Ellen & Ben: Classic Elegance for a relaxed Barn Wedding at Packington Moor
Packington Moor Wedding Photography
I am excited to share this beautiful rustic barn wedding! I photographed the wedding of Ellen and Ben back in June this year at Packington Moor Barn Wedding Venue just 10 minutes from my home in Lichfield. I feel blessed to have this beautiful gem of a wedding venue right on my doorstep and looking forward to photographing more weddings there next year!
Ellen & Ben, well where do I begin? From the very first text and email to the pre wedding shoot and then photographing their wedding, it felt like we were old friends (although they are both significantly younger than me) they were so comfortable in front of the camera, so crazy in love with each other, it was heartwarming to be around them both.
Ellen detailed Ben's surprise engagement in her first email to me and I loved their 'love story' immediately, I knew we were going to have such an amazing working relationship. Whilst she was on a placement in the Bahamas completing medical school training;
'...I was extremely homesick and missing Ben desperately. He kindly booked me in to a lovely hotel for a weekend to allow me to escape the dreadful accommodation I had been staying in. Before dawn on the first night I was at the hotel, I was woken by a room boy who was very insistently banging on my door to deliver a card! The card told me to go down to the jetty, and after pulling on a dress I ran down to the jetty to find Ben! He had secretly flown over to the Bahamas and was waiting as the sun came up over the sea to propose! He stayed for only 36hours before flying back to the UK...'
She told me 'We hope that we can find a photographer who will be able to capture the romance of our day but also snap the laughter and fun of our families' and there was so much laughter, so much romance and so many pretty details, it was impossible to not capture something incredible!
I was assisted on the day by the super talented Lucy of Angelfire Photography Thank you Lucy for being my partner in crime that day, what an awesome team!
Ellen and Ben's wedding was beautiful from start to finish, and elegant bride and a handsome groom, totally smitten with each other, the day was filled with loveliness, tears of joy and lots and lots of laughter. My face actually hurt from laughing so much! Thank you for asking me to be your wedding photographer, and it was a privilege to capture you starting this new and exciting chapter in your life together.
Ellen & Ben told me 'We loved the rustic elegance of Packington and the fact that we could decorate the venue to represent us. The venue could supply all of the food and staff meaning that we had less to organise. We needed somewhere near to my parents that also had a quiet space for my Dad as he has a chronic illness that sometimes means he has to rest - the onsite cottage was perfect'
Videographer: http://www.ourweddingthemovie.com/
Florist: http://www.emilywisherartisanflorist.co.uk/
Entertainment: http://romantic-piano.co.uk/ http://www.thefanaticsband.co.uk/ Family friend Jonjo Williams Tanton played guitar and sang
Cake Maker: http://celebration-cakes.co.uk/
Bridal Hairdresser: Family friend - Kate Goodwin
Bridal Makeup: http://www.rebeccafrances.com/
Caterers: Galloping Gourmet at Packington
Bridal Shop/Brides Dress Designer: J&J designs Newcastle under Lyme. http://www.jandjdesignsbridal.com/jandj-designs/ Maggie Sottero Ettia Dress
Bridesmaids Dresses /Grooms/Groomsmen's Attire: Bridesmaids wear Monsoon dresses. Groom and groom's men wearing hired suits from Moss Bros
Stationery: Designed by bride and her uncle Paul Kesteron, printed on Vistaprint
DIY Details: Mirror table plan, handmade button holes for day guests
Honeymoon?: Rhodes - Sensimar Imperial Resort & Spa by Atlantica
Recently Ben left the most amazing review on my Facebook page, it brought me to tears (I am emotional at the best of times, especially when someone says something lovely about my work!)
He wrote 'If I could give Helen more than 5 stars then i would do. We were lucky enough to have Helen photograph our wedding a couple of weeks ago, and found that not only is she the most incredibly talented photographer but she is a wonderful person.
She made us feel so comfortable and captured the day in a way in which we couldn't have ever dreamed. We received our gallery last night and are absolutely over the moon! My sister in law summed the pictures up perfectly when she said 'Helen has managed not only to take photographs of the wedding but has captured the warmth and happiness of the day'. She couldn't have been more right. Thank you so much Helen! xx
If you are looking for a wedding photographer based around the Lichfield area, please do get in touch with me to discuss your wedding day, I would love to photograph your wedding. I offer some special and amazing all day rates, with special packages for Weekday weddings as well as offers for when you book me all day. Looking for a shorter coverage? Please contact me for details hello@helenhowardphotography.com or by phone 07877 303172