Lyde Court Wedding with romantic, atmospheric decor and gin bar

Like so many couples, Vicki and Isaac had to change their wedding venue thanks to the pandemic and postponements. They’d initially found me as a recommended supplier through their original venue, but when the day finally rolled around (after nearly 2 years of waiting!), it was at the beautiful Lyde Court, Herefordshire and as their wedding photographer it was a real WOW moment.

Lyde Court wedding venue

I hadn’t had the pleasure of shooting at Lyde Court before, but I quickly fell in love. It’s a romantic 17th century stone barn, nestled in an idyllic rural valley setting (that’s somehow only 2 miles from Hereford city centre!) With the rustic stone walls, vaulted ceilings, elm beams and arrow-slit windows, it’s a beautifully romantic setting for celebrating your love.

While Lyde Court wedding ceremonies are traditionally held in the covered gardens outside, Vicki and Isaac wanted to get married inside the barn itself. “The venue was our inspiration for the whole wedding, really,” Vicki says. “With its high ceilings, fairy lights and moody atmosphere, it really felt as thought it lent itself to lots of flowers and as many candles as we could squeeze into the space!”

And they were absolutely right! A wall of cascading fairy lights adorned the back wall, while festoon lights strung across the room added more twinkling light. On the raised stage in front of which Vicki and Isaac would say I do stood two tall copper plinths, topped with a beautiful floral arrangement in pinks and purples. The signing table to the right of the stage was also decorated with a bough of bold, bright blooms and greenery. Finally, the aisle was lined with pillar candles, and a sea of tealights adorned the stage, forming the perfect backdrop for their ceremony. The end result was super atmospheric, and deliciously romantic: it had real Game of Thrones vibes!

As well as the barn, Lyde Court has all you could need for the wedding day of your dreams. Vicki got ready in some of the onsite accommodation before walking around the courtyard to the entrance to the ceremony space, before walking down the aisle to a live string version of The Temptations’ My Girl. After the ceremony, their guests congregated in the courtyard for celebratory Pimms’ (always an excellent drink idea for a summer wedding), and we took some group shots of Vicki, Isaac, their family and their friends, before sneaking off for some beautiful portraits in the rolling countryside on Lyde Court’s doorstep.

Rustic, romantic barn wedding decor

If you thought the barn at Lyde Court was stunning for Vicki and Isaac’s ceremony…just wait ‘til you see how it looked at the reception. Where the seats had been just a couple of hours ago were now long trestle tables in a horseshoe shape, with Vicki and Isaac’s top table in front of the stage, looking out onto all of their assembled loved ones.

I always marvel at the incredible turnarounds that wedding venue teams are capable of – big up the Lyde Court staff! In fact, they were one of the reasons that Vicki and Isaac picked this venue; “Lyde Court is such a relaxed venue in terms of its aesthetic and location but also the lovely coordinating staff,” Vicki said. “We instantly felt at home here.”

Atop the tables were more tall copper plinths topped with the incredible abundant floral displays. At eye level, the tables were decorated with tall taper candles in muted colours wedged into wine bottles, and small, shapely glass vases and vessels filled with even more beautiful blooms.

Gin bar and wedding sequins

The barn was also the setting for Vicki and Isaac’s evening reception. Whilst its moody, atmospheric aesthetic was perfect for the romantic ceremony and meal, its spacious footprint meant it was ideal for a big ol’ party, which is exactly what they had planned.

As well as the regular bar in the Lyde Court barn, they also had a specific gin bar, complete with bottles of different flavoured gins in the cabinet and a big neon sign. There was also a handwritten sign on the dancefloor that said “Dad dancing is permitted”, which is always good to know! For the evening, Vicki changed from her beautiful Emstrey Bridal dress into a long-sleeved sequin jumpsuit, which glittered in the light as they danced the night away.

Lyde Court Wedding Photographer

I had such a wonderful time photographing Vicki and Isaac’s wedding, and after a long, tense time of pandemic planning and postponements it was lovely to see them finally say I do! But you don’t have to take my word for it – here’s what they had to say about working with me:

“If you’re considering Laura for any kind of photography, my advice is book her…and do it now!!! One of our greatest concerns is that neither of us ‘enjoys’ having our photograph taken and on our big day we wanted to spend as much time as possible with our guests; Laura made a comprehensive but flexible plan so that beautiful photos could be taken quickly and efficiently.

But more than that, on the day Laura made us feel totally relaxed and at ease – she felt like the encouraging friend we needed and wanted to get the best out of us. And the result of how wonderful Laura is at her job is demonstrated in the incredible photos she has taken. Somehow she has managed to perfectly capture every emotion we felt on our big day, and now they are forever immortalised for us – for which we will always be grateful to Laura.

Thank you Laura, we will always think of you when we look at our photos, and remember how much fun we had!”

If you’re planning your own Lyde Court wedding and are looking for a documentary photographer to capture the day, I’d love to chat – you can get in touch with me here. I can’t wait to hear from you!