Elopement Photography Lower Barns Cornwall // Jody + James

JODY & JAMES

ELOPEMENT LOWER BARNS CORNWALL

Jody and James decided to get married in 2020 and nothing in the world could get in their way not even a pandemic. They have chosen to tie the knot at the fabulous Lower Barns in Cornwall where they rented a room with hot tub and it’s own enclosed garden. A perfect hideaway for a romantic wedding with just the two of you.

I can’t praise Lower Barns enough and I always feel blessed when a couple books me to be their Wedding/ Elopement Photographer there. The South Cornwall coastline is stunning and the venue itself offers plenty of photo opportunities.

Unfortunately Jody and James had to postpone their original date to mid December because of the November lock down restrictions and I was already booked for that date. Gladly the lovely and super talented Megan Hemsworth helped me out yet again to cover this elopement for me. I love the results ,here is a mini sneak peek…

Venue: Lower Barns // Date: 16.12.2020

I had an amazing time shooting this Elopement at Lower Barns in Cornwall. The eclectic interior and gardens of Lower Barns are the perfect setting for any Wedding Ceremony. If you’re planning on having a wedding or elopement at Lower Barns or anywhere in the UK, then please get in touch, I’d love to hear all about it and have the opportunity to be your wedding or elopement photographer.

Please contact me

Elopement Photography Lower Barns Cornwall // Vicky + Sam

VICKY & SAM

ELOPEMENT LOWER BARNS CORNWALL

Vicki and Sam were supposed to get married in may. Unfortunately Covid came along and they had to cancel their wedding. So they decided to get married anyway with the just two of them and didn’t tell anyone. They have chosen the fantastic Lower Barns for their ‘run away wedding’ and I’m pleased I could be their Elopement Photographer!

It’s so heart warming to see two people having such a strong bond and being so happy in these difficult times. Vicki and Sam, I’m so happy for you! You did it, and the sun came out for you for the beach photos!

Oh and Vicki’s dress is gorgeous, I love a non conventional wedding dress in a different colour than white, especially when it has a bit of sparkle added to it..

Here is a little preview from this beautiful intimate Lower Barns Elopement, Vicky and Sam I hope you like it xxx

Venue: Lower Barns // Date: 14.12.2020 // Makeup: Jenna jazz MUA // Hair: Hair by Emma C // Dress: from Sassi Holford - Taunton // Shoes: Glittery Keds // Flowers: Etsy // Cake: Lowerbarns house caterer // Suit: Ben Sherman

I had an amazing time shooting this Elopement at Lower Barns in Cornwall. The eclectic interior and gardens of Lower Barns are the perfect setting for any Wedding Ceremony. If you’re planning on having a wedding or elopement at Lower Barns or anywhere in the UK, then please get in touch, I’d love to hear all about it and have the opportunity to be your wedding or elopement photographer.

Please contact me

Cornwall micro wedding photography at Knightor Winery // Louise + Dan

Louise and Dan had a small/ micro wedding at Knightor Winery end of October just before the second lock down. Little did we know that a few days later weddings would be banned once again here in the UK due to COVID 19 restrictions! What a lucky pair, it was meant to be!

They have booked me for 3 hours, so I met the bridal party ca 1 hour before the ceremony for the last stages of getting ready just enough to capture a few details and the last touch ups. Louise’s dress was stunning in true ‘boho bride’ style and I love the shoes she had chosen to wear with it!

The ceremony was held in the barn and I just love how festive it looks this time of year, always gives me that early Christmas feeling! One of their little boys fell asleep during the ceremony just after he did a fantastic job as a ring bearer. Well it is an exhausting job! He wasn’t that impressed when we tried to wake him up for some family portraits an hour later and decided to fall straight back asleep when that job was done too.

Louise and Dan are a super relaxed couple and it truly reflects in their images.

Here is a small taster of the day. I hope you like it!

“We planned our small wedding in Cornwall without having seen the venue in person or meeting Alexa beforehand. She was recommended to us by Knightor Winery and we cannot fault her for communication, professionalism or results. Alexa knew all the great places for capturing photos in the best light, and did so at a good speed so we were able to spend more time celebrating with our guests. She was friendly and good at giving direction on what to do. We were blown away when we received the photos, a great amount of gorgeous shots that showed our personalities. Thank you Alexa.”

— Louise & Dan

Venue: Knightor Winery // Date: 28.10.2020 // Dress: Sam at Ryley & Flynn // Suit: Reiss // Cake: Trewhitts in Bristol // Boys waistcoats: DistinctIndividual - onEtsy // Hair and makeup: Bohemiabeauty // Flowers: Flaxation NZ

I had a great time shooting this micro wedding at Knightor Winery here in Cornwall. One of my most visited venues and the perfect setting for any Wedding Ceremony. The staff is super helpful and make everyone feel so welcome. I highly recommend this wedding venue! If you’re planning on having a wedding or elopement here or anywhere in Cornwall or Devon, then please get in touch, I’d love to hear all about it and have the opportunity to be your wedding or elopement photographer.

Please contact me

Elopement Photography Lower Barns Cornwall // Natasha + David

Natasha and David tied the knot with an elopement end of September at the colourful Lower Barns in Cornwall. They decided to have an elopement in Cornwall as a bigger wedding wasn’t possible under COVID 19 restrictions. With all their family and friends spread in between Ireland, Kent and the Midlands travel would have been too far for everyone.

I guess they got lucky! With the day starting off rainy it cleared up just in time for a photo session on Caerhays beach and how gorgeous did Natasha look! I absolutely love her dress from ‘Grace Loves Lace’, so beautiful…

Sadly I had to travel to Germany as my mum passed away after her long battle with cancer. So I asked the lovely Megan Hemsworth to cover for me. Her style is amazing and a perfect fit to my work. I edited the images so Natasha and David still received the same end product and the style of photography they have booked me for. Megan, thanks again for doing an amazing job!

Some of my favourites here

“We stumbled across Alexa’s photographs whilst looking at wedding venues and knew she was the photographer for us! Her photos are candid, relaxed and brilliantly capture special memories - just what we wanted for our wedding. Alexa was lovely, incredibly helpful and really responsive, which put us at ease and confirmed that we’d chosen the right photographer. Unfortunately, due to a family tragedy, Alexa was not able to attend our wedding and had to fly home. Instead of leaving us high and dry, which I imagine most other photographers would have done under those circumstances, Alexa made sure that we still had a photographer for our special day. She arranged for Megan Hemsworth (who was FAB!) to photograph us, as she had a similar shooting style to her and then edited the photos herself to ensure we had the classic Alexa look we wanted. For all Alexa did for us, making the whole process smooth and never letting us down, despite personal circumstances which would have warranted that, we would not hesitate to recommend her. Book Alexa as your photographer - you won’t regret it! Thank you Alexa!”

— Tash & Dave

Venue: Lower Barns // Date: 24.09.2020 // Dress: Grace Loves Lace, Verdelle 2.0 // Flowers: Etsy, HBotanicsWeddings // Headband and David's Boutonnaire: Etsy, HBotanicsWeddings // Jewellery: Jon Richard // Suit: Marks and Spencers // Shoes: Jenny Peckham

I had an amazing time shooting this Elopement at Lower Barns in Cornwall. The eclectic interior and gardens of Lower Barns are the perfect setting for any Wedding Ceremony. If you’re planning on having a wedding or elopement at Lower Barns or anywhere in the UK, then please get in touch, I’d love to hear all about it and have the opportunity to be your wedding or elopement photographer.

Please contact me

Micro Wedding Photography Porthtowan Cornwall // Robyn + Amy

Robyn and Amy asked me if I could take some photos of them after their registry office ceremony on their favourite cornish beach, Porthtowan. They weren’t too fussed about having their ceremony photographed but rather wanted a couple of hours with me taking some relaxed photos of them and their friends on the beach afterwards.

I was a bit worried how it would turn out as the day started rather stormy with no breaks in the rain in sight. I ventured down anyway, finding shelter at the Blue Bar. I was waiting for them half an hour loosing hope they would turn up. When they finally arrived they told me they had some problems at the registry office. I guess the slight delay was meant to be as the clouds broke and the sun came out for an hour, just in time for our photo session! And how beautiful is the light just before or after rain, especially in autumn!

What a pleasure to meet you, Amy and Robyn! You and your gang were absolute stars and I had a great time documenting a brief time of your very special day…champagne was flowing en masse, I’m sure you enjoyed your wedding meal, ha, ha!

A little preview for you

“Alexa was absolutely amazing.. very friendly and professional really went that extra mile to get to know us and what we wanted and also to get the best pictures.. I honestly can’t say enough good things that would do any justice to the quality of work and Alexa’s commitment to her job. Extremely helpful from day 1 and very easy to talk to and also to contact.we live 5 hours away and arrangingfor our wedding photos was a breeze.. Thankyou for helping us make amazing memories and giving us the wonderful pictures we can look back on for a lifetime.”

— Robyn & Amy

Location: Porthtowan Beach // Makeup: Lianne Layton Morris // Dress: Brighton Belle // Suit: Next

Wedding Photography at Lower Barns in Cornwall // Sam & Andy

My first wedding back this season and I had the pleasure to visit one of my favourite Cornish venues the fabulous Lower Barns!

It has been a rollercoaster the last few months with most of my weddings postponed to next year and beyond. For most suppliers in the wedding industry 2020 supposed to be a busy year, but then the global pandemic kicked in and what was a busy year ahead crumbled! It must have been just as bad for some of the couples who had to cancel or postpone their weddings and plan all over again trying to coordinate their suppliers for new dates etc..

Well for some couples it turned out ok, they could still keep their original wedding dates when the social distancing restrictions eased a bit. One of them are the lucky Sam and Andy. I’m so pleased for them as their wedding day turned out to be as they planned for, a relaxed afternoon with their nearest and dearest and 2 dogs. They didn’t want all the fuss of a big wedding, but guess what, they had 2 wedding cakes! Don’t underestimate the importance of cake, ha, ha!

I feel blessed to have spend a few hours with them capturing it all. Here is a small collection for you, I hope you like it!

If you’re getting married at Lower Barns please contact me about my wedding and elopement photography packages

Venue: Lower Barns // Date: 21.07.2020 // Flowers: Cornish Farm Flowers // Hair: Hair by Emma C // Dress: Adrianna Papell // Food: Lower Barns // Cake: Lower Barns & Claire’s Sweet Temptations // Bridesmaids Dresses: Jolie Moi // Suit: Ted Baker

Small Weddings - big Memories

Are you thinking of getting married but don't want to spend the big money?

Are you thinking big weddings have got a bit out of hand?

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the wedding planning process?

Then why don't you consider to downsizing? Smaller weddings are not any less special and have many benefits unique to them. They might even be the trend in the near future.

Let's explain the difference in between larger and smaller weddings first. An intimate or small wedding is generally considered to have between 30 and 60 guests. Whereas Micro weddings are much smaller than this, with guest numbers usually in between 10-20. An elopement with just the two of you is considered a 'runaway wedding'. Usually it means getting married without telling anyone especially your parents, but I have also seen a few elopements where couples bring their parents along as witnesses.

Many couples and celebrities are now opting for smaller weddings. It doesn't have to be a big expensive affair to be the special day of your life. Let me show you that a downsized day can not just be more romantic and intimate but also save you cost along with a whole host of other benefits.

A more personal and intimate atmosphere

While every bride and groom would much rather spend quality time with guests, hosting duties usually prevent this from happening. With a smaller wedding, you’ll have fewer guests to worry about and an opportunity to spend more quality time with them. You’ll also get plenty more special moments for the two of you to enjoy alone. 

With a lot of small wedding venues being exclusive hire, you can do everything your way and decorate the whole place the way you like it with less effort than transforming a large venue to suit your style. It's much easier to create a more personal athmosphere for you and your guests in a small venue than a large one. Make it yours, reflecting your style and personality.

Finding a unique wedding venue suiting your style

Lavish weddings with guest numbers of 200+ don’t always ensure the best in wedding venues. In fact, finding a wedding venue to accommodate a large number of guests can be rather difficult – meaning you have to settle for the best of what’s available. Small, intimate weddings, on the other hand, offer plenty of choice and a whole range of hidden gems. One of my favourite venues here in Cornwall is the stylish Lowerbarns Boutique Bed and Breakfast on the Southcoast, a great option for elopements and intimate weddings up to 30 guests. It offers eclectic and unique rooms with private gardens to stay in. Some of them even come with a Jacuzzi. The owners Janey and Mike offer a more personal service than larger venues do and make everybody feel at home in no time. They also have a great catering team to make you some delicious meals. If you're opting for something slightly bigger like 60 guests, there are plenty of venues to choose from here in Cornwall. Lusty Glaze is one of them, located on its own private beach, you can't get closer to getting married by the sea here in Cornwall. They offer everything from elopements to larger weddings. You can hire whole or part of the beach venue for as little or as long as you like and if you book early you can even stay in one of their cottages on the beach. Knightor Winery is a beautiful rustic barn venue with a beautiful courtyard and some delicious food on offer. You can even offer your guests a wine tasting session of Knightor wines. Or you treat yourself to a luxury weekend away at the Scarlet hotel in Mawganporth. There are plenty of stunning locations to choose from here in Cornwall. I have a added a list of my favourites at the end of this article.

Savings on your big day budget

Whether you simply can’t afford the typical costs of a larger wedding or you think a big budget spend is a waste of money, downsizing your day can help you make essential savings. Limiting the number of wedding guests can allow you to focus on what you really want, which could be quality and individuality over size.

Saving big bucks on your wedding day will open other opportunites like a special honeymoon where you can make more special memories.

A more laid back day

Firstly a smaller wedding involves way less planning than a big celebration with 100 plus guests. Even better when you can accommodate all your guests on location and make it a weekend with everybody together. A lot of smaller wedding venues cater for accommodating up to 30 guests. There is also the possibility of renting a larger holiday house and spend the weekend together under one roof with strolls down the beach, dips in the sea, and bbq's with gin and beers.

Small weddings are easier to make more laid back, giving you the opportunity to break free from the typical wedding day traditions if you wish. With a more laid back day and less guests you can spend your special day less stressed and just enjoy the day as it unfolds.

Enjoyment of each and every moment

One of the most common statements I get from couples is that they feel the whole day was flying by too fast. With so many people to see, speeches, cake cutting, dancing and time obsessed wedding planners/managers – the day just disappears. When you downsize your wedding, you don't have to downsize the fun. It is about giving yourself the opportunity to enjoy every moment, spend more quality time with your guests, and enjoy your special day.

My favourite small wedding and elopement venues in Cornwall:

Lower Barns Boutique Bed & Breakfast

Cosawes Barton

Treseren

Lusty Glaze Beach Weddings

Pengenna Manor

The Green

Fal River Cruises

The Scarlet Hotel

Petite Weddings (small wedding venues and planning service for runaway weddings)

If you’re planning a smaller wedding or elopement in Cornwall or anywhere else in the UK please email me for further information. I can’t wait to hear all about it!

Postpone don't cancel!

I’m really sorry some of my clients having to deal with this crisis at the same time as planning their wedding. I know you never expected to be having to do this, and it's uncertain times for us all but together we can get through it! I'm here to help and make it as stress free as possible. If it turns out you have to postpone then I've got a procedure in place to make it as stress free for you as possible...

IF YOU'VE NOT YET SET A NEW DATE - Work with me to make sure I can be there on the new date, I still really really would love to be your photographer with all my heart and soul. This whole episode has just made me even more passionate about capturing the love and happiness in the world, and so grateful to be able to share these occasions with people like you. We are a small network of wedding industry businesses down here in Cornwall and we will do everything in our power to make your wedding happen at a different date later on this year or if not possible next year. September and October can often be nicer down here in Cornwall than May and June, I’m not kidding! And on top of it I offer you a 20% discount on full day (full price) packages if you decide to postpone your wedding to a date in between October 2020 and March 2021.

ONCE YOU'VE SET THE NEW DATE - I will ask you to sign a new contract for the new date at the same price you're paying now - Your initial payment will carry across to the new date with no penalties, so you won't lose out financially at all - I will ask you if possible to pay 50% of your balance payment at the time of rearrangement - times are so hard and uncertain now for tiny businesses like mine and this cash flow will help me get through this blip - Your remaining balance will be due a month before the new date If you've got any questions as things develop, or you just want to have a chat about anything - text, email or call me. We can jump on a Skype or anything any time you want a chat. I'm here to help as much as I can.

Take care of your physical and mental health during this time and I can't wait to see you soon.

Together we are strong and we will make the celebration of your dreams happen!

Sending you lots of Love!

Alexa xxx

Cornwall Micro Wedding Photography at Lusty Glaze // Sami & Lee

Sami and Lee tied the knot at Lusty Glaze on a beautiful sunny September day here in Cornwall. They had a small intimate day with just their closest family and friends. The beach was literally empty as the weather forecast was not as good as it turned out. I love photographing micro weddings and elopements, they just feel so special and I get to focus on the individual people more.

Sami and Lee I promised you a little preview. So here you go, I hope you like it.

If you’re looking to get married at Lusty Glaze in Cornwall please contact me for further details

“We had Alexa photograph our small, intimate, relaxed wedding in September 2019 at Lusty Glaze Beach in Cornwall. Alexa made us feel so relaxed from start to finish, she captured our day perfectly and we are so, so happy with the results. We had great communication from the day of booking until the wedding from Alexa and nothing was too much trouble. Thank you so much Alexa!”

— Sami & Lee

Venue: Lusty Glaze // Date: 10.09.19

Andrea & Jack // Lower Barns Cornwall Elopement Photography

Andrea and Jack eloped to Lower Barns in Cornwall on the 22nd of may. They decided for an intimate day with just their two children and couldn’t have picked a better day, it was a scorcher! Sadly Jack picked up a bug from his little boy and felt sick, what a shame, I felt so sorry for them, with everything else being so perfect. Andrea really wanted to incorporate some of the beautiful Cornish Coast into her photos, son gladly we still made it to Caerhays beach. I just hope he felt better later in the evening to enjoy their delicious food prepared by the lovely Lower Barns team.

Here is your preview Andrea and Jack, I hope you like it!

Venue: Lower Barns // Date: 22.05.19 // Flowers: Cornish Farm Flowers // Hair: Capella Hair Cornwall // Makup: Suzi Winter