Bethany & Adam

When a wedding planner gets married

Bethany and Adam’s intention right from the start was an effortlessly relaxed day that was totally them. And it was 100% both. Everything felt so right, everywhere you looked there was a sea of smiles, and the day ran like a scoop of ice cream on sticky toffee pudding. And the styling was the sugar dusting on the cherry on the icing on the cake – elegant tuxedos, a neutral colour palette, and white florals. So classic and chic.

Ahh, a Rushton Hall wedding is always a breath of fresh air. I mean, just look at it! ^^ Every time I make my way down the tree-lined driveway, my hunched shoulders drop. You might think shooting regularly at the same venue gets boring, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s the people and personal meaning that make a wedding, so it’s interesting to discover how each couple make the venue their own.

Speaking of which…

When a wedding planner gets married…

Bethany and Adam’s day was beautifully styled and impeccably planned from start to finish. And I’d expect nothing less from a bride who has her own wedding planning business, Bethany Rose Weddings. Bethany certainly used all her skills to make this a big hit!

The elegant tuxedos, neutral colour palette, and white flowers looked effortlessly chic in this grand venue.

Bethany and Adam called upon some stellar suppliers to bring their vision to life. And they struck the perfect balance of planning before the day and letting go on the day. Which meant they could relax and fully enjoy every minute of their day – which really comes across in the photos.

Two photographers… capturing all the love

Tom joined me to help capture the day, which meant we could photograph their story thoroughly in different locations and from multiple angles.

Before the ceremony, I was with Bethany and her bridesmaids and Tom was with Adam, his Groomsmen and the guests.

For the ceremony, we were able to photograph Bethany and her bridal party’s big entrance from the back and the front of the room, which meant we could capture Adam’s reaction as well as the procession. And with plenty of space around the edge of the room, Tom was able to discreetly move to join me at the front to capture all the big grins, cheers, happy tears – and total ‘heart-eyes’ Adam gave Bethany from the moment he saw her.

And then it was four hands on deck to photograph the groups, portraits, drinks reception, and wedding breakfast set-up.

Which leads me nicely onto…

Relaxed and natural photos

The most important thing to Bethany and Adam was to spend as much time with their guests as possible.

So they kept the formalities for their day to a minimum, with just a few staged group shots of their VIPs. We also had a short photoshoot with Bethany and Adam as their guests found their seats for dinner. This is a great window for portraits as you won’t miss out on anything. And then later in the evening, we went for a walk to the lake to make the most of the golden hour light. And if you think Bethany and Adam look at ease in front of the camera, they were! They’d already had time to embrace the experience of being photographed during their pre-wedding photoshoot. So they were ultra-relaxed and capturing such romantic portraits of them as they wandered hand-in-hand was a pretty magical experience for me too! And the wind blowing Bethany’s beautiful lace-edged veil in the breeze topped it off brilliantly!

For the rest of the day, we captured whatever unfolded in front of us, leaving everyone to relax and just be themselves. There’s nothing more magical than photos of the atmosphere and characters to bring back memories. And talking of characters, the flower girls and page boy provided plenty of photo opportunities!

Bride's wedding dress, shoes, perfume and jewellery
Page boy opening wedding gift from bride and groom
Bride's face being 'misted' to set her makeup
Mirror reflection of bride having her hair done
Bride checking out her bouquet
Bridesmaid doing up pageboy's shirt
Bride's mum and step mum to be helping her into wedding dress
Bride checking the back of her dress in the mirror
Bride putting on her earrings
Bride putting her garter and veil on
Bridesmaids' reaction to seeing bride in her dress with pageboy giving a thumbs up
Bride putting wedding gift bracelet on her flower girl
Bride holding her flower girl's hand to see her new bracelet
Pageboy getting his buttonhole pinned on and bride wiping a tear
Bride and her dad walking downstairs
Flower girl laying on stairs
Groom tying a real bow tie
Groom putting his tuxedo jacket on
Groom's dad and usher doing their bow ties
Groom and best man laughing with the ushers
Usher shaking groom's hand
Best man greeting the bride's mum
Orangery with large chandeliers set for a wedding
Groom and best man standing ready for the ceremony to start
Groom watching flower girls and pageboy walk down the aisle
Flower girls and pageboy walking down the aisle
Bridesmaids walking down the aisle
Bride walking down the aisle
Groom's reaction as he watches bride walk down the aisle
Bride smiling at groom as she reaches the top of the aisle
Father of the bride lifting bride's veil
Bride's dad giving her a kiss as gives her away
Bride and groom laughing together during wedding ceremony
Two bridesmaids doing a reading during the ceremony
Bride's mum clapping at the ceremony readings
Best man handing wedding ring to groom
Groom looking lovingly at bride as she makes her vows
Bride holding back tears as she makes her wedding vows
Bride and groom tightly holding hands as they're pronounced husband and wife
Bride holding her bouquet triumphantly in the air
Pageboys and flower girls throwing confetti
Bride laughing with her wedding guests as they check out her wedding ring
Young wedding guest mirroring a grown up as they enjoy a drink
Flower girl drinking through a straw amidst a busy drinks reception behind her
Guide dog pushing its nose between its owner's legs to get a better view
Pageboy getting covered in bride's veil as it blows in the wind
View of wedding drinks reception through panes of glass in an orangery window
Bride's family getting ready for a family group photo
Group photo of bride and groom with their parents
Group photo of bride and her bridesmaids
Group photo of bride and groom with bridesmaids and groomsmen
Natural group photo of groom with his best man and ushers
Bride and groom playing peekaboo with a young flower girl
Bride and groom walking in front of an orangery
Natural posed photo of bride and groom in front of orangery
Bride and groom walking hand-in-hand through grounds of wedding venue
Posed portrait of bride and groom looking at camera in front of a background of trees and hedges
Bride and groom standing together in front of a large tree by a lake
Romantic portrait of bride and groom cuddled up for a photo
Groom helping bride with her veil as they walk along a lakeside path
Orangery set ready for wedding breakfast with white floral table centrepieces
Chic white and gold tableplan, menu and placenames
Bride and groom looking celebratry as they're announced in for the wedding breakfast
Wedding guests waving their napkins in the air as the bride and groom are announced in for the wedding breakfast
Father of the bride and bride looking at each other during his speech
Bride standing up to make a speech
Bridesmaids and pageboy clapping during speeches
Groom making a toast
Best man making a 'phone' gesture with his hand during speech
Bride smiling and groom pointing knowingly at a guest during speeches
Bride and groom cutting a white and gold wedding cake with a sword
Groom looking dreamily at bride during first dance
Groom twirling bride during first dance
Father/daughter wedding first dance
Wedding guest showing off moves on dancefloor
Two bridesmaids dancing with their hands in the air
Flower girl jumping in the air as she dances with adult bridesmaids
Wedding guests dancing as live band play in background
Pageboy taking a run to balance on top of a wedding guest is laying on the floor ready to catch him

Lovely words from Bethany & Adam

“Sarah is one of the most patient, kind, reliable and talented people we’ve ever met.

As soon as you meet Sarah you know you’re in professional hands… she went above and beyond to listen, guide and advise throughout the whole planning process to ensure when it came down to the day she knew exactly what we wanted to achieve.

We wanted timeless, romantic, candid photos which encapsulated all the emotions of our day without interrupting the flow and wow did we get that… and so much more!

Those special little moments between our guests were captured so beautifully. We barely even noticed Sarah & Tom throughout the day despite the ton of beautiful photos we received!

She made our wedding planning process a joy and our magical day simply effortless. We can’t thank her enough!”

Are you planning your wedding here?

If you’re getting married at Rushton Hall, I’d love to tag along! I’m on their recommended supplier list (oooh, fancy!) so you can be sure I know the venue well and have photographed weddings there in every season. But I’m still forever finding new spots and angles to help me create something unique for every couple. Also, can I Iive there now, please?

Creative team

Planner: Bethany Rose | Dress: ‘Tamela’ by Modeca at Icon Bridal | Dress customisation & veil: Lisa Carrington Couture | Florals: Helena, By Arrangement | Hair: Becky, Love Hair Boston | Makeup: Rachel Bray | Toastmaster: Alan Hodge | Cake: Carla Leclezio | Band: The Distractions | String Quartet: Ariella Strings | Stationery: Angelic Designs | Video: Momento Media