Amy & Adam’s wedding at Dodmoor House was my last wedding that I photographed before we went into the first Covid lockdown back in March of 2020. Yes I am really that behind with blogging weddings! At the time of the wedding we all knew about Covid-19 but we didn’t know what was just around the corner. Despite this all those in attendance had a damn good time celebrating Amy & Adam’s wedding day.
Below I’ve collated a few highlight photos from their day. Amy kindly completed my blog form so you’ll find lots of information about the day directly from Amy & Adam.
How did you meet and tell me a bit about the proposal.
We met on the dating app Plenty of Fish! I’d actually had a really bad date the night before and almost cancelled my date with Adam. I was so glad I didn’t though, and we were out all day chatting away and I couldn’t wait to see him again.
As for the proposal, it was our 4 year Anniversary and Adam usually forgets cards so I thought nothing of it when I went to give him mine and he said ‘let’s do them later’. All I thought was he’d forgotten again. However, that evening just before we went out for a meal he gave me my card. He had ordered a wooden keepsake heart with our anniversary date engraved into it. Inside was the cutest picture of our whippet Freddie with a sign around his neck that read ‘will you marry my Daddy?’ It was so nice asking with just the two of us there and Freddie on my lap of course.
We didn’t want to be engaged for a long time. We are also trying to save for a house and knew one or the other would hold things up so we booked our wedding at the end of April for the following March. This gave us just over 10 months to plan our wedding day.
Why did you choose Dodmoor House as your wedding venue?
We didn’t look at lots of venues. A barn style wedding was always an option as well as a civil ceremony all in one location. Something a little more relaxed was important to us. We wanted the choice of our own caterers and the no corkage policy which Dodmoor House offered. We did hope to have our whippet Freddie with us on the day too. Dodmoor House allow dogs at your wedding day which was a big bonus. The last two days they had left in March one of which fell on Freddie’s birthday. It felt like it was meant to be! Obviously the venue itself was absolutely stunning. I really loved the intimacy of the Courtyard Barn for the ceremony and the beautiful high ceilings with candle arbours in the Catesby Barn for the wedding breakfast.
Tell me about your outfits and accessories.
Adam and his groomsmen hired suits from A Farleys Wedding Suit Hire in Kibworth. I knew I wanted tweed but because of sizing issues across teen to adult we had to compromise with a tweed waistcoat. I loved how this looked in the end with the formal navy suit and brown brogues. The foliage buttonholes also stood off the navy suits really well.
Bridesmaid dresses were a bargain from H&M and we were so lucky to fall onto a colour that fit within the colour scheme and that the girls felt comfortable in. I stuck to a budget here as I had chosen 6 bridesmaids, so we managed to make a great saving!
My dress was from Georgina Scott Bridal back near my hometown in the West Midlands. I fell in love with a super sparkly number by Brighton based designs True Bride. I always thought I would choose lace but turned into a bit of a magpie with the beaded/embroidered bodice with the perfect veil to match!
Freddie, our whippet, wore a custom-made harness from Tuna & Bear. We got a little nod to the groomsmen’s outfits by choosing a grey tweed bow tie. He looked so handsome!!
What about your flowers and decoration.
We booked Anna at Julie Anna Flowers. I knew I wanted lots of green foliage, eucalyptus/ruscus with classic white florals and hints of blue to tie in with the bridesmaid dresses. Anna suggested the eryngium thistles for something blue!
After searching through millions of themes on Pinterest I came to the conclusion that Dodmoor House is beautiful as it is with little decoration. I kept with the rustic theme and just updated it a little with gold/brass decorative items. Brass candlesticks with tapered grey candles, inspiration taken from The White Emporium – a wedding stylist and decor/prop hire service I used to help me.
What was your favourite part of the day?
The Ceremony was our favourite part of the day. For me it was the aisle walk. Seeing everyone we love there and happy to be celebrating with us made it so special. I had to laugh as soon as my sisters heard the song I had chosen for the aisle walk. They started blubbering when all they wanted to do was smile!
We had two readings. My sisters read a poem for me which was about the closeness only sisters know. This was so lovely as I don’t live so close to them anymore. I selected a poem for Adam’s sister to read called ‘Here’s to Right Now’. It perfectly suggests looking forward to future moments together but also appreciating the moment we were in on the day and those all around us.
I loved hearing Freddie get involved during the exchanging of the rings. He timed his bark perfectly to me saying ‘I give you this ring’ to Adam, which caused quite a few laughs from our guests. The registrar we had on the day, Jane, performed a lovely ceremony for us and she really helped us both to relax!
What song did you have for your first dance?
We chose L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole. Adam and I didn’t want anything too slow and wanted something that would make everyone else like to join in! Our first dance together while we were dating was ‘When I fall in love’ by Nat King Cole, which will always be special to us so we wanted to choose something by him.
We chose 1Entertainments for our evening music. We also booked the DIY Photobooth and provided a polaroid camera for guests to take their own pictures. It was a lot of fun and looked great captured in the professional photos/video too!
Speaking of photos, what made you book me as your photographer and what did you think of your photos?
The candid style of photography really stood out to us and we both loved how you capture every emotion. Particularly the funnier/cheeky moments you might just miss! I also love the strong use of colour. We wanted bright photographs of the day especially in early March when the weather can sometimes make things a little grey!
Aaron was fantastic on the day, he really got stuck in but at the same time didn’t impose in any way and just blended in with our guests. He was also handy in the morning when all of us were giddy with excitement and trying to work out what times we should be getting ready.
We loved all the evening dance floor shots, and really appreciated the extra time Aaron put in to make sure he got some of those classic, expressive pictures!!
Finally, do you have any words of wisdom?
Everyone says it, but the day really does go by so fast. Just enjoy every second and go with the flow but do stop for a minute or two and take it all in when you can.
Book a videographer! I know it’s not in everyone’s budget but keep your eyes peeled on social media, we won a complimentary film from someone starting out who wanted to expand their wedding portfolio. We were so lucky to have a video to look back on because the day is over in a flash!
I don’t think we would do anything differently, we chose a venue run by the most amazing people who do everything they can to make sure your day is perfect! Final bit of advice. The day should be for you & your Husband to be. Don’t sweat about the people not attending, those who love you most will be there and make your day so special!
If you’re planning your own wedding at Dodmoor House then please do get in touch to see if I’m available to capture the day for you both.
