Birtsmorton Court Wedding Photography

Delighted to share Cat and Alex’s stunning wedding at Birtsmorton Court in Herefordshire, it was a complete joy to be apart of their day, both Cat and Alex were so lovely and welcoming along with their family and friends, but Archer for me really stole the show, their gorgeous rhodesian ridgeback. We had a amazing day exploring the grounds of Birtsmorton which is a really perfect wedding venue.

Cat and Alex have kindly written all about their day below with some brilliant tips for any couples planning their big day.

Where did you meet? We met while studying at Swansea University.

The proposal.

We went back to Wales for a long weekend as it had been 10 years since we’d first met. We were able to re-visit lots of our old haunts and went back to Llangennith, one of my favourite beaches on the Gower. We were walking the dog and Alex got down on one knee – it was definitely a surprise!

Wedding planning.

We were both really involved in the wedding planning and wanted to incorporate lots of our personalities into the day. We knew we didn’t want a really long engagement but also had to factor in things like my sister and her partner coming over from New Zealand for the wedding. I’m a secondary school teacher so we opted for the summer so that I could enjoy the run up to the Wedding and have a couple of weeks where we could fully focus on getting prepared. We then picked our date when we knew what the availability of our venue was.

Planning was fairly easy – there were a couple of hiccups along the way which meant some last minute changes but all of our suppliers were really accommodating and helpful. The trickiest part was being far away from our venue – we live in Rutland but got married on the Herefordshire/Worcestershire border so travelling back and forth and trying to organise supplier meetings to fit around both our jobs was probably the hardest part.

Outfits

Both the dress and suits were from Vow Bridal – a really lovely bridal boutique in Wansford, Cambridgeshire, close to where we live.

I found the bridal shop online and they made the shopping process so fun and relaxed. I wore a Kenneth Winston dress and went for something completely the opposite of what I thought I wanted. My mum, sister and sister-in-law came with me for the appointment and all agreed it was the right dress. I ended up getting my veil and hairpiece from them too and because they knew what my dress was like they could make lots of suggestions for me.

The Bridesmaid dresses were from Hobbs. I knew I wanted navy so that the florals, which I wanted to be a bright, summer meadow theme would really stand out against the dresses.

Flower girl dresses were from John Lewis and the Page Boy suit from Next.

We decided to hire the suits from Vow Bridal too as the experience had been so positive for me. Alex wasn’t sure exactly what style he wanted but ended up choosing tailcoats for the groomsmen, with yellow ties and pocket squares to reflect the yellow of the sunflowers in my bouquet. I think we were both surprised by how traditional our outfit choices were and I think all the lads enjoyed getting dressed up for the day.

How did you pick or decided on your venue

I grew up in Herefordshire and knew I wanted to get married somewhere closer to home but didn’t have my heart set on a particular venue at the start. Alex actually found Birtsmorton Court online and we both really liked it so arranged a viewing. We knew instantly it was the place for us – I’m a history teacher and Alex is an agronomist so its rural setting and historic house and gardens suited both of us right down to the ground. The fact it was also dog friendly and we wanted our dog to be at the wedding was a plus!

We weren’t initially intending to have a church wedding but the medieval church on site was really special and we liked that traditional element of the day. The marquee and reception area had the relaxed, homely feel we wanted and we had been keen to find somewhere with everything on site which meant there was no travelling between venues on the day so it really was the best possible place for us.

What was the most memorable part of your day?

Lots of special moments – ultimately having all our family and friends together to celebrate with us was the best part.

Our dog Archer was our ring bearer and it was really important to us that he was at the wedding so that was special (and cute!)

The first dance was really special as the song was really personal to both of us.

Just as we began the marriage service the sun shone through the window and a butterfly flew over us which felt really symbolic (since when we checked the weather the day before a thunderstorm was predicted just as we’d be saying our vows!)

Advice for future couples

Ensure you are making decisions based on what you want – you’re not supposed to be trying to please everyone and all the small things you fret over will be long forgotten when it comes to the actual day.

Be prepared to make some compromises – if you’re not a millionaire then chances are your wish list will probably exceed your budget. Decide what’s most important to you and spend your pennies there.

Use Pinterest with caution – it can get overwhelming trying to live up to the perfection of the internet!

Say yes to pets – we went back and forth trying to decide if having our dog there would be really lovely or a logistical nightmare. In the end we knew we couldn’t get married without him so one of the groomsmen became assistant ring bearer during the ceremony. Deciding to have him present was the best decision and made for some great photos.

Ask for help (if you want it). In the week running up to the wedding I recruited friends and family members to help with the finishing touches. You don’t have to do everything yourself and it can be really nice to spend time spending time together before the day when the day itself is so busy.

The Team

Kelly and Dawn at Birtsmorton were so lovely as the first point of contact for the venue. No question was too silly and they always had time to answer any concerns. We were so lucky with all our suppliers who understood what we wanted for the day and made everything so easy. Sasha and Angie made all the bridal party feel like a million dollars and we had so many compliments about our wedding band who I’d recommend to anyone looking for live music for their day. I’m lucky to have creative relatives who were willing to help with the floristry and cake which both looked and tasted amazing. Neither Alex nor I are overly fond of having our photo taken but Lucy made it feel very natural and relaxed and we were so happy with the results – it was like having a friend there rather than a photographer we’d hired for the day.

Venue: Birtsmorton Court

Wedding coordinator for Birtsmorton – Kelly Anne Page

Invitations – Carla Corrado designs

Dress: Kenneth Winston @ Vow Bridal

Makeup – Sasha Brown

Hair – Angie Shorthouse (Bridal Beauty Wedding Hair)

Catering – Orchard Catering

Flowers – Libby Francis (sister)

Cake – Daisy Cowan (sister in law)

Bunting – Sara Jane’s bunting

Drinks reception entertainment – The String Quartet

Evening entertainment/Band – Sons in the Wild

Photography – Me 😀