S & F wedding - Engagement shoot

Choosing a wedding photographer was one of the most important tasks for us. Knowing that your wedding photographs are going to be one of few physical memories of your big day, you can see why it's important to choose the right photographer. For you. 

I know a few couples that haven't been happy with their photographer's final product, which makes me sad. As someone who loves photography (looking more so than taking), I wasn't going to take any chances. I started with the usual Googling and searching supplier lists such as those on RMW. Nothing really captured my attention though. 

After thinking I would never find the perfect photographer for us, we stumbled across VLA Photography at our venue's supplier open day. As soon as we met Jon and talked through our requirements, we were instantly excited. Seeing some of his photos helped as well, but we were just so taken with Jon's relaxed and friendly approach that we decided to book a consultation with him. Obviously, that went well and we booked with VLA.

Yippeee!

Our wedding package included an engagement shoot, which we nearly missed out on. Time passed by so quickly whilst planning the wedding that we forgot about the engagement shoot until about six weeks before the big day. I think we ended up having theses photos taken only a few weeks before the wedding.

Jon likes to hold the engagement shoot at your venue, so off to Gate Street Barn we went. It was late October/early November so we had to take a chance with the weather. Second time round we got lucky.

Having the engagement shoot was the perfect opportunity to work with Jon and get to know his working style, and also get used to having our photograph taken. It's safe to say that neither Fraser nor I are shy, retiring types, but having your photograph taken by a professional feels different. I didn't want to be the 'un-photogenic one'. In all honesty, we found the whole experience really easy and Jon had some brilliant tricks to make us laugh, smile and look like we're completely head over heels for one another (which we are).

 

Jon has captured our spirit perfectly and the images completely reflect our entire relationship: FUN! No one makes me laugh as much as Fraser does, and we had some good giggles during our engagement shoot. We certainly didn't want sappy, romantic style photos; that's just not us.

Hilarious huh?

Gate Street Barn was the perfect location - just look at that backdrop. So many autumnal colours and  natural beauty.

We love these photos so much that we put together a wall display of our favourites in our bedroom. After all, there's not many photos that capture our relationship so well and that are so natural.

We can be romantic...

I've only just realised that the engagement ring does not feature in any of the photographs.  Am I sad about that? Absolutely not! The ring is just the material element of our commitment to one another. What's important is that we're together and we're ALWAYS happy - a ring won't do that for me but Fraser will!

 

I hope you've enjoyed looking through the photos. Massive credit to Jon Fraser of VLA Photography. We cannot recommend him enough. Really.

The end...

Shones
xoxo

S&F Wedding - The venue

Gate Street Barn

After the proposal we were focused on setting the date and finding our dream venue. We both wanted to get married down south, near Guildford, rather than Scotland (where Fraser is from) or Hull (where I'm from) as we knew it would be difficult to select suppliers and organise everything from afar. We also loved the idea of getting married in the area we now call home and having all our friends and family see what a beautiful part of the country we live in. 

Before Fraser even proposed I'd done a few secret searches of wedding venues in and around Guildford (who doesn't?) and stumbled across Gate Street Barn (GSB). Just from the images on their website I got a feeling that this venue was a major contender. I've never told him about my secret searches; I just made it look like I found it when I was looking, legitimately, at venues. No doubt, I'm busted now!

It turned out though that Fraser also loved the look of the venue and was up for visiting it sooner rather than later. So we booked a viewing with the lovely ladies at Gate Street.

I should say, at this point, there were so many positives about GSB including:

• The beautiful setting; 
• It's licensed to hold civil ceremonies, which meant the whole day in one place; 
• A beautiful interior which could be decorated to our liking/theme; 
• No corkage charge; 
• A huge supplier list; 
• A bridal suite to get ready in in the morning; 
• A 15 minute drive from our house; 
• Endless positive reviews and comments from couples and guests alike

Photo: VLA Photography

What wasn't to love? We donned our best poker faces and greeted Jane, the owner, at the office, who was beyond lovely. Positive sign no. 1. Beautiful bridal suite. Positive sign no. 2. Amazing, amazing barn with beautiful high beams, beautiful chairs, beautiful floor, twinkling fairy lights, sensational chandeliers... ❤️ Positive sign no.3. A separate area called The Pheasantry housing the bar and where guests gather when they're turning the barn area around, filled with hanging hops - perfect for all our beer loving friends. Positive sign no.4. The grounds and the huge fire pit, which would be great for our autumn wedding. Positive sign no.5.

By this point, I was doing pretty well with my poker face. Fraser, on the other hand, was squealing with excitement... we were sold! What I particularly liked was that Jane was not pushy at all - she clearly stated their booking policy and left it at that. The team don't really need to give it the hard sell as it's such a beautiful venue - it does all the talking itself.

Still beautiful in the rain

 

23.11.14

We didn't visit any other venues. Our hearts were set on GSB. A few days later we confirmed our booking and ticked 'venue' firmly off our list. 23.11.14. The countdown had begun...  

Some words of advice when choosing your wedding venue:

• When you visit your venue imagine it's your big day there and then. It really does help you think about how the day might run and what you and your guests will experience.
• Ask lots of questions! Go with a list. Main things at this point are terms and conditions, cancellation policies, payment terms, understanding if there's any hidden extras and what is/is not permitted.
• Search the Internet for wedding photographs at your venue - I did this a lot and got a really good feel for how people had decorated the venue, good locations for photographs, different suppliers and what they could offer. Search wedding blogs too to get a good idea of others' personal experiences of getting married at the venue.
• Know your budget - that way, if you fall in love with a venue that is outside of your budget, you should be prepared to make sacrifices elsewhere. The venue is a deal breaker, I think.
• Be prepared to negotiate (not for everyone; but if you don't ask, you don't get). I left that to my husband as he's pretty good at that sort of thing... 
• Go with your heart - you'll know what's right for you both. Any niggling doubts are a sign - deal with them. Don't settle for less than you're worth. It's YOUR big day!