Purple Kite Photography

5 min read

WHITE HORSE HERTINGFORDBURY WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY | KATEY AND JACK | BRIDE Q&A

Bride and groom in blue and yellow smiling each other under a clear umbrella

KATEY AND JACK'S SUMMER (SLIGHTLY RAINY) CHURCH WEDDING AND INFORMAL PUB RECEPTION AT THE WHITE HORSE, HERTINGFORDBURY

Katey and Jack's vision was to have a relaxed day with friends and family without the confines of all the wedding traditions. They didn't want a cake, or a first dance, so chose an informal day that suited them perfectly.

Katey poured a lot of time and love into her day, making all of the wedding bouquets with faux flowers from Dunelm, sourced decorations at car boots and creating all of the table plans and name cards, as well as doing her own make-up on the day.

Sarah Whyte, owner of Purple Kite Photography, sitting on a bridge in Hertford, Hertfordshire

Hi, I'm Sarah!

I love being able to document the raw emotions and excitement of a wedding day and take pride in delivering stunning images that my couples will cherish for a lifetime.

I create a calm and relaxed atmosphere for my clients, ensuring that they feel at ease and enjoy every moment of their day.

Although I'm based in Hertford, I'm not just a Hertfordshire Wedding Photographer. I can travel all over the UK (and beyond) for your Wedding

Laughing bride and groom leaving stone church while guests stand either side showering them with paper confetti

REAL WEDDING - BRIDE Q&A

Bride Katey shares her thoughts about their relaxed and informal (slightly rainy) Summer wedding in Hertingfordbury.

What were your wedding “must have’s”?

"We wanted to make sure the whole day had a relaxed feel to it, to feel like a summer afternoon of friends coming together, having good food, a good drink and a chance to celebrate the love between us, our family and our friends, without doing all the wedding traditions as that wasn’t mine or Jack’s style. So having a relaxed pub style venue was a must for us so the day didn’t feel too formal, doing all of the decorating and other bits DIY, and having a smaller celebration of under 50, so we got to spend time talking to everyone, without it feeling like a checklist of getting round all the guests."

Bride in white satin pyjamas stands with arms raised while two bridemaids in blue silk dressing gowns uncork champagne bottles

Mother and daughter drinking champagne with arms interlinked

Bride in white satin pyjamas standing with 3 bridesmaids in blue dressing gowns either side, showing off the writing on their backs

White wedding shoes, a box containing a pearl necklace and a bouquet of sunflowers and white and blue flowers set out on the bottom of a bridal veil

Bridesmaid in blue dressing gown fastening the bride's necklace

six bridesmaids in blue dresses reacting to seeing the bride in her wedding dress

Table decorated with family photographs in gold frames and jars of sunflowers

Smiling father with outspread arms greets his daughter in her wedding dress

Proud father dabs away a tear as he has a first look at his daughter in her wedding dress

Styling your wedding: how did you personalise your big day?

Sunflowers were a big part of styling our day, we wanted the décor of the wedding to be based around them, which really pulled through in the photos, you can see them in nearly every single one, either in the bouquets, the groomsmen’s button holes or dotted around the venue. I then matched my yellow dress and the confetti to this theme to make the day feel as sunny and bright as possible. Sunflowers feel like a happy flower, and this really reflects with the brightness of them in the photos, and the smile on everyone’s faces.

Lady in a pink and white dress fastening a sunflower to her son's lapel

Man wearing a blue waistcoat with a sunflower in his buttonhole laughs as his friends try to attach theirs

A large group of men in white shirts and blue waistcoats standing with hands in their pockets outside a church

Bride and bridesmaids in blue lifting their skirts up to walk across a wet street

Bride and bridemaids laughing as they walk along a church path with their skirts lifted off the floor

How did you both feel on the day?

We were both really nervous for the ceremony, mainly down to the fact that talking in front of an audience is not mine or Jack’s specialty, however I think the veil getting caught as I walked down the aisle was a blessing in disguise as it broke the ice and brought a laugh to help us both relax into the ceremony.

We then had a moment just the two of us after we walked out the church, we got to reassure each other to help with the nerves, have a cuddle, and say I love you, this melted all the nerves away and the rest of the day we felt nothing but pure joy.

Wedding congregation giggling as the bride tries to free her trapped veil as she walks up the aisle with her father

Bride in yellow walking with her father down the aisle of a church

Bride and groom standing hand in hand smiling at the vicar as he blesses the rings

Bride and groom sharing a dramatic kiss as they walk down the aisle of the church

Which parts stood out for you the most?

The two parts that stood out were the ceremony, saying our vows and putting our rings on, and announcing our pregnancy to all the guests. These moments were so special as it felt like the start to our family.

Bride and groom laughing as they stand to give their wedding speech at the White Horse in Hertingfordbury

Four bridesmaids in blue dresses seated at a table in a row, reacting to the speeches at the White Horse in Hertingfordbury

Wedding guests at tables cheering during wedding speeches at the White Horse in Hertingfordbury

Who or what made your day extra special?

The extra special part of the day was announcing that Jack and I are expecting our little girl in December, seeing the shock, love and excitement on all our guests faces will be something we will never ever forget, the photos capture this moment perfectly.

Bride in layered yellow dress twirls on an empty dancefloor at the White Horse in Hertingfordbury

Women dancing at the White Horse in Hertingfordbury

Wedding guests sitting on the floor in a row doing actions to a song at the White Horse in Hertingfordbury

Tell me about your evening reception

"We had a DJ for our evening reception but didn’t do a first dance, neither of us felt confident enough to do that, so we did a “first photoshoot” on the dancefloor instead, we put two chairs in the middle and each table had to run up behind us and pull a funny face or strike a pose. We did this to Black Eyed Peas – Pump It, which was the perfect song to get the party started for the evening."

Any funny stories or unusual anecdotes from the day?

The funniest parts to the day were probably my veil getting stuck as I walked down the aisle as speaking to some guests afterwards, they hadn’t realised what had happened and thought I was turning around to leave, not unstick my veil.

Also, the celebrations to the football, we both come from football families/friend groups so it was such fun being able to celebrate England win at penalties (even if we didn’t go on to win the whole thing), it brought the vibes to even higher level for the day.

Wedding guests gathered on the dancefloor watching football on mobile phone screens

A group of men huddled together cheering at football results during a wedding reception

A pair of men hugging excitedly hearing football results during a wedding reception

If we could do it all again, we...

"wouldn’t change a thing, even the rain! We got some lovely photos outside the front of the church with the umbrellas which look amazing in black and white hung up in our house. Everything about our day we found perfect and wouldn’t change a single thing."

Bride in yellow dress holding yellow and blue coloured bouquet sharing a kiss with groom in blue underneath a clear umbrella outside church

Bride in yellow dress holding yellow and blue coloured bouquet laughing with groom in blue underneath a clear umbrella outside church

Bride in yellow dress walking arm-in-arm with groom in blue underneath a clear umbrella outside church

Your top wedding planning tip:

"The whole way through planning we kept asking if we attended a wedding what would make us enjoy the day, then planned the day like that.

Our friends and family were amazing on the day, they brought so much love and joy and the high everyone was on was what made the day. It felt like there wasn’t a moment when us or a guest wasn’t enjoying themselves, we were never waiting around for canapes, or drinks, or speeches, or the dancefloor to open. The whole day everyone was laughing and the vibes were brilliant; everyone was having too much fun to notice the day moving from one thing to the next."

Bride and bridesmaids cheering with arms around each other, wearing comedy hear-shaped glasses in a courtyard

Men in blue suits with sunflowers fastened to their waistcoats clinking shot glasses in a beer garden

Mother of the Bride and Mother of the Groom raising shot glasses containing a milky pink liquid

Man in shirt and waistcoat kissing his girlfriend on the cheek while she hugs him happily

5 ladies in a beer garden raise their shot glasses and smile at the camera

Smartly dressed couple share a kiss in a pub garden

A group of wedding guests dancing at the White horse in Hertingfordbury

Groom being lifted up by his male friends on the dancefloor

What are your favourite photos from the day?

"Our three favourite sets of photos are:

The confetti throwing outside the church, particularly with Jack and I kissing, that photo couldn’t be more perfect with the sunflowers, yellow dress, and yellow confetti, then Jack’s wedding ring place perfectly on my hip.

Bride holding a bouquet containing sunflowers kisses a groom in a blue suit outside a church with lots of yellow and white confetti swirling round them

The evening ones outside the church with the sun setting in the background and us walking down the path smiling at each other, Jack has a beer in hand and I have my converse on, it perfectly sums up the chilled day we wanted where it was just about the two of us coming together as husband and wife.

Bride and groom walking hand in hand down a churchyard path in the evening sunlight

Bride faces groom with her arms around his neck smiling in the evening sunshine

The group photo, as this will be the only photo we ever have with all our friends and family in one shot, it will be the one to always look back on and remember the joy."

A group photo of a wedding party standing in a courtyard taken from above

WHAT THE COUPLE SAY

"We were recommended Purple Kite Photography by our wedding venue as Sarah had done weddings there before and they could not have been more spot on with the recommendation.

Sarah was amazing on the lead up to our wedding, on the day and sending the photos through after. She was always quick to respond to any questions we had, met with us before the day to go over what we had planned and how we wanted the photos to look, and sent through the pictures so quickly afterwards.

Sarah was brilliant at capturing the day perfectly and we could not be happier with the photos that we were sent through to us after, I can't wait to get them printed and framed. We would 100% recommend Sarah for your occasion. Thank you!"

Katey and Jack

THE TEAM

Photographer: Sarah at Purple Kite Photography

Ceremony: St Mary's Church, Hertingfordbury

Reception: The White Horse, Hertingfordbury

Bride's dress: Irococo

Suit: Moss

Bridesmaids dresses: Multiway Infinity dress (Vinted)

Rings: Chapter 79, Hertford

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by Sarah Whyte, Purple Kite Photography

Female wedding photographer based in Hertford, Hertfordshire