JENNA & MAX ~ STONE BARN WEDDING, COTSWOLDS.

Weddings

24 Jun

A style inspired, family orientated Cotswolds wedding

From the first time I met Jenna & Max at the couple shoot, I knew these two would provide the goods for their wedding at Cripps & Co Stone Barn . I just knew from their characters that they had great people around them and their day would be full of energy.

The day started with a very relaxed bridal prep at a private house only 10 minutes from the Stone Barn venue. I loved the calm vibes of the bridal prep, sometimes it can be quite rushed and stressful especially on the bride but Jenna took it all in her stride and just enjoyed the process.

A short trip with her dad in the family Jaguar and we were into the ceremony with the brilliant Olivia Coleman. As her Instagram name says though, it’s not that Olivia Coleman but possible one of the best celebrants I’ve met. She created such a special and unique atmosphere for the ceremony, making it so personal and funny but also emotional.

From their the drinks reception and wedding breakfast were full of smiles and laughs accompanied with some beautiful mid-June cotswolds light. The Stone Barn is such a great venue if you’re looking for those natural light venues. It’s such a good mix of old barn combined with a modern aesthetic.

The rolling hills of the Cotswolds made the couple portraits a total joy to produce. Having the sun peak out behind the clouds just before it dipped beneath the horizon was a complete steal as well.

To finish the day off, the emotional first dance followed by a flooding of family and friends on the dance floor. All just good vibes leading into the evening.

Venue: Stone Barn, Cotswolds

Names: Jenna & Max Woodward

Age: 29 & 29

Wedding Budget: £30k

Tell me how you met, all the details

We have known each other since we were in Primary School, and were part of the same friendship group throughout secondary school as well. We started chatting a lot more as we were coming nearer to leaving school, and agreed that we would go to our leavers' prom together. Then at our after-prom party when we were just 16, Max asked me to be his girlfriend!

How did you get engaged?

We were supposed to be going on holiday to the south of France with my family, but Covid put a stop to that, and we ended up going away to Cornwall for a week and staying in a beautiful cottage instead. After spending the day on the beach we all went back to the cottage and Max called me out to show me something in the garden. I remember thinking "I've already seen all of the garden, what could he want to show me?". When I went out he asked me to marry him! I was so so shocked. He said his plan was always to do it during this week, so although we didn't end up in France, he went with it anyway. I'm so glad he did as it felt perfect for us.. really personal and intimate. My family knew he was going to do it so they then joined us in the garden with champagne!

How & why did you chose your venue?

We really wanted a relaxed feel to our day so knew that we wanted a venue with a rustic feel as this felt more laid-back. We looked at so many barn venues, all of them so nice, but Stone Barn stole our hearts straight away. It was a beautiful old barn, but had an industrial feel as well as rustic, and the open kitchen where you could see the chefs cooking our meal was really cool. We wanted to DIY the smaller details, and this was a venue that suited the imperfect but personal things we made, like the welcome sign, the table plan sign, the place name cards etc. We also got a really good feeling from the staff when we went to look at the venue, nothing was too much trouble and they were so accommodating.

Tell me more about your wedding dress

(Jenna) I knew I wanted a dress that was simple but classic, with a relaxed fit. I went to so many different shops and tried on loads in the style I thought I wanted. Whilst I liked some of them, I didn't love them. I came across the designer '& For Love' on Instagram by chance, and fell in love with the effortless and modern style. The "Ada" dress in particular was AMAZING. Although it was quite different to the style I had been trying on so far, I just had a feeling it was what I had been looking for, so I found the nearest shop that stocked this dress which was The Fall Bridal in London. I loved it as soon as I tried it on with the puff sleeves, open back and low V neck, and felt like a wedding dress couldn't suit my style more. (Max) Because of us getting married in the Summer, and to tie in with our relaxed feel to the day, I wanted myself and the Groomsmen to be comfortable and not have to wear a suit jacket because of the heat. So we went for a white shirt and navy bow-tie and trousers. We kept it simple but smart looking. Our suits were Ted Baker and we got everything from Suit Direct who were really helpful.

What was the theme / styling / inspiration for your day?

Relaxed and fun without any of the fussiness. We just wanted our day to be remembered for the love, the food/drink and the music, and for how everyone felt on the day.

Was there a stand out moment from your day, explain the moment?

We both say that it is so so hard to pick a moment when the whole day was so amazing. (Jenna) For me, the first dance was so special because I always thought I would be nervous to dance in front of lots of people, but at the time it felt like it was just me and Max and I didn't care about everyone else watching! Then especially once all of our friends and family joined us, all you could feel was so much love in the room and I remember thinking that this is exactly how I pictured our day. I also absolutely loved Max's speech, it made me laugh hysterically (as you can see in some of the photos!) and cry as well. (Max) The first special moment was when Jenna walked down the aisle, because it had been building up to that moment. I couldn't believe it was finally happening and how amazing her dress was. The first dance was also another one for me, I was really excited to do a first dance from the beginning and it didn't disappoint, especially once all our loved ones were also dancing all around us, it's a part of the day we talk about all the time.

If you were to do it again, is there anything you would change?

Absolutely nothing. Our day couldn't have been any closer to what we had imagined and hoped for.

Any tips for future couples?

Don't stress about the small details, at the end of the day your guests will remember how they felt on the day, not the types of flowers in your bouquet. Don't put any pressure on yourselves on the day, just roll with it and enjoy every moment.. things don't always go to plan or to time and that's completely fine.