Gilly & Den’s beautiful autumnal wedding combined a church ceremony with a midnight starry sky themed reception at The Ravenswood, a manor house in Sussex. Gilly is the super talented wedding planner behind Amore Star Events and I’d been lucky to work with her on styled events like this shades of grey winter wedding & this event showcasing luxury wedding inspiration. Gilly styled her Ravenswood wedding perfectly and there were so many personal details that made the day truly unique. They also had the most perfect golden light – for romantic woodland wedding photos at sunset.
Gilly chose a Mori Lee wedding dress that sparkled & deep midnight shoes from Charlotte Olympia with silver stars & navy ribbon fastenings to match her midnight sky theme – which started before guests even arrived at the wedding with the beautiful handmade invites. The sparkles continued with a beautiful bespoke head piece from Donna Crain – diamanté with individual stars. Den was handsome in a three piece navy suit – with their names & wedding date embroidered in the lining.
The beautiful St Margaret’s Church in West Hoathly was where they said their vows, married by Mother Nicol. The church has a arched doorway, made more beautiful by the floral arch full of autumn leaves around it, and a lovely spot for photos with a view across the valley. From here, we headed to The Ravenswood for the reception (it is also licenced for civil wedding ceremonies). Although it had been raining for several days before the wedding, it stayed dry & the view across the grounds from the manor house is perfect for romantic wedding photos without getting your feet muddy.
Mulberry Events styled the reception, covering the ceiling with fairy lights & hanging stars, lighting tealights everywhere, providing a glitter bar (with glow sticks, temporary tattoos & face gems as well as glitter) & a hot chocolate station. Andri from Always Andri is another amazing wedding planner and friend of Gilly, she provided on the day coordination & styled the incredible cheese table (complete with tiered cake of cheeses). I loved the glittery silver letters Gilly made to hang above the table, reading “You’re the cheese to my cracker”.
Speeches were funny & moving. Both Gilly & Den spoke, there were surprise gifts (& a message from Den’s beloved Spurs) and even a costume! As the sun went down, the light was stunning so Gilly, Den & I headed down to the woodland area of the grounds for golden hour wedding photos. I always keep an eye on the weather & light in the hour before sunset, and suggest whisking you away for a few minutes of portraits if golden hour lives up to it’s name. Then it was back to the dancefloor where white confetti canons made the first dance truly spectacular.
I felt so honoured to be asked to capture this wedding, knowing that Gilly has worked with lots of talented wedding photographers. She said: “Hannah, thank you so much for the most incredible wedding photos. We can’t thank you enough. You honestly went above and beyond for us. You listened to exactly what we wanted, and more importantly, what we didn’t want. You were present enough to make sure we got all of the important shots, and captured the day perfectly, but without being intrusive which is a hard balance to find. We are beyond pleased with our photos! You captured our day and its story perfectly. You enabled us to be in the moment with each other and I think that helped you capture the love, and the magic of our day, so perfectly.“
Their Ravenswood wedding was also featured on English Wedding Blog and you can see a slideshow of their autumn wedding day here:
If you liked this Ravenswood wedding, you might also like to see my top tips for autumn weddings. Whether you’re planning a church ceremony, a manor house celebration, an autumn wedding or something a little different – I’d love to hear your plans & think with you about how I can capture the story of your day – please send me a message.
Thanks to the amazing wedding suppliers involved in this Ravenswood wedding:
- Venues – St Margaret’s Church & The Ravenswood
- Planning – Gilly at Amore Star Events
- Coordination – Andri at Always Andri
- Decor – Mulberry Events
- Wedding dress – Mori Lee from London Bride
- Hair, make up & nails – Katy Djokic
- Bridal headpiece & jewellery – Donna Crain
- Florist – Charlotte Margaret
- Suits – Moss Bros
- Videography – 2408 Films
- Second photography – Emily Chow
- Photobooth – Smiley Booth
- Cheese – Cloughs Deli
- String quartet – Classy Cool
- DJ & light up letters – JPC Events
- Ravenswood Wedding Photographer Hannah Larkin Photography
