Cotswolds Wedding at De Vere Tortworth Court

What can I say about Will & Izzi's wedding without revealing my total infatuation with these two beautiful souls...?

FORGET IT! It's too difficult!

These two have truly stolen my heart. Their wedding was a true testimony of their love for each other, love for their family and friends and overall beautiful view of life.

They came to me right at the start of the year - right when I was digging deep into building my business foundations, figuring out the type of couples I wanted to work with. And there they were.

Friendly, extremely creative, excited about life and loving to a fault. Just my people.

They were planning their May wedding at Tortworth Court's Orangery and excited to pull off the party of their life.

Needless to say they created a day full of colour, wonder and romance, injecting it with so many personal touches it still gets me excited!

They told me how special yet bittersweet this day would be, as Izzi's Dad Rupert passed away a few months before, and I knew this was going to be a very special and emotional one for me.

THE CEREMONY was an emotional roller coaster. Starting off with Izzi walking down the aisle, dazzling everyone with her 12 bridesmaids, in her stunning embroidered dress. Will, stunned as he looked at her with emotion in his eyes that all photographer dream to capture. Rupert's Rolling Stones jacket hung on a front row chair, reassuring everyone he was watching over the whole thing. The beautiful readings from bridesmaid Vicky and groomsman Joe. The obligatory struggle of fitting the rings and Will lovingly wiping his mouth covered in lip gloss after their first kiss added a little levity to an extraordinarily emotional 30 minutes.

But once that was over it was time to PARTY!

Cocktail hour was relaxed and full of friends enjoying the garden and the sun that finally started shining through. With champagne glasses at the ready you were hard to find someone not laughing or having fun.

THE RECEPTION was beautifully decorated, with personal touches everywhere you looked.

Izzi is a stationer and all around creative. Not only she made her own invites (of course) but she made her own cake, made her own table decorations - each table named after a pub they enjoyed with a small story of why it was so special to them - and even designed their very own temporary tattoos for the evening entertainment. And let's not forget about Will. His DIY skills impressed even me when he built light up initials signs for the dance floor, FROM SCRATCH!

One of the most fun parts of the day however was the speeches - and I don't say this lightly!

The humour, the laughter, the emotion, the reactions were all priceless. I do not remember laughing and crying that much during someone's speeches.

After the meal, I took the two love birds around the grounds to get some romantic couple shots, as we could only do a few before the reception. This turned out to work in our favour as sunset was getting closer and the intensity of the day was starting to give way to weightlessness and a sense of peace.

As much as I love the events of the day, these tend to be my favourite moments (and not necessarily because I get to create beautiful and dramatic images). This is the time when the couple gets a chance to breath, calm down, be aware of what just happened and spend that time alone (ish) connecting with their favourite person.

We took some photos of Izzi wearing her dad's jacket (passion for rock music being something they shared together), had a stroll in the gardens and made the obligatory stop under the wisteria arches.

By the time the first dance (Heros by David Bowie btw - coolest first dance song ever!) came around, sunset was upon us, shining through the glass walls of the orangery, giving a dreamy warm glow to such a special moment. It felt so romantic I think I'm going to be thinking about that moment for years.

This wedding was for sure a highlight of my year and I am so happy they had such a wonderful day despite the recent loss.

Izzi & Will: I wish you all the best in this world and may your marriage be as strong, loving, kind, happy and full of life as you are.

All my love, Lisa xx