Helen Lisk Photography

Somerset tipi wedding: cider, apple blossom and celebrations

Earlier this year, Phaedra and George got married in Somerset, with a wonderful tipi reception in the apple orchards at Perry's Cider, near Illminster. It was the most extraordinarily pretty wedding to photograph, with the tipis filled with beautiful decorations, lanterns and fairy lights, and the orchard location lifting everything to a sublime level of loveliness.

When I first met with Phaedra and George back in summer 2012, they hadn't yet finalised their wedding date but actually did so to fit with my availability, which was such a huge compliment. Perry's Cider is George's family business and it was great to wander though the orchard with them and have a look around the cider museum there. I loved the sound of their wedding plans, with the tipis, the lovely church at Hinton St George, the orchard setting. I especially loved the moment when George pressed three bottles of delicious cider into my hands as I left and said that they would be in touch soon!

Their actual wedding day was even more beautiful than I was imagining, as the apple blossom was unusually late and the entire orchard was unexpectedly in full bloom. Phaedra and George had done an incredible job of decorating the tipis, with a bar that George created, carefully covered hay bales for seating, low tables made from barrels and a fantastic fire pit for warmth. The lanterns and fairy lights throughout made the tipis look absolutely magical, especially as the light dropped outside.

The weather was gorgeous and I absolutely loved capturing some early evening portraits of Phaedra and George amongst the apple blossom, with the sun setting over the orchard. The speeches were some of the funniest and most riotous that I have enjoyed listening to this year - this could be directly related to the wonderful cider that flowed freely throughout the day. However, one of my favourite moments from this wedding had to be Phaedra's entrance to the ceremony. Having got ready at the lovely Lord Poulet Inn at Hinton St George, bridal preparations were running a little late. I love the photo of the vicar holding her head as the girls finally made it to the church about half an hour after the ceremony was due to start. But what I loved most was the fact that Phaedra's bridal entrance music was an acoustic version of Mumford and Sons 'I Will Wait' (beautifully performed by The Beehives). The wedding guests all burst out laughing - and to be honest, I don't think they stopped for the rest of the day. It was the most joyous, relaxed and happy wedding day from start to finish, and an utter pleasure to photograph. Thank you Phaedra and George for inviting me to join your day!

It was really lovely to see Sarah and Jack's yurt wedding published recently in Devon's wonderful Wed Magazine. It also reminded me that it is one of the many beautiful weddings that I haven't blogged in full, so I thought it was about time I did! The effort put into setting up the field and decorating the spaces within the yurts was quite incredible - the images hardly do it all justice. However, it is lovely to share it here on the blog and I hope you enjoy seeing how they celebrated.

Sarah and Jack's wedding was actually long, long ago - well, in August 2012 - so it was particularly lovely going back through their images and remembering what a wonderful day it was. Sarah made her own wedding dress and matched the colours to an heirloom veil first worn by her great-great-grandmother, then her grandmother, then mother. When I arrived to photograph the wedding preparations at Sarah's parents' house in Totnes, it was all about the sewing, with final alterations taking place up until the very last minute, and the hem being finished while Jack was waiting at the church.

The whole wedding was an enormous homemade effort, with everything from the invites and table names, to the handmade decorations and gradually collected vintage china, and the incredible array of homemade cakes and jams. It was really wonderful to see how much effort everyone had put into the wedding, with the preparations having stretched out for many months prior to the day itself. I'd have loved to have photographed events before the wedding, with everyone transforming the field near Totnes into an incredible reception setting. With three custom yurts, all beautifully decorated, a campsite, fairy lights and garden games ready for the guests to enjoy, it must have been quite a remarkable undertaking. What was then so lovely about the wedding day, was how relaxed everything was - after all that work, it must have been so incredibly special to sit back, marvel at everything and celebrate the day at last.

All that effort was to celebrate something really very special. Sarah and Jack are the loveliest couple and it was amazing to be there to photograph their day for them. One of my strongest memories is from after the wedding ceremony, just after walking out of the church. Before celebrating with their family and friends, Sarah and Jack just stood together for a long time, completely lost in each other and taking in the moment of being married to each other. It really touched me at the time and made me well up all over again looking back through the images. It is an amazing privilege to capture moments like this.

It was a wonderful day and I am really delighted to share some of the images here on the blog - I hope you enjoy them!

Aaaaah, huge congratulations to Kate and James, who got married yesterday at the rather beautiful Charlton House in Somerset. I really enjoy autumn and winter weddings - there is a particular quality to the light that you only get at this time of year, and I love the crisp feel in the air. Charlton House was the perfect venue for an autumn wedding, with plenty of warm and welcoming indoor spaces for Kate and James and their guests to relax and celebrate in. I loved the cosy feel late in the day, as the evening closed in outside and the candles were twinkling away indoors. Having perfected the art of the international relationship, it was very fitting that the wedding was themed around travel, and the locations around the globe that were significant to them both. I loved the stamp motif that Kate and James used to knit together their brilliant invitation with their reception theme. Here is a quick preview of the images...

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Those beautiful flowers are from Rachel at The Rose Shed; Kate's elegant hair was by Rosanne Dyer and fabulous bridal make-up by Kelly at The Barn, Somerset; that incredible dress was designed by Essence of Australia and fitted by Ann's Bridal Room, Leighton Buzzard; and that delicious, oozy pile of cheese was from Cannon & Cannon, Brixton.

You might also be interested to look at:

Claire & Andrew's wedding at Polhawn Fort, Cornwall

Hannah-Marie & Matt's Christmas wedding at Maunsel House, Somerset

First year baby photography: Hudson

Tunnels Beaches wedding: a preview of Rhiannon and James' seaside celebrations

It has been an incredibly busy weekend, with a family photography session in South Devon on Friday, Rhiannon and James' beach wedding on Saturday and a very wet and rainy engagement shoot on the Quantocks this afternoon. I should probably go and switch off for a bit, but first I did just want to show Rhiannon and James a little preview of their images. It was amazing to listen to the sound of the waves while they said their vows yesterday, and I loved watching the sun setting over the sea later in the afternoon. Tunnels Beaches at Ilfracombe, North Devon, is such a special wedding venue and it was a real pleasure to return there to photograph Rhiannon and James' beautiful day. Thanks for being so lovely to photograph both of you - I hope you like these photographs!