A Brookfield Barn Wedding

Well what can I say about Debi and Chris, except what an amazing couple!

Like so many other couples this past year, just getting to a point where they could actually get married has been a crazy, crazy journey!
They’ve had to postpone, then they were tricked by an inaccurate government press release only to have their hearts broken the day after when the rules were amended and like everyone else, they had the fun and excitement sucked out of wedding planning. 

In the end they decided to postpone their big celebration until 2023 but to go ahead with a small ceremony this year as soon as they were allowed.

Yesterday was the day - these two wonderful humans finally got to marry one another!

They got married at the beautiful Brookfield Barn in Horsham. It was my first time working at Brookfield Barn and I loved every minute of it. It’s a lovely venue to photograph. Because of the current rules the main barn area was closed, so there is still plenty more for me to explore next time I’m there - can’t wait!

Being a small ceremony (a prelude to a big celebration still to come), Debi and Chris decided to do things their own way and so they actually arrived together - and in some style! 

They also decided to walk each other down the aisle - which I thought was just wonderful.

Luckily the weather was really good and so a socially distanced ceremony could be done outside without the need for masks. It may have only been in front of a small number of people but it was no less lovely for it. 

Over this last year I have had the pleasure of photographing a handful of weddings restricted to a small number of guests and one thing that they all have in common is that when the couple have their first kiss as a married couple, the guests whoop and cheer loud enough for twice their number. 

Yesterday was no exception and their guests did Debi and Chris proud!

A fun little fact that some of you may not know is that due to data protection rules, I’m not allowed to photograph the couple signing the wedding register. The way we get around this is that after the official signing is done, the couple have a dummy register placed in front of them and they kind of ‘fake’ sign it.

Of all the many weddings I have photographed, and all the many couples that I’ve seen do this, Chris was by far the most excited person I’ve known to do a pretend signing. I really love this picture - what a grin!

It wasn’t just the signing though, these two were excited and happy all afternoon and honestly, it was a joy to capture the day for such a fun, happy couple.

Soon enough - and to more whooping and cheering from their guests - it was time to walk back up the aisle, this time as husband and wife and to sneak off for a cheeky glass of bubbly!

One of the many things that any photographer at Brookfield Barn will surely always spot is this pretty amazing rope swing!

Debi and Chris were well up for cuddling up and having a little go on the swing, and it was great fun and made for some gorgeous pictures. 

Everything was good until….

We realised we got dust all over the bum of Chris’s new trousers! 😬😬😬

Thankfully they weren’t ruined.

We continued our nice little stroll around the grounds of the barn and anyone who knows me won’t be remotely surprised to learn that I was super keen to make use of the lake (loooove those reflection shots!)

It was a beautiful afternoon for a beautiful couple and it was so lovely to finally get to capture these two getting married. 

I’m already looking forward to 2023 when Debi and Chris will be back at Brookfield Barn with significantly more guests for a big ol’ party!

Debi and Chris booked a highlight video with their package too

That’s all for this little sneak peek, folks. I’ll add one or two more pictures from this wedding to the Facebook and Instagram pages as I edit them, so feel free to follow along over there. 

Massive thanks to Sophie and the team at Brookfield Barn for taking such good care of me - you guys are great!

And a huge thank you to Debi and Chris for choosing me to capture your big day and for being so much fun yesterday!

David