Brookfield Barn Wedding | Emma & Steve

Emma and I had crossed paths a number of years ago when she had her own photographic-studio near where I used to live… I was really honoured that I was the photographer who came to mind to shoot her wedding to Steve (there’s something really special about shooting another photographers commision!)

I didn’t expect their day to be quite as epic as it was…. the more we talked the more the theme came out. In the first instance, we were looking at a lovely, post-Summer September wedding set in the beautiful rural West Sussex countryside at Brookfield Barn… THEN out came the love for all things Disney…. THEN out come the deeper thread of The Walking Dead which was to play a HUUUUUUGE part in their day! THIS WAS AWESOME!!!! I was in, a zillion percent!

First things first we hung out for their Engagement Shoot… Climping Beach during the golden hour is totally lush, but we couldn’t resist checking back at home to make sure Barns and Pancake (their dogs) got a look in too…. if you don’t already know, I’m an absolute sucker for animals!!

Fast forward through the planning sessions and preparations that go into planning a wedding… suddenly we’re there! A Brookfield Barn Wedding | Emma & Steve the awesome hosts! The venue is geared up for a seperate Bride and Groom prep so no secrets are given away and no accidental bumpings happen!

Emma was getting ready upstairs with her crew and man of honour (who also doubled up as MUA and Hairdresser for some of the girls) while the fab Toni Todd created the masterpiece that was Emma’s hair with the black and white nod to Cruella D’Ville. The touches of Disney threaded within the day were subtle, yet awesome! From tiny teapot earrings from Beauty and the Beast, to 101 Dalmation Converse wedding shoes. Emma’s dress was a gorgeous adapted dress from Catherine Francis Bridal Boutique. Their rings made by their talented friend.

Steve and his boys were getting ready downstairs, settling into their suits by Astares Menswear... Steve was surprised by a ride in a Mustang to the venue which was an absolute beast of a car! It sounded epic! I loved the details on Steve’s suit, a nod to UP with the grape soda badge, and the colour theme of white, silver, black and deep red running through.

The outdoor ceremony couldn’t have called for a more beautiful sunny day! The aisle was topped with the house and balloons from Up… the boys all waiting with their monogrammed sunglasses (a seriously wise move in the high sunshine!) As predicted, Steve would be the one getting emotional, and true to form it was hard for him to hold it together as he watched his bride walk towards him carrying Lucille as her bouquet…. the bat from The Walking Dead, entwined with blood, barbed wire and the added addition of a spray of red roses! Truly unique!

A lovely ceremony in a gorgeous setting followed by a confetti tunnel, it was a really joyous affair as you can see from all the smiles on their faces!

While the guests enjoyed the sunshine and bar opening, we were able to have a little look around at the other incredible details that had been considered for their day! The reception room at Brookfield barn was decorated with sooo many nods to The Walking Dead…. from the red uplighters, graffiti on suspended sheets, bottles of Jack Daniels holding flowers and locations from TWD as table names…. Lucille taking centre stage on the newlyweds table… the history behind Lucille and how they acquired her in the first place. There was also the subtle Disney touches too, from name placers in Belle’s red rose, to personalised wedding favours in the shape of UP’s grape soda badges. There was just so much for the eye to see and take in. The speeches were also truly personal, from Emma’s mum, to the obligatory revealing Best Man speech to the unexpected song that had been written for them too. I love the emotion on Dad’s face too as he’s presented with a handmade gift. Sooo much love present here!

Between the canapes, the drinking and the speeches we were able to blast through some portraiture too…. Emma and Steve wanted a mixture of classical newlywed and family portraits coupled with some inventive shots which was more befitting to their theme. On a little recce we had found a dilapidated old barn. Yes, the floor and ceiling was caving in, yes, there were probably more spiders than hairs on my head…. and yes…. there were zombies. Erring on the side of “best to ask forgiveness than permission”…. off we went!!

After the speeches, well timed with the start of golden hour, Emma and Steve had planned to take some time out for some more adventurous portraiture…. so while the rest of their guests assembled for the “Zombie Run’ we took the scenic route across the golf course for some quick portraits. The scenery and light was just gorgeous. Instead of standard shots, we try to capture the portraits to fit the couples style and theme as best as possible. This led to some epic power poses for Emma and Steve before we had to run to escape the zombies!! With a drone in use as well, and a few takes, we were all pretty breathless from running, tripping over own own feet and generally enjoying 15mins of hilarious madness in the middle of their wedding day!

The thing I LOVE about weddings is they are often totally unique! To be able to explore, get creative and just have fun during a pretty important day is the icing on the cake! When you get on enormously with the couple who are trusting you with everything they have, well that’s the cherry on top!! Check out these shots from that time….

Oh! Did I mention that Brookfield Barn has a cheeky laser clay pigeon shoot option??!! This wedding was seriously getting more awesome by the hour!! After a spot of sunset fun with the guns, a cake cutting of machete proportions, a Mr & Mrs game, the most brilliantly choreographed first dance, an amazing playlist by DJ Brian Mole consisting of all my rock and alternative favourites (yeah, I know, their playlist wasn’t created for me…. but it could have been ya know!!) we had one last request to fill……

Emma and Steve wanted to see if we could create some darkness scenes from The Walking Dead…. using a spot of imagination, whatever random lights we could find in our kit bags, some serious vaping for some smoke and a whole lot of luck, we did it! Eeeny meeeni, miny mo…..

Although I don’t have a picture of Emma and Steve’s wedding invitations, they were originally created by their friend and awesome artist Dan Hull. After completing their wedding edits…. the next task at hand for me was to design their wedding album. Now, keeping with their theme of giving me creative control, I worked closely with Dan to create a personal finish to their album. Drawing from his original invitation, Dan created the artwork which I had laser etched into their wedding album and box…. totally bespoke to them. They didn’t know what colours would be used or what it would look like until I turned up with it on their doorstep. A beautifully personalised Young Book, hand made in Italy by Graphistudio. Judging by the tears on opening (yep, Steve’s again) they were *really* happy! Simply stunning and personal to them!

I can’t believe this blog has taken me soooo long to write, but this wedding has been incredible and so good to reflect back on and revisit!

Thank you so much Emma and Steve for trusting me with your day, it was one I’ll never forget!

xX Fiona Xx

Brookfield Barn Wedding | Emma and Steve