Rustic DIY Farm Wedding

We feature the lovely rustic DIY farm wedding of Ally and Natalie, their day was captured by Gareth Newstead Photography.

Do tell us about the couple & please tell us a little bit about the day and how it went

Natalie & Ally got married last October and with her being a riding instructor and him being a farmer their wedding was always destined to be an outdoors and relaxed affair. The fact that Natalie had to (and was happy to!) wait for a rainy day before she could have her first date with Ally indicates their shared love for the outdoors and now for each other! Their wedding at the family farm was full of DIY touches and country-themed accessories.

From Natalie & Ally:

“We met through a friend who mentioned to both of us about each other….but before I could get a date it needed to rain so ally wouldn’t be working in the fields….that Friday it rained and we went on our 1st date, a drink in the local and the rest is history. Ally proposed to me on Christmas eve and it was my mum’s 70th birthday. She said it was the best present she could of wished for.

We wanted a country themed, relaxed wedding. We were lucky enough to have it at the family farm which we think made it extra special. The day was perfect , the sun shined down on us and everyone was smiling. My pony even made an appearance! We feel lucky to have found each other, we both love the countryside and being out in it so we work well as a team and understand the long days that we both do and are always here for each other.”

Their testimonial:

“We can’t thank Gareth enough…we couldn’t be happier with our photos…captured so many details too. I cried watching the slide show. And such a lovely guy too x”

Their advice to other couples:

“Enjoy every minute as it goes too quickly. Good planning and good friends to help!”

Do tell us a little bit about yourself

I’m a father of two who enjoys running, cycling and a good game of darts down the local…why does that sound like the start to a really bad dating profile (it’s definitely not, I’d better state that I’m happily married for when my wife reads this!!) I’m optimistic (irritatingly so I have been told!) and it sounds cheesy but I really am living the dream! I’m doing something I love, capturing the happiest day of people’s lives every single week and every day I count my lucky stars that I am where I am!

How would you describe your photography style?

Hey I’m Gareth. I’m not a massive fan of labels – I’m a creative / documentary / natural / unobtrusive / call it what you like wedding photographer based in Staffordshire but all I know is that I love my job and I’m passionate about capturing the real moments and creating wow photos. Making your experience as relaxed and fun as possible is as important to me as giving you awesome images. I don’t want to steal you away from your guests for hours on end, and my photographs will retell the story of your wedding day for years to come.

What did you love about the day?

The day was just so laidback and a reflection of the bride and groom’s personalities and lifestyle. That’s not to say there hadn’t been lots of planning and preparation but the details and celebration of their love for the outdoors made the whole day very relaxed and inclusive. This in turn meant their guests had the best time and I had the best time capturing their day too!

What advice would you give to couples planning their wedding day?

I could spout a lot of advice that I’ve picked up whilst being a wedding photographer, about careful planning, choosing your right team to support you (although vocal and confident ushers do help me out a lot!) and this and that but I always go back to my wedding day.

There was a point in the evening when me and my (new!) wife stood back and watched all our friends and family having such a good time and I remember saying “They’ve all come here for us. They’re all having a fab time celebrating us getting married!” It seemed crazy and overwhelmingly humbling and I would urge all my couples to make sure they take those moments, in between all of the craziness that is your wedding day, as they are what you will remember forever. And of course, get yourself an amazing photographer (hi!!!!) who can capture all the moments for you to look back on for years and years to come!