Elizabeth and Vincent wed at a historic property in Kent, England. With friends and family from all over the world, this very special spot was home to a celebratory big day that included a destination wedding photographer that was on double duty as the sister of the bride too!
Elizabeth shared with us their big day. “I selected the location of Chartwell because I had been there several times before with Vincent, my family and my friends as a visitor and I am a huge fan of the UK’s National Trust charity which assists in maintaining historical homes, old estates, and gardens in order to keep the UK’s cultural heritage alive. Chartwell has always been special to me because it was Sir Winston Churchill’s home. I do not admire too many historical people but he is certainly one of them. Not only was he a celebrated statesman, a former Prime Minister, he was also an artist, an avid gardener and a lover of animals- a fascinating person! When I found out that Chartwell did allow weddings on their property, I knew it was meant to be!”
Talk about a unique first look – this one had sheep in their way!
Laura Grier from Beautiful Day Photography captured every sweet and sentimental moment of her sister and now brother-in-law while partaking in the bridal party at the same time too!
A little rain didn’t stop this celebration, in fact, it allowed for some additional colorful decor!
“We wanted to create a wedding of different culture that represents our lives, our past and our future together. Little details where everywhere, and made the people who know us best smile along the day.”
We asked the bride about her favorite moments from the day. “One of my favourite moments of the day was when I got to stuff pieces of the gorgeous cake in my husband’s mouth! I also laughed when my two sisters started to sing Alanis Morrisette’s song ‘It’s like rain on your wedding day’ during our ceremony when it started to pour outside and the music was not working outside!” Sometimes even the mishaps on a wedding day can make the best memories!
With a wedding photographer for a sister, all of these photos had extra special meaning for the couple. “I could not have asked for anything more having my sister who is also a successful professional photographer to photograph our wedding. We did a full day photo shoot 2 days prior to the wedding in addition to taking photos at the venue right before our ceremony. I think it is important that the couple gets along very well with the photographer especially for such a special and intimate occasion, so the fact it was my own sister made it that much more comfortable. We both felt at ease and she made us both laugh! She knows how I pose and stand so she was quickly able to correct gestures and faces without making me feel uncomfortable. She managed to run around and take fantastic shots so by the time the dancing began, she was able to let loose and have fun too!”
“We both love the countryside in general and we very often on the weekend go on hikes to get some fresh air out of London. This is also why we chose to do the pictures in a small village out of London and were very happy to be able to do it in Chartwell.”
“The date of the wedding being close to Halloween made us chose of the colour and the candies where for most of them from the US. The seasonal products on the menu and decoration made sense as far as what I do for living – Chef.”
“We bought ourselves around 60 small pumpkins for decoration, candy jars, old popcorn bags, small brown bags with our name stamp on it and cute clothes pins to close the gift bags. We then clipped the guest name cards made by my eldest sister’s kids (as they were enable to come for the wedding, we wanted them to be part of it in a different way) onto the gift bags with the clothes pin. This was all a Halloween and Autumnal fun theme with pumpkins, candy and pine cones placed on all the guest and side tables.”
The cake was just spectacular! Designed by the groom but created by a local company, it incorporated their love of travel as well as the traditional wedding cake elements.
“Some of the details were on the wedding cake as it was designed as a travelling suitcase. We both love travelling and we both flew across the world already. The tags were our name and the Mandarin symbol of the double happiness which mean wedding as well.”
Congratulations to the newlyweds!
Destination Wedding Photographer: Laura Grier / Beautiful Day Photography
Wedding Vendors: Wedding Location: Chartwell, Cake: Elegateau, Flowers, Chair Covers + Sashes: Wedding Day Company, Flowers: Columbia Flower Market
