Olivia and Austen’s gorgeous autumnal Notley Abbey wedding near Aylesbury, with its medieval walls and Hollywood royalty history, was elegant, fun and incredibly beautiful.
This unique country house has a truly magical past. If its majestic walls could talk they would tell of a millennium of the decadent celebrations of not only Hollywood royalty, but royalty itself, with not just one King Henry frequenting the house. Its more modern owners of Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh used to throw lavish parties where many celebs, including Marilyn Monroe, would turn up. Such a venue created a beautiful venue for Olivia and Austen’s to get married. Check out their amazing wedding below.
First names: Austen Buck and Olivia Shillito
Ages: 32 and 26
Wedding date: 24/11/2018
Venue: Notley Abbey, Aylesbury
How did you guys meet, tell me all?
Well we first met after we both swiped right for each other on Tinder, Olivia had: Rugby; my favourite local pub; Game of Thrones; and Hodor as her interests so how could I not swipe right, and of course she was very cute in the photo. The next day we met for a nice late lunch at a local café, had a nice stroll along Brighton promenade, went on the pier for some good ol’ fashioned 2p machines and then went on an unplanned visit to the sea-life centre. It was all very spontaneous and was a really fun day out.
How did you get engaged, is there a cool story?
Olivia and I got engaged in Vietnam on the beaches of Phu Quoc Island. It was a very cliché setting but not a cliché proposal, we sat down on the beach and I asked her what style of engagement ring she liked, she quickly got out her phone and showed me a few styles. As soon as she showed me a similar style to the one I had in my pocket I whipped it out (the ring) and said “Wow, that one looks a lot like this one” it took a millisecond to sink in and she snatched it from my hand. I took that as a yes. This all happened half-way through the holiday and I had carried the ring on me for the first half of our trip through a lot of airport security, and through the cities of Da Nang, Hoi An and Hanoi. I almost got rumbled however when the huge communist guard at the entrance to Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum saw that I was concealing an item I hadn’t put through the security scanner (in case Olivia noticed) and he told me to show him what it was. As I showed him the ring I knelt down on one knee (kidding), he actually just didn’t care and let me through. Luckily Olivia didn’t notice.
What made you choose your wedding venue, did you look at many?
We only looked at one venue prior to this one but we really loved Notley Abbey although it was slightly out of our budget. Olivia’s parents were with us but we all agreed it was a perfect venue for an autumn / winter wedding and in a flash we had booked it :D. It’s a great venue with a French feel to it and the staff were all really nice and it was all well organised.
What was the inspiration/theme of your wedding?
Classical winter style wedding with a few quirky bits
What is your first song and why?
Nat King Cole – Let there be Love, it wasn’t our first choice but it was a great track on the bands repertoire so we thought it would make a great and fun first dance. The lyrics are very fitting at some points.
What would be your number one tip to other couples planning their wedding?
Don’t let every little detail stress you out in the planning process, it’ll all work out in the end and will be an amazing day!
Check out Olivia and Austen’s Autumnal Notley Abbey wedding below.
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The photography: All images captured with two Fujifilm X-Pro 2’s.
Lenses: Fujinon XF 16mm f1.4 R WR, Fujinon XF 23mm f1.4 R, Fujinon XF 56mm f1.2
Other awesome suppliers who helped during Olivia and Austen’s Autumnal Notley Abbey wedding
Hair stylist: Charlotte
Website: http://www.lipstickandcurls.net
Make up artist: Charlotte
Website: http://www.lipstickandcurls.net
Brides dress: David’s Bridal
Website: http://www.davidsbridal.com
Bridesmaids dresses: Asos
Website: https://www.asos.co.uk
Suits: Groom: Hammond and Co
Website: https://www.debenhams.com/men/hammond-co-by-patrick-grant
Florist: Herbert & Isles
Website: http://www.herbertandisles.co.uk
Cake: Jessica Rawlins
Website:
Caterer: Bijou Wedding Venues
Website: https://bijouweddingvenues.co.uk/make-it-delicious/wedding-breakfast
Band/DJ: The Swing Band
Website: http://www.theswingband.com
Are you looking for a wedding photographer? Would you like someone who photographs it in an alternative, fun and natural way? Fancy seeing your wedding pictures on my Instagram and on other cool wedding blogs? Get in touch and let me know all about your day! I need to know the date, ceremony and reception details and most importantly all the ideas you have!
Let’s chat about your day!
I am a Kent wedding photographer who has been featured within Your Kent Wedding Magazine, Rock n Roll Bride and Your Sussex Wedding Magazine, with images also published in the The Daily Mail, The Telegraph, The Independent, The News Of The World and many other large newspapers and magazines.
Autumnal Notley Abbey wedding | Kent Wedding Photographer | https://rosshurley.com | Ross Hurley Photography
