English Country wedding at Merriscourt, Cotswolds - Part 3

Here is the final part of our English Wedding shoot taken at Merriscourt, a gorgeous wedding venue nestled in the Cotswolds (read Part 1 and part 2 here).  This final part focuses on the fabulous products from the suppliers who took part in the shoot.  Most were sourced locally by talented wedding planner Jeni Crabb.  If you're planning a wedding next summer in Oxfordshire take a look at what the local wedding suppliers have to offer you.

Make up was by MUA Sophie Devlin based in Wantage. Sophie created the look and style of our girls  hair and makeup.

Our gorgeous dresses were supplied by Cariad bride, based in Faringdon and run by the lovely Sue Lund.  Both contemporary and affordable these dresses would make any bride beautiful on her wedding day and you can be sure of exceptional service from Sue and delivered with a friendly smile.

Based in Stanford in the Vale, Chrissy Taylor is the inspiration behind Boho Designs.  Chrissy makes all her own jewellery and each item is guaranteed to be a unique piece.  From rings, bracelets and necklaces to bespoke head pieces for brides and bridesmaids, Chrissy will design and create individual pieces for your wedding or other special occasion.

Beautiful rustic flowers were supplied by Nicola Robertson from Foxgloves and Roses near Wantage. We had a divine mix of two colour schemes to compliment both outfits we shot - the peonies bouquet smelled heavenly too.

We could hardly wait for the shoot to be over so we could sink our teeth into these delicious cupcakes from Tessa Edwards of Daisy Cakes.  But so worth the wait!!   Like Chrissy and myself, Tessa is based in Stanford in the Vale (actually - our sons are all in the same class at school which is how we all met!) - amazing how many quality suppliers are right on your doorstep!

Additional contributions came from Lorraine at  The Jolly Vintage company for their fabulous range of vintage china tea sets, Damon at Stylish Centrepieces for the hurricane lamps and birdcages, Samantha from The Favour House for their cake pops and bespoke wedding stationary from Paper Fudge.

And of course the setting was the wonderful Merriscourt situated in stunning Cotswold scenery.   The umbrellas courtesy of  Brollies Galore were a late addition to the shoot - we had rain either side of the shoot but luckily were able to shoot in lovely summer sunshine  - just perfect for an English Garden Wedding!

Finally no wedding is complete without bunting - The oxford Bunting company supply lovely vintage floral bunting.


Full list of suppliers:

Jeni Crabb – Vanilla Rose Weddings & Events

Photos: Judi Checketts Photography (http://www.judicheckettsphotography.com/)

Venue: Merriscourt Galleries (http://www.merriscourt.com/index.html)

Bridal and Bridesmaid Dresses:  Sue Lund of Cariad Bride (http://www.cariad-bride.co.uk/)

Make Up Artist: Sophie Kevlin (http://sophie-kay.wix.com/makeup)

Flowers: Foxgloves and Roses (http://www.foxglovesandroses.co.uk/foxgloves_and_roses/Welcome.html)

Vintage China: Jolly Vintage Tea Party (http://www.jollyvintageteaparty.co.uk/)

Wedding Stationery: Paper Fudge (http://paperfudge.co.uk/)

Centrepieces and Props: Stylish Centrepieces (http://www.stylishcentrepieces.co.uk/)

Bunting: Oxford Bunting Company (http://oxfordbuntingco.blogspot.co.uk/)

Cake Pops: The Favour House (http://www.thefavourhouse.co.uk/)

Family lifestyle shoot

Today I'm sharing some lovely images taken from a shoot earlier in the summer.  Mum Andrea with her daughters Lily and Emma had a great time together on the shoot.  The girls played under an old oak tree which made for some gorgeous images and finished the shoot making daisy chains - wonderful childhood memories!

If you are interested in a photoshoot with your family please see my website for more details or get in touch on email or by calling 07535 613606.


Judi x



Judi is a fine art lifestyle and wedding photographer based in Oxfordshire working mainly in Oxfordshire,  Wiltshire, Berkshire, Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds but will consider comissions throughout the UK.  Working on location using natural light Judi focuses on capturing beautiful relaxed images of you and your family. Using an artistic eye Judi will not just capture your memories but create a work of art which can be presented in luxury fine art albums or as framed art or canvases to hang in your homes.

Judi also provides services for commercial businesses including headshots, nursery and pre-school portraits as well as special events such as birthdays and christenings etc.

English Country Wedding at Merriscourt, Cotswolds - part 2

Here's the second instalment from our bridal shoot at Merriscourt (you can read part 1 here).  Here the girls have changed into a gorgeous knee length dresses for both bride and bridesmaid with a summery pink colour scheme.  Deep crimson and prink peonies with some vintage styled jewelery really set off this look as they enjoyed a summer picnic looking out over the Cotswolds.  The gorgeous china and bunting completed the look and the cupcakes were devine - needless to say they didn't last long after the shoot was complete but more about those and the other props that were used in this shoot to come in part 3 of this styled shoot.

If you're getting married at Merriscourt I'd love to be there to photograph you so do get in touch!

Judi x

With thanks to the following Oxfordshire suppliers:

         Venue:  Carolyn Bond (Wedding Coordinator) at Merriscourt, Cotswolds.

        Wedding Planner:  Jeni Crabb, of Vanilla Rose Weddings & Events

Wedding Photography:  Judi Checketts

Dresses:  Sue Lund of Cariad Bride, Faringdon

Hair & Make Up: by Sophie Kevlin in Wantage

Flowers: Nicola Robertson from Foxgloves and Roses

Umbrellas:  Christine from Brollies Gallore

Bird Cages & Candles: Damon from Stylish Centrepieces 

Jewellry & headpieces: Chrissy Taylor of Boho Jewelry designs

Cakes:  Tessa Edwards of Daisy Cakes

Bespoke Fabric Bunting:  Oxford Bunting Co

Weymouth, wind surfing and a wonderful Olympic day out

Something a little different on the blog today - the Olympics are nearly over and its been an amazing time for British athletes so I wanted to share some personal photos today. We weren't lucky enough to have tickets for any of the Olympic events but that hasn't stopped us loving every minute of it and we spent a fabulous day at Weymouth watch the wind surfing (from a distance on the beach) and the sailing (an even bigger distance!!).

It was our first family visit to Weymouth, a picturesque fishing harbour town looking fabulous decked out for the Olympics.  There were many of the traditional sea side events still running such as Punch & Judy shows as well as many free sports events laid on for kids to try out - golf, table tennis and canoeing to name just a few. Jack loved trying them all out!  We made out way up to the top of the beach and sat watching the wind surfing.  We could just make out the British windsurfer Nick Dempsey on his way to a silver medal -  it was a great day and made us feel part of the Olympic spirit.


Judi x

English Country Wedding at Merriscourt, Cotswolds - part 1

As promised here is our full shoot from last months bridal shoot at Merriscourt situated in the beautiful Cotswolds nr Burford.

The shoot was organised by Jeni Crabb, local oxfordshire wedding planner and owner of Vanilla Rose Weddings & Events. With experience in luxury boutique hotels and events throughout London, Oxfordshire and Cotswolds Jeni picked the perfect theme - an English Country Wedding.  The focus was very much on pulling together the resources of local suppliers which offer quality services and ideas which reflect her clients aspirations.

As a local wedding photographer I was delighted to be invited to be the photographer for this event and was amazed at the wonderful products available and had a fabulous time photographing everything. I met some great new suppliers as well as having the chance to catch up with some old friends too!

In order to share the full details with you I'm blogging this in 3 parts. The first part shows our gorgeous models for the day preparing for an elegant wedding which still possess a rustic country feel.  The girls are not proper models but had a ball getting dressed up in these wonderful wedding dresses from Sue Lund at Cariad Bride and professional hair & make-up by Sophie Kelvin. A full list of suppliers is given at the end - do check their websites for more inspiration. And if you are looking for a wedding photographer do please get in touch with me - I'd love to be there on your big day!

Judi x

With thanks to the following suppliers:

Venue:  Carolyn Bond (Wedding Coordinator) at Merriscourt, Cotswolds.
Wedding Planner:  Jeni Crabb, of Vanilla Rose Weddings & Events
Dresses:  Sue Lund of Cariad Bride, Faringdon
Hair & Make Up: by Sophie Kevlin in Wantage
Flowers: Nicola Robertson from Foxgloves and Roses
Umbrellas:  Christine from Brollies Gallore
Bird Cages & Candles: Damon from Stylish Centrepieces 
Jewellry & headpieces: Chrissy Taylor of Boho Jewelry designs

Part 2 will follow next week!