“We wanted totally relaxed reportage style and definitely nothing posed! The more natural the better! Jonny certainly delivered. There was no pressure for us to ‘act’ we just ‘were’! Jonny puts people at ease and adopteds the fly on the wall approach with great skill.”

Winter Wedding at Curradine Barns in Worcestershire

Steph had always wanted a winter church ceremony with a rustic barn theme for the venue and as Lee is quite laid back he was happy to follow suit! When they discovered Curradine Barns it was the perfect combination of a gorgeous, warm and inviting barn with a traditional grade I listed church, St.Mary’s, a few hundred yards down the lane.
She was delighted to walk to the venue from the chursh rather than be bundled into a wedding car to travel! It also made for some fun pics. They wanted guests to feel like there was only one destination so no need to arrange further logistics to the next place. Steph was well prepared for the walk with pastel green (the colour theme) wellingtons underneath her wedding dress!
They always knew their wedding would be laid back, have great food (I sensed big foodies!) and basically be a big party after the traditional church ceremony. Not bothered if something didn’t go to plan as long as people were fed, watered (alcoholic beverages of course) and could let their hair down! Amen to that.

Here’s the day in their own words..

Why choose Curradine barns wedding venue?

We loved the type of venue Curradine Barns is, it’s rustic and warm throughout with a blazing wood fire in the bar area. The Granary Barn which is usually used for ceremonies was an amazing space for our dance floor and fantastic band!! The saxophonist was able to work his way round this beautiful space to mingle with our guests and the lead singer sang from the balcony over the dance floor.
I also love the wooden beams with delicate branches entwined with darling fairy lights – this is where our scrumptious wedding breakfast was served!
It was also essential that the venue had overnight accommodation for both Lee and I and our families. The farmhouse, which is on site, is furnished beautifully and was ideal for us as we aren’t local to the area.

Tell us about the dress. Why did you choose it and what did you love about it?

My dress was the second dress I tried on in the second bridal boutique I attended and I knew it was the one! My parents kindly bought my dress for me as a gift (one of three daughters-my poor Dad!) and it was actually purchased before we had booked our venue or wedding date! That’s how much I love it.
She is called Proa, designed by Pronovias provided by Rachel Ash (rachelash.co.uk) from the Bridal Boutique in Atherstone, Warwickshire. The staff there are so kind!

Small additions to the dress were made by adding glass, pearl and tiny silver beads to accentuate the stunning soft lace work. An ostrich feather bolero whilst in church and outside provided some warmth! I kept jewellery to a minimum to keep my dress as the statement, I only wore a pearl bracelet bought for me to wear as bridesmaid at my sister’s wedding and stud pearl earrings bought by Lee whist we were on our pre-moon in Vietnam’s idyllic island Phu Quoc. They have an abundance of sea oysters on this island which produce the most beautiful unique pearls!
The look was finished with a beautiful fresh flower crown – it smelt and looked incredible!!!

Groom’s attire?

Lee wore his military attire for the church ceremony, his Royal Marine Commando Blues.
He then changed into a brown flecked 3 piece Donegal tweed suit from Duncan James, Walsall for the reception (duncanjames.co.uk)

Any advice for those planning their wedding now?

Don’t argue about planning your wedding! It’s a very important day and you can get lost in things like deciding your guest list or seating plans but it’s not just about the wedding-it is more about the many days/months/years spent together and the journey you are undertaking to become husband and wife and the excitement of what the future has to offer that you also need to look forward to!

What song did you walk down the aisle to?

Traditional bridal entrance – Bridal Chorus, Wagner

What song played for your first dance?

Always and Forever, Luther Vandross

What are you most looking forward to as a married couple?

Our future- growing old together and what adventures it will bring. Baby Hildreth is cooking nicely!

Who deserves a shout out?

Make up artists: Eva Telejko evatelejko@gmail.com
Florist: Primrose Flower Boutique, Dee Nield primroseflowerboutique.com
Cake: Cotton and Crumbs, Tracy James cottonandcrumbs.co.uk
Rings:  marlows-diamonds.co.uk Marlows, Birmingham Jewellery Quarter
Catering Company: gallopinggourmet.co.uk/venues/curradine-barns
Entertainment: Capriccio Quartet, Lynne Webster lynne.webster@yahoo.co.uk & Apollo Soul apollosoul.co.uk
Other: Hair Vine woven into flower crown – Maya Rose Gold hair vine, Britten brittenweddings.com/collections/wedding-hairvines
Bridal Shoes – badgleymischka.com/ Badgley Mischka Pearson Vanilla Satin Embellished Heels

Thinking of having your wedding at Curradine Barns?  If you like the look of these Curradine Barn wedding photos I’d love to hear more about you, your wedding day plans and what you want from your documentary wedding photographer.