Homme House Wedding Photography

Where did you meet?

It’s amazing we didn’t meet sooner but I guess there’s a time and a place for everything in this world – and ours was a Friday night at the Porterhouse pub in Covent Garden, London! My Godbrother (my parent’s Godson) was over from South Africa for work and had gathered together a couple of his university friends for a drink and invited me along. Johan was one of those Uni friends and that night we all stayed out long past midnight drinking, eating, dancing… and the rest is now history!

The proposal

Johan had spent months sourcing the exact diamond he was looking for from South Africa and it was made into a beautiful ring by our very talented friends, Anton and Jen at Kata Jewelry. Stuffed in his cycling bag for an entire weekend, Johan produced it as we were looking out to sea on top of the sand dunes at Bamburgh Castle after breakfast in late August 2016. We ran down onto the beach to call our friends and family before packing up our bags and setting off for a day cycling along the Northumberland coast!

The Venue

After settling on Herefordshire where Fiona was born (over South Africa) for our wedding, choosing the church was easy. Holy Trinity Church, which recently starred in BBC2’s Life of a Vicar, was where Fiona was christened and confirmed so to get married there felt like completing another of life’s momentous steps.

Fiona had searched out Homme House earlier in the year and with an English country wedding now in mind, it was absolutely the most perfect venue.

Fiona’s dress was an entirely cotton lace creation designed by Kenneth Winston and topped off with a bespoke handmade crystal and pearl belt from Bridal Adornments. Our bridesmaids were dressed by Infinity Bridal based in Cape Town, and for the gents it was much more local with Bill Child in Hereford providing suits and shoes.

What was the most memorable part of your day?

I think for both of us it was the moment we first saw each other in church. Everything we’d been planning for and dreaming about in the months before came to a point right there and then and it’s a moment in our lives when everything felt right.

Any advice for future couples wedding planning?

Enjoy every moment, especially the planning. I remember calling a friend about 6 weeks before the wedding exasperated at all the decisions and phone calls and following up we were having to do, even though we felt like we’d organized just about everything there was to organize and she said “just enjoy it Fiona. You will never get this moment again to plan the biggest party of your life so relish every single bit.” She was absolutely right. It’s no exaggeration to say that when we returned to London from our Buddymoon with 10 friends in South Wales, our families had left for South Africa and Canada, and the last guest had flown home to New Zealand, we felt at a complete loss.

Your suppliers, anyone you would like to big up and recommend?

Chris Pavey at Toast Films was incredible. It was a fairly last minute decision to hire a videographer and (aside from Lucy’s wonderful photos of the day) the beautiful cinematic film he created to capture our day has been watched a hundred times over already.

Sharon McGowan created our dream Raspberry Eton Mess cupcake wedding cake display which our guests enjoyed as their dessert at the wedding. Her professionalism and creativity brought a very special touch to our day.

Mandy and the team at Christine’s catering served us with a wonderful picnic spread and our guests enjoyed a Herefordshire Roast Beef dinner with all the trimmings in the fabulous dining room at Homme House.

Janet Griffiths brought to life our wedding theme in flowers, pairing Pink Ice and King Proteas (the national flower of South Africa) with rich cream roses in a beautiful display at both the church and Homme House.

Hair Comes the Bride ensured the bridal party looked at their best on the day, thanks to Beth and Jenny.

Sarah and the wonderful team at Cicciona’s day care kept our little guests entertained all afternoon in a creche laid out in the Coach house at Homme.

And thanks to Tom from Circus Malabaristas, the rest of our guests were entertained all afternoon with juggling classes, tightrope walking and plenty of other party tricks!

Charlie and Sarah at Homme House were the most amazing hosts for our wedding. Without their support and guidance in the run up to our big day, I don’t think our vision of an English country garden party would have worked as well as it did. From table layouts, to drinks advice, to hay bales – they had everything covered and made us truly feel like for just a weekend, Homme House was our home.

Kasia at Flow Dance, London patiently taught us our first dance over the course of several weeks and the result was a brilliantly choreographed dance (including a lift!) performed to the Herefordshire-born Ellie Goulding’s ‘Still Falling for You’.

And last but not least, we have to thank Wes Mason, the hugely talented son of our cousin, winner of ‘Best Young Songwriter’ at the 2016 Toronto Independent Music Awards, and named in the ‘Top 20 Artists Under 20 in the CBC Searchlight Competition in 2016. Described as the Canadian Ed Sheeran, it was an absolute honour to have him play and sing for us during the ceremony and for our first dance.