Shustoke Barn, Warwickshire – Lianne and Craig’s beautiful country wedding, Shustoke Barn Wedding photography

Get ready cause I’m baaaack! I’ve been absolutely LOVING the return of wedding season and m y return to thge lovely Shustoke Barn,   I’ve been working my little socks off snapping beautiful brides and gorgeous grooms the last few months, so busy I’ve not had a chance to tell you about any of it! But while I’ve got a little moment to breathe I thought I’d drop by and tell you about a gorgeous wedding I shot just recently.

Lianne and Craig’s was actually my first ever pandemic postponed wedding! This pair were due to tie the knot back in April 2020 at Shustoke Barn in Coleshill. Remember that time, when lots of us naively thought we’d be back to normal in a few months, if not weeks? Oh, how I laugh when I think of my optimism! I definitely wasn’t alone though. Lianne and Craig first postponed their April wedding to May 2020, and then when that didn’t work out, they moved it to the summer school holidays – because they’d definitely be OK to have their wedding by then…right? Right?!

Wrong…with Craig’s family living abroad, things were especially complicated, and Lianne and Craig actually got married a whole two years after their original wedding day. Truly, a tale for our times!

Of course we kept in touch about arrangements over the period, and I’d seen Lianne pop up on my social media every now and again, but I was super surprised when, in our zoom planning meeting earlier this year, Lianne appeared holding a little bundle of joy! The pandemic meant that the her and Craig had fast forwarded their plans to start a family, and now we were plotting wedding shots to include gorgeous baby, Keala.

Lianne and Craig had done loads of travelling in the past, and that’s something we’d connected over when we first met. They’d told me some wild stories from their trips round the globe, and I was bracing myself for a fairly uproarious wedding day – but with little Keala in the picture, the vibe was slightly different! Still fun-filled, of course, but perhaps with a few less tequila shots involved.

Bridal prep was happening at Lianne’s place, with her closest friends, family, and months-old Keala all in tow. It was clear from the moment I arrived that Keala was going to be stealing the show for the rest of the day! She was being passed around, cooed over, and subject to a lot of excited silly faces from the bridesmaids and others assembled. There was no question that caring for her throughout the day was going to be a team effort and not fall solely on the shoulders of the bride and groom.

The weather on the day was a bit all over the place, with sunshine in the morning giving way to grey skies later on. The bridal party arrived at Shustoke Barn to glorious warmth, but with no actual bride in sight…Lianne had left her flowers behind and had had to loop back to pick them up. It didn’t delay things too long, and by the time everyone was settled into the beautiful barn some April showers had appeared.

Shustoke Barn is such a gorgeous setting for a ceremony, with exposed red brickwork and original rustic beams overhead, it doesn’t need too much dressing to make it look truly romantic. After a beautiful ceremony and some moving readings, the bride, groom, and their guests headed outside into the lovely courtyard. Shustoke have done a brilliant job of making their outdoor area a lovely place to hang out, with beautiful olive trees and benches perfect for sipping fizz. It was the perfect place to catch up with friends from all over the world who Lianne and Craig hadn’t seen for a long time.

Lianne and Craig had arranged to have a pianist play during their drinks reception, which set a lovely atmosphere and helped to keep spirits high when we all had to troop back inside the Barn when the rain made an unwelcome return. After the speeches, which had the guests shaking with laughter and welling with tears in equal measure, the clouds cleared again and I started to get excited that we might have a beautiful sunset on the cards! 

Fortunately, we were in luck, and as we moved out the front of the Barn, the sun started to drop through the clouds and filtered a lovely light onto the bride and groom which made for the perfect opportunity for some golden hour shots.

Continuing the live music, it was now time for a fantastic band to take to the stage and the day’s fizz quaffing was put to good use as the guests started to shake their stuff on the dance floor. For those that were a little boogied out, some fire pits (and marshmallows, of course!) out in the courtyard lit up Shustoke Barn in the dark and created a cosy-feeling space for those catch-ups to continue long into the night.

Congratulations Lianne, Craig, and Keala – I’m so glad you finally made it!

IF YOUR LOOKING FOR A Shustoke Barn Wedding photographer , THEN CONTACT ME TODAY TO DISCUSS.