Alveston Pastures Farm Wedding Photography

Charlotte & Luke's  Alveston Pastures Farm Wedding Photography in Stratford Upon Avon.

A perfect day in the sunshine, a stolen shoe – and enough L O V E to make the world (and the wheels) go round

Alveston Pastures Farm is a stunning wedding location in Stratford Upon Avon. The grounds are gorgeous and there’s even a beautifully tended maze.

Charlotte and Luke wanted everything to be completely chilled and informal. We knew what they didn’t want – formalities, speeches, cake-cutting, register-signing, couples photos – but what they did want was a day in the sun with their friends and family relaxing and enjoying their day together.

With an outdoor service led by a celebrant in the glorious sunshine, a gin bar, an acoustic band, and even beanbags and rugs on the grass for guests to relax on, I think they achieved what they set out to do.

What an entrance Charlotte and … the dog made
The owners of Alveston Pastures Farm suggested that Charlotte and her bridesmaids made their entrance through the beautiful archway that led from their garden down towards the aisle where the outdoor service was going to be held.

Everyone held their breath as the bridesmaids started walking through in their deep red dresses, waiting expectantly for their first view of the bride-to-be. And here she is, resplendent in white, looking amazing.

Oh – hang on, what’s she doing? Is she wrestling with a small brown dog? Whose dog is it and why is it hanging on to her wedding dress?

So – the farm owners’ dog had decided to completely get in on the act and while everyone was watching, poor Charlotte was busy trying to extricate her dress from the teeth of a spaniel. It completely summed up the relaxed feel of the day and gave everyone such a giggle.

A humanist service with absolutely no formalities

The couple had gone through a small legal ceremony a few days earlier to make sure that the service on the day could be absolutely personal to them.

They wanted it to be a simple expression of their love and commitment to each other – with no formal announcements, vows or signing of the register, and their celebrant, Laura Gimson, was happy to oblige.

In my opinion, it took the wedding ceremony to a whole new level. It was warm, individual and really beautiful, for anyone who has never heard of humanist check out https://www.lauragimsonceremonies.co.uk/ it really is a way to make an extra special day.

Then the band began to play, the gin bar opened and it was time for people to relax Garden games, wheelbarrow races and guests lounging around on rugs – what a great day it was.

I loved the colours – there were crimsons and deep reds, golden yellows and deep blues. Luke’s green suit had been especially made for him, and with bright floral dresses set against the flowers, the hedges and the deep sunshine, everything just looked vibrant and alive.

They’d set up a huge L O V E statue on the grass and a little later, Luke’s cycling club changed it to read V E L O to represent his love of cycling.

The bride and groom dolls they’d bought for a giggle to sit atop the gin bar actually looked really cool and everyone chilled out and listened to music until it was time for the informal wedding breakfast where, as promised, there were plenty of toasts but not one speech.

Later that day, a shoe got stolen
The puppy made another entrance a little bit later. He managed to steal someone’s shoe and it turned into a great game (for him) while we all tried to get the shoe back off him. He finally dropped it at my feet while I was taking his photo – it was almost as if he wanted to pose properly.

We had some great photos around the big V E L O – the cycle team got involved and that was about as formal as the photographs got.

While the couple had insisted that they didn’t want ‘staged’ shots together, but due to in incredibke sunset we did sneal off for a couple . We walked to a nearby cornfield and honestly, I reckon I got some of the most stunning portraits I’d taken that year! As the sun went down, the sky was just awesome as a backdrop – I think they were pleased with them!

What a day, Charlotte and Luke! There was so much smiling and laughing and so many funny moments. Congratulations – and we couldn’t have done it without that dog.

 

 Alveston Pastures Farm Wedding Photography - Find my favourite photos from this stunning venue below.