You can find all their accounts below…..

Venue: @burycourtbarn
Food and Drink: @thegoodlifeatburycourt
Flowers: @claremariejonesflowers
Hair and Make-up: @totallyflawless_hair_mua
Music: @kylethedj1 & @farnhamsandl

And so to last Sunday, and my first double of the

And so to last Sunday, and my first double of the year (and most definitely not the last!) - today was the turn of Aisha and Jack, and a whole heap of sunshine in Berkshire. The connection here comes from me knowing Aisha’s Dad, Tony, as we used to work together before I somehow turned into a wedding photographer and it was so great to see him and meet his lovely wife and family. Aisha and Jack met on their first day of Uni and it’s pretty safe to say that they were destined to be together from that first look as Jack saw her out of his window. You have to love these chance meetings and glances that lead to the most magical of lives together. Today was all about Irish, Welsh and English people coming together to celebrate the two you see here, and for the English and Welsh contingents (I fall into the first) not mentioning Rugby at all, a feat which proved fruitless as Tony deservedly twisted the knife during his speech. Fair, and after the way they’ve been playing, well deserved. There’s a quiet elegance and charm to the way Aisha and Jack are together, and it was a joy to watch and photograph. Croatia beckons for their honeymoon today, so this post should help send them off for a wonderful time together. Thank you both so much!

Venue: @tudor_barn_team
Hair and Make-up: @mayalewisbridaldesigns

This is Chloe + Ed and today my heart is full. Yes

This is Chloe + Ed and today my heart is full. Yesterday was a day to take stock, today to talk about the connections that led us here….

We met when I shot Lydia + Jonny’s wedding (Lydia is Chloe’s sister) in 2019. Lydia found me through Hazel (who used to own Eden Blooms, now owned by Shelly who did the incredible flowers you see here). Hazel and this family are very very close (a huge thanks to Anne & Steve who said I’m now ‘a member of their extended family’. Like I said, a full heart). I’m shooting Hazel’s wedding next year and will see all of these wonderful people again. That takes us to today and what it meant.

It meant a day of pure sunshine, love, emotion and laughter. It meant a day where I yet again had to pinch myself. That I get to spend my working life doing this is to be so very lucky. People like Chloe, Ed, Lydia and Jonny are why that’s the case. Throwing their arms open to those they love and making days like these happen. Today meant these two telling those people what they mean to each other, and cementing their future in the most certain way possible. Big squeezes all around.

Chloe, Ed. My God you smashed it today. It was THE greatest honour to be there with you and spend more time with you all. Anyone who knows me knows I love The Wire, and a quote from one episode resonates:

" As I look back over a misspent life, I find myself more and more convinced that i had more fun doing news reporting than in any other enterprise. It really is the life of kings"

-H.L. MENCKEN

Just replace ‘news reporting’ with ‘wedding photography’.

Thanks to my brilliant colleagues. To Alice at the sublime Midelney Manor, for her smiles and welcome from the moment the doors opened. I won’t mention the gimp and I very much hope to be back. To Shelly and her team at Eden Blooms for doing the most amazing job with the flowers and styling. To Louise & Sally on hair and make-up for being such great fun. To all at Milk Shed for superb food and drink. That I get to work with such fab people is just another plus in a sea of pluses.

But finally to Chloe + Ed. Thank you, so much ❤️

A quite splendid couple of hours spent with these

A quite splendid couple of hours spent with these two yesterday afternoon at RHS Wisley. Maria and Alex are marrying at @gatestreetvenue in August and we had some extremely lovely light and a very quiet gardens to explore. An immediately great fun couple to shoot and it took at least 7 minutes before Alex and I were taking the piss out of each other, and then talking cars, cycling and motorbikes. I cannot wait for August. It’s going to be a scream. Maria has effortless grace. They’re both ace to photograph. Loved it. I’ll be back here in early June for a wedding as well, and that’ll be all kinds of wonderful.

And so to last Friday, or more specifically the ut

And so to last Friday, or more specifically the utterly awesome Justine + Mike. A day that gave us enormous smiles, laughter, the love of friends and families, rain that left us just when it needed to, and at the middle of it all the couple that you see here. They. Are. Awesome.

Along with their little girl, the equally awesome Ivy, Justine and Mike had put together a real party day, with all-day music, the absolutely brilliant Singing Waiters, great food and drink and an attitude that was perfection. The end result is what you see here - Justine tells me my Instagram posts are “soppy”. She’s probably right about that, because the words you read on my posts are from the heart. I am *ridiculously* lucky to get the couples I do, and to come away from weddings still wondering how I got so lucky that I call this “work”. Away from all the guff written about weddings it really does come down to people like Justine + Mike. People who leave my heart feeling full, and with more memories to look back on so very fondly.

Justine found me through her best friend, Hannah. I shot Hannah and Tommy’s wedding in 2018, and Hannah is a damn fine florist who works both for herself and with Shelley at Eden Blooms. Needless to say Hannah did the flowers for today and smashed it. A HUGE thank you to all of my colleagues on the day, particularly Ben for some ace chats and showing once again that us photographers and videographers can work so well together (and I hope your car made it home!). Oh and a special mention to Emily who was one of my first ever brides almost 15 years ago and who came in the evening. Turns out she’s friends with Justine as well. A lovely surprise!

Once again, what a day this was. All down to Justine, Mike and the people they love. Thank you both ❤️

Venue: @tithebarn
Catering: @fathog.and.bigpan.catering
Flowers: @flowersbyhannah
Video: @bhweddingfilm

© 2023 Guy Collier Photography

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