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Hayley and Henry – a sun-soaked Shustoke Barn Wedding Photography
Shustoke Barn
Today I’ve got a beautiful summer wedding to tell you all about, at one of my favourite local Warwickshire venues. Hayley and Henry got married at Shustoke Barn, Coleshill, a rustic barn with exposed brickwork in a beautiful rural setting. Shustoke Barn ticks the boxes for a lot of my wedding couples – it’s so well located, has a big capacity, and a private outdoor courtyard, not to mention its charming looks – no wonder I’ve shot weddings there over and over again.
Pre Wedding excitement
I’d had a zoom call with Hayley and her mum, who were both lovely, and really excited to have found a photographer with the exact style of images that they wanted. What can I say – I’m a dream!
One of my favourite parts of a wedding day is the morning, when the bride and her bridesmaids are getting ready. There’s always fizz, and gossip, and general good cheer – like a whole other party before the wedding starts! Hayley had eight bridesmaids for her wedding day, and lots of excited family at home too, including her mum. So the morning was lots of fun, with plenty of giggles and champagne. As it was a beautiful summer’s day, everyone had the chance to sit out in the garden in between the hair and make up. Perfection!
I could tell from that first zoom call that Hayley and her mum had a lovely, close relationship, and they had worked really hard together on creating the perfect wedding. To keep the momentum during bridal prep, Hayley’s mum had organised a gorgeous buffet, which arrived about 11am and was much appreciated by everybody. She’d also prepared schedules for the morning that she’d pinned up around the house to keep all the prep on track – what a brilliant idea. She’d transformed a bedroom into a ‘bridal boutique’ so that Hayley had somewhere special to get dressed – so thoughtful! – and she kept it nice and private with a big ‘DO NOT ENTER’ sign on the door. She really had thought of everything.
Off to Shustoke Barn
Once everybody was fed, watered, dressed, and made up, it was time for Hayley and her bridesmaids to head off to Shustoke. The barn at Shustoke is a gorgeous setting for a wedding ceremony – all soft light and high ceilings, it’s so picturesque. Hayley and Henry were both beaming from ear to ear and it was infectious. The whole room was full of love and happiness.
After a spectacular confetti throw, it was time to enjoy some drinks outside in the sun, and Hayley and Henry had arranged for a magician to entertain their guests, so there were some lovely moments of delight as he astounded the guests with his skills.
Before long, it was time for a delicious wedding breakfast. Hayley and Henry had thoughtfully written personalised poems for each of their guests, so that when they sat down to eat, each person had a special gift just for them. It was a lovely touch.
Hayley’s dad set the tone for the speeches with a heartfelt tribute to his daughter, welcoming Henry to the family. Henry and his best man followed, and each speech was met with plenty of laughter (and one or two tears) by the assembled guests.It was a beautiful, long, summer’s day. As I whisked Henry and Hayley away for a few pictures in Shustoke’s gorgeous surroundings, their guests were treated to a saxophonist, who was just perfect for the hot and – by now – boozy evening.
On her return, Hayley got involved with one of my favourite wedding traditions, the bouquet toss! There was some good natured athletic competition for Hayley’s beautiful bouquet – it’s relatively unusual these days for a bride to throw her bouquet, as many want to keep it and press the flowers, so I was delighted at this chance to capture some shots of the guests vying to be the champion!Perhaps this was all just warm-up for the dancefloor, because Hayley and Henry cracked out some really impressive moves out there! Their guests needed little encouragement, and the dancefloor was packed as the end of the evening drew near.