Adventure Elopement Photography in Cornwall

It is such an honour to be selected to photograph an elopement like this one. I can’t comprehend how amazing it feels to be a third wheeler (with a camera) on such an intimate day that involves no guests and no rules. Just the couple and whatever they want to do with their time together on their special day.

Kat and Gareth chose The Cow Shed in Cornwall to escape to, and they became civil partners on their 5 year anniversary. This was also exactly one year after they officially got engaged. I also had the pleasure of photographing them on that day too! This day was so peaceful, so real, unapologetic and full of laughter.

I arrived in the morning and gave everyone an air hug (bloody Coronavirus) and started photographing Kat, (sat in peace, with a beaming smile on her face, listening to classical music) having her makeup done by the WONDERFUL Penny (who is always so full of joy and does a wonderful job)

I then popped over to see Gareth, who was waaaaay less relaxed. His nervous pacing reminded me of how I felt on my wedding day. I reassured him that this was exactly how I felt on my day and this seemed to help.

We then created an absolutely beautiful first look experience as Kat and Gareth planned to walk down the aisle together.

They had a beautiful ceremony, read their own beautiful words of promise to each other and exchanged rings! all witnessed by Sarah and Jeremy (The owners of the Cow Shed) and Noah the cat. It was super important to Gareth that the cat was present.

After a load of confetti, a swing on the swing, a slice of cake and a little drink it was time to get those hiking boots on and jump in the Webb Family Mini Cooper (Sally) for a short drive to Sharrow and a lovely steep trek down to the small deserted beach.

Enough Rambling from me now. It’s time to hear from Kat and Gareth!

Hiya Kat and Gareth…

Tell us your story of how you met, your proposal story and your journey as a couple up until the elopement?

We met online like most people these days but actually met up just as friends. But that didn't last too long and we quickly started dating. We first decided to get married a couple of years ago and decided that our fifth anniversary would be the perfect date (20.03.20)! However, we didn't officially get engaged until our fourth anniversary - after we had started planning the wedding. Gareth proposed in the morning, in bed at Freathy Farmhouse, a year to the day when we were due to go back to get married! Luckily, just a few months before we were due to get married, the legislation passed and civil partnerships became available to mixed sex couples, so we headed back out to the registry office to go through the whole process again so we could make it a civil partnership instead.

What was stressful about the planning of the wedding and specifically what was stressful in relation to photography?

Nothing much to be honest - we eloped so had no one else to worry about! No stresses around photography at all - from the photos we'd already seen from other shoots and the test shoot we did a year before, we knew that Jamie's approach and style suited us. It was nice and relaxed, not too posed at all; just the odd direction to help us out!

What do you wish someone had told you before the day, or during the planning that would have made a big difference? 

We don't need a whole afternoon tea each - one to share would be more than enough! But that having cake for lunch for the next four days would be fine too.

What was your favourite part of the day?

I feel like you're supposed to say the ceremony, but actually it was probably the trip to the beach! We loved the rocks and wandering around however we felt like it, just hanging out and enjoying ourselves. It was nice and relaxed - no guests to get back to - we could just enjoy ourselves in the moment and have Jamie capture that.

Your favourite story/s from the day - The one/s that you will tell when you are really really old?

Gareth getting his tie right first time! And the two of us sat in front of a huge layout of afternoon tea, with the wind outside but a nice warm fire, just the two of us with a ridiculous amount of food!

What made you choose The Cow Shed?

We knew we wanted a wedding with lots of opportunity to go outside, and we knew we wanted to elope so were looking for a venue that specialised in that. We stumbled across the Cow Shed online and quickly honed in on it as first choice; we loved how remote it was, the rustic style of the buildings and the decor, and the scenery nearby. We visited the year before for our four year anniversary and decided then to book it.

What personal touches did you add to your day?

We love natural materials and so had a lovely little wooden ring box.
The whole of our colour scheme came from Gareth's tie, and he found a pair of shoes with blue soles and got blue laces to match, so we swapped out the white ribbon on Kat's shoes for blue too.
We love going walking and hiking and so knew we wanted to do that on the day, so had our walking boots ready to change into after the ceremony before heading off to a very steep walk down to a rugged beach.

What advice do you have for couples planning their wedding?

Get insurance! We were one day away from having the whole thing cancelled / postponed due to coronavirus so are very aware of how important that could have been to us.
Do what is right for you, not what other people want or expect. We eloped so it's easy to do. Just don't think you need to do anything in particular and put your time and money into the things that matter to you.

I love food, music and entertainment They are the some of the best things about weddings! - What food did you have, was it yummy and what did you have to entertain yourselves and your guests?

We knew we would be having an afternoon tea by the fire in the afternoon, just the two of us, and wanted the right background music for it. We spent many car journeys listening to music significant to us, picking out a song here and there that felt right. We ended up with quite a mix, from The Doors to the Darkness, from Minyo Crusaders to Sia.

A Shout Out to your wedding suppliers?

Venue including decorations, cake and afternoon tea: The Cow Shed at Freathy Farmhouse: http://thecowshedweddings.co.uk/
Bouquet: Wild At Heart Country Flowers: https://www.facebook.com/wildatheartcountryflowers/
Confetti: Cornish Gardens Confetti Company: https://www.cornishgardensconfetticompany.co.uk/
Makeup: Makeup by Penny: http://www.makeupartist-cornwall.co.uk/

Why did you choose Jamie Webb as your photographer and what was it like working with Jamie on the day?

We were recommended a few photographers by the venue and had a look at the websites of three of them and had a chat over the phone too. Jamie's past work really resonated with us as there was a lot of very natural photos, outdoor photography in different places, and fun photos too. When we spoke to him over the phone we clicked, he seemed really friendly and enthusiastic and it just felt right. The fact that we could do a test shoot (which we used on our four year anniversary as an engagement shoot) was great as Kat wasn't too sure about being photographed so it was a chance to get comfortable with the whole process as well as get to know Jamie so we'd feel more relaxed on the day.
Jamie was great! He put us at ease straight away. He had a great mix of slotting into the background so you almost forget you're being photographed, and being friendly and a fun part of the day. He knew when to just leave us to do our thing, and when to make a suggestion so we got the best photos possible.

These are such wonderful words! You have absolutely made my day! Thank you both sooooooo much!

Time to enjoy some of my fave photos!…

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Let’s Drink Tea!

If you loved these photos and love this approach to photography, you want to have the freedom to be 100% yourselves with absolutely no rules whatsoever (but a tiny bit of direction if needed) Then we should get the kettle on and have a chat! Hit the button below and send me a message to get a conversation started?

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