A lovely, laid back summer’s day. Geri and Joe’s Pennard House wedding photography
Geri and Joe are a delightful pair of humans and it was a pleasure to photograph their wedding at Pennard House this summer. It was touch and go as to whether they’d be able to have the outdoor wedding ceremony they wanted. Rain threatened all morning but they decided to brave it. The weather held, right up until the moment drinks were served, when the heavens opened.
A house mate romance!
Geri and Joe met through a friend and became housemates. Romance blossomed and before long they had moved into their own place. 6 years later, on new years eve, Joe and Geri booked a beautiful house to stay in. It was then that Joe popped the question.
Geri wasn’t expecting a proposal at all, as Joe had always told her he wasn’t really ‘into’ marriage. On that trip they drove all over Somerset and agreed that it would be great to get married there.
What Geri and Joe said about working with Babb Photo
Here’s what Geri and Joe had to say about working with me for their Pennard House wedding photography.
Laura put me at ease immediately, it was as though you were another family member or friend getting ready with us in that giant bedroom. It seemed as though you could see into the future as you were in the right place to capture every moment as it happened. We rarely have our photo taken as we are often uncomfortable and shy but you put us at such ease.
The advice you gave us before and during the day was spot on and we found your blog invaluable. Laura’s assistant was also fantastic and made Joe feel so comfortable. We can’t thank you enough.
We chose Babb Photo based on photos we saw on your instagram page. Such vibrant colour and storytelling through photography. It appealed to us instantly and gave us confidence in the way that we wanted our day documented. After speaking with Laura by skype, we knew we had made the right choice!
To read more about Geri and Joe’s wonderful wedding day in their own words scroll down to the bottom. If you’re looking for Pennard House wedding photography or wedding photography in Bath, Bristol or Somerset get in touch.
A relaxed and peaceful Somerset wedding venue
Pennard House was the only venue we saw – as soon as we drove into the venue’s grounds I knew it was for us. It was so relaxed, peaceful and rural but you got the feeling that you could throw a hell of a party in the coach house! We wanted an outdoor, relaxed wedding but most of all we wanted laughter and dancing, lots of dancing!
A 50s dress
I am not the girliest of girls. My main aim was to be comfortable and to have the kind of dress that made me feel super glamorous but also made me still feel like me. The 1950’s tea dress style is so easy to wear and so much fun to dance in. Also, you get to show off your shoes! I wore a beautiful pair of vintage style Jenny Packham’s which were comfortable long into the night. My hair was styled to wear down (as I always do) and I wore large vintage inspired droplet earrings to add some sparkle.
A bespoke 3 piece suite
Joe wore a 3 piece navy suit from Richard James, Mayfair. His accessories were from the same designer, along with Ted Baker shoes. Our best best man (my nephew, Cillian) delivered my present to Joe on the morning of the wedding. It was a double Hunter pocket watch. I had often caught Joe looking at pocket watches online and thought it was the perfect time to surprise him.
DIY decorations
After seeing Pennard House we realised that we didn’t need to use a lot of decoration as there is so much character in the venue itself. We decided that we would make as many of the decorations as we could ourselves. We thought this would add to the fun and build up to the wedding.
Our place names were Polaroid style photos of our guests. It was so much fun choosing the photos however this was so time consuming! We loved hearing the laughter as our guests tried to find their seats.
Our centre pieces were simple foliage and candles of different sizes. We made our table numbers using old scrabble letters and photo frames which we spray painted gold – I think they looked quite effective.
For the coach house, we hung simple paper decorations and I made some bunting to add some cheerful colour.
Peonies and a thistle for Scotland
For as long as I can remember I have loved peonies and I wanted to get married during peonie season so that I would be able to have my favourite flowers as the main focal point in my bouquet. I sent some pictures of my ideas for the bouquet to the brilliant staff at the Walled Garden at Mells Florist and they made my vision come alive. My flowers looked and smelled amazing.
I had pictures of my two grandmothers attached which made it all the more special to me. Also, my father is a beekeeper and naturally bees are very special to us. As I walked down the aisle, a small honey bee followed my bouquet the whole way and flew away as my dad handed me over to Joe – I felt this was a sign, it made my nerves disappear completely.
Joe’s button hole had a small thistle as a nod to his Scottish heritage.
We also had a lovely shelf of peonies and foliage hanging outside in our ceremony area which framed the scene and was exactly what I had imagined.
A very special wedding ceremony
Our civil ceremony felt so special. We chose our sisters to read for us and they did us so proud. The first reading was “From Beginning to End” by Robert Fulghum, this reading really resonated with us and it fills us both with so much emotion every time we read it. To make us laugh, Joe’s sister Louise read ‘Grow old with you’ from the wedding singer and my sister Natalie read ‘Marriage’ by Anon:
Marriage is about giving and taking
And forging and forsaking
Kissing and loving and pushing and shoving
Caring and Sharing and screaming and swearing
About being together whatever the weather
About being driven to the end of your tether
About Sweetness and kindness
And wisdom and blindness
It’s about being strong when you’re feeling quite weak
It’s about saying nothing when you’re dying to speak
It’s about being wrong when you know you are right
It’s about giving in, before there’s a fight
It’s about you two living as cheaply as one
(you can give us a call if you know how that’s done!)
Never heeding advice that was always well meant
Never counting the cost until it’s all spent
And for you two today it’s about to begin
And for all that the two of you had to put in
Some days filled with joy, and some days with sadness
Too late you’ll discover that marriage is madness.
We spent such a long time deliberating over music for our ceremony, music is a huge part of our lives and we often find that our tastes differ considerably! We had ‘Into the mystic’ by Van Morrison while my dad walked me down the aisle and Tom Jones ‘It’s not unusual’ to walk up the aisle to as a newly married couple – it was so much fun and made most people laugh and dance immediately!
The entertainment
We chose a 1950’s rock and roll band for our evening reception which went down an absolute storm – there was never much room on the dance floor which was exactly what we had hoped for! I got to put my dress through its paces and the kids (and the adults) threw some serious shapes. Our faces hurt from laughing! We had Chuck Berry’s ‘You never can tell’ as our first dance song. It’s one of our favourites and our band did such a great cover of it!
Our speeches were great sources of entertainment. The father of the bride and best man did us proud and Joe’s speech was lovely and heart felt. But I think all our guests would agree that the 9 year old best, best man absolutely stole the show with his outstanding gags and comedy timing. I think we have a star in the making!
Our favourite bits
It’s so hard to narrow this down, our favourite part was the hug we had at the end of the ceremony as we breathed a sigh of relief and realised that the scary bit was over! I remember whispering to Joe “Where’s the champagne at?!”
The words of wisdom
Take time to reflect, be in the moment and try not to sweat the small stuff. It’s definitely easier said than done but it’s so important that the happy couple enjoy the build up to the big day as it goes by so quickly.
The credits
Wedding dress: http://www.truebride.co.uk/758/Brighton-Belle-Bonnie True Bride Boutique Tunbridge Wells, Dress Brighton Belle, “Bonnie”
Shoes: Jenny Packham, ‘Paris’
Florist: https://www.thewalledgardenatmells.co.uk/
Venue: Pennard House https://www.pennardhouse.com/
Caterer: https://www.wildforkwest.co.uk/
Bridesmaid Dresses: http://www.oasis-stores.com/gb/collections/bridesmaids/?page=1&hideFeatured=false
Groom: https://www.richard-james.com/weddings
Band: https://www.bettyandthebootleggers.co.uk/
Bridal party makeup: https://www.instagram.com/kat.sanders.smith/
Cheese: https://parkfarm.co.uk/
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