I met Fran at Park Farm hotel on the morning of their wedding, a couple of hours before their ceremony. Fran was in the middle of her hair and makeup pampering by Kirstie Make Up and Cara Hubbard Hair Stylist. Fran was joined by an amazing group of girls. Some of her bridesmaids had travelled over from Germany which made it extra special.
Fran's dress was an ivory gown with a train. Strapless with removable sleeves and delicate button detailing on the cuff.
Fran did a first look with her mum and stepdad. It was a really emotional moment and her mum welled up as soon as she came into the room and saw Fran. They then exchanged some gifts, some traditional - a bracelet and a "something blue" garter. And some not so traditional... a drill set... They then walked her down to the hotels ceremony room.
One of Frans bridesmaids sang her down the aisle. So not only did she walk down first to lead the bridesmaids, she then went straight to the mic and started singing Use Somebody by Kings of Leon, accompanied by her husband on guitar.
Fran carried an autumnal bouquet created by Elizabeths The Florists. The bridesmaids who all wore different style dresses and colours carried a small gypsophila posey.
Fran's brother and sister then held up a fabric "just married" sign at the end of the aisle. They told me this is a German tradition and the couple use a small pair of scissors to cut out the heart and step through it to leave their ceremony.
After the ceremony there was confetti, canapés, drinks and mingling in the garden. Considering it was November, we were treated to lovely weather.
Their decor was autumn themed with lots of peach, orange and greenery.
Before everyone sat down for dinner we sneaked off for Fran and Oli's couples portraits. The tree lined driveway to the hotel was perfect for some natural and relaxed photos. We spent about 20 minutes outside getting these, so they weren't away from their guests for too long.
All wearing different styles and colours - the bridesmaids looks the epitome of autumn. They complimented the boys brown tweed suits so well.
Bridesmaids wore, red, rust orange, peach, yellow/cream and pale pink.
Before dinner there were speeches. As half the guests were English and the other half German, each guest had a translation of the speeches so everyone was included in the story telling. This was such a lovely idea and watching everyone read along and still get emotional and laughter was joyful.
One of the German traditions Fran and Oli wanted to bring to their day, was interactive games for their guests. Hosted by two bridesmaids, one English speaking and the other translating to German. The game was "bride against groom" and they had to retrieve objects from the room and the first to come back with it won. Random objects included a mans tie, a lipstick, a belt, a pair of glasses, toilet paper, a mans shoe, something red and a bra!
I highly recommend playing this game it was hilarious and all the guests got involved helping find the items. I LOVE these photos. Chaotic happiness!
Would you believe this was the first bouquet throw I have ever photographed in 5 years of shooting weddings? I loved this so much. The bouquet was caught by Fran's beautiful sister, who then shared a dance with her partner. Their cake was a single tier and Fran had made her own cupcakes.
These lot knew how to party! Fran and Oli had practiced their first dance and then everyone joined them on the dance floor.
Another German tradition Fran wanted to uphold was a veil dance. Her veil was removed and held up for her guests and she and Oli danced underneath it. Guests threw money into the veil, the veil is then torn and whoever gets the biggest piece is said to be the next person to get married.
I absolutely LOVED this!! More veil dances please!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart to Fran and Oli and all their amazing family and friends for making me feel like one of the guests. I loved your day so much and capturing your day was such a pleasure.
You both planned a perfect autumn / winter wedding with a mix of English and German traditions merging so effortlessly.
A list of their suppliers below:
Photography - Shell O'Toole Photography
Venue - Park Farm Hotel
Venue on the day coordinator - Tyler
Hair - Cara Hubbard Hair Artist
MUA - Kirstie Make Up
Dress - City Brides Norwich
Florist - Elizabeths The Florists
