“Hannah was the icing on our cake.”

Faith and Tom. What a duo. They’re fun, they’re laid back, they’re creative and they LOVE GIN. I absolutely adore their ginspired table plan (Faith’s mum is a legend with the paintbrush) and decor, which really added to their colourful Suffolk barn wedding. And I almost forgot… THE BRIDESMAID’S WORE JUMPSUITS YOU GUYS! 

Shooting weddings at Bateman’s Barn always feels like coming home; Nicole and John, who own the venue, are the kindest souls who really respect and understand photographers, which makes shooting there so fun and so easy, but of course, being an East Anglian girl myself, getting to come back to shoot weddings really is wonderful. I spend a lot of time talking about those big old Norfolk and Suffolk skies… They really are special and Mother Nature really pulled the most incredible sunset out of the bag for Faith + Tom; couple that with endless sky and well… the top photo on this entry should show you just why! 

How did you meet?

We met at University in Reading in 2009, where we lived in Halls of Residence together.

Tell me your proposal story:

Tom took me on a surprise weekend trip to Iceland. We hired a car and had a wonderful couple of days exploring the incredible scenery. I now know that Tom carried the ring around with him the whole time, unsure of when to pop the question. On the third day, Tom had pre-booked a ‘romantic’ restaurant (very out of character and suspicious!), with the intention of celebrating there, but still had not proposed, so we had a lovely dinner with no ring! That evening, we were forecast a beautiful sunset, and Tom suggested we go and watch it on the beach in Reykjavik. In May in Iceland, they experience what they call the ‘midnight sun’. As the days are so long, the sun doesn’t set until midnight, creating quite a magical experience. Walking along the beach, Tom got down on one knee in front of the cold, peaceful midnight sunset. The most romantic thing he has ever done!

Why did you choose Bateman’s Barn for your wedding day?

We were quite keen on a barn as we wanted something rural, and peaceful, but with character. We visited a few options, but immediately fell in love with Bateman’s Barn the minute we drove down the little farm lanes. Isolated and quiet, but cosy and fun. A stunning piece of land with an incredible 12th century barn, old medieval ruins, a covered courtyard for dinner, and beautiful grounds, all surrounded by it’s own little moat! It was the silver lining that the owners actually ran the farm as well as the venue, and had such a personal touch and wealth of knowledge and experience.

What was it you loved about your outfits and accessories that made you choose them?

I loved lace, so my dress was all about lace. Classic in material, but a bit unusual in design, which suited me. I also couldn’t totally give up the glitz and glam, so had some serious sparkles on my feet, my nails and in my hair. To fit with the rural theme, we knew we wanted tweed for the groomsmen. But being in August, it had to be a mix, as all tweed might have been a bit hot! So we went for tweed waistcoats, and sleek blue suits. Nicely finished off with a pocket watch for the groom.

Bateman’s Barn; a perfect suffolk barn wedding venue

Tell me about the vision you had for your wedding including your theme/colour scheme/styling/flowers:

We didn’t have a clue what our wedding ‘theme’ would be, but it ended up emerging itself. We wanted our day to be fun, so a lot of our planning centred around this and the rural setting. Our bridesmaids wore green jumpsuits, keeping with the natural, farm feel – but fun and quirky. With flowers, again we wanted to stay natural, but decided to go for lots of different bright colours. We topped off our ‘fun’ approach with a hand-painted gin bottle seating plan, space hoppers, and toasted marshmallows over the fire pit.

What was your first dance and why did you choose it?

One of the hardest decisions of all! Neither of us wanted to do a first dance, and music is very important to us. So it was impossible to settle on the one perfect song. Whilst hunting for options, we came across an arctic monkeys cover of an old sixties song ‘Baby I’m Yours’. It was the first thing we agreed on, but we went off it, and settled on something more traditional. However, we tried to practice some moves a few weeks before the wedding, and hated it! Last minute, we messaged the band to ask if they might consider learning Baby I’m Yours, they replied to say that they had wanted to play that song for ages – it felt like it was just meant to be. Their cover was incredible, and we got lots of wonderful comments from our guests.

What were the most wonderful parts of the day for you?

Every single second. But mostly, seeing all of our favourite people together in one place, and watching them have fun.

Why did you choose Hannah Hall Photography as your photographer, and what was your experience of your photography on the day?

We chose Hannah due to her ability to capture in-the-moment emotion in her pictures. With lots of love but also silliness!

Hannah was the icing on our cake. We wanted a relaxed day filled with love, fun, bright colours, and lots and lots of laughter. And not only did Hannah embrace it, but she enhanced it, both in personality and photos!

What would be your best bit of advice to other couples planning their wedding?

The organisation and preparation is worth it – the little details do make a difference. On the day, it will feel perfect, and you’ll be more relaxed to just enjoy yourself.

Faith + Tom’s colourful Suffolk Barn Wedding at Bateman’s Barn happened with the help of the following wonderful people

Hair: Lisa Frost // Makeup: Hannah Causton // Dress: Pronovias from Something Old Something New

Flowers: Fig & Roses // Cake: Bec’s Cake Creations // Bridesmaids: Phase Eight // Groom’s Hire: Black Tie Menswear

Catering: Trios Catering // Band: The Kicks // Accessories: Jimmy Choo and Ivory & Co

Are colourful weddings your bag? Hey, same! Get in touch.