Summer wedding at Cooling Castle Barn with Lauren and Apichart
Lauren and Apichart’s summer wedding at Cooling Castle Barn was cool, elegant and stunning! From the gorgeous outside ceremony to the smoke grenades in the evening, this was a lot of fun! Check out their amazing day here.
First names: Lauren & Apichart
Ages: 32 & 30
Wedding date: 8 July 2019
Venue: Cooling Castle Barn
How did you guys meet, tell me all?
Lauren: We met through work in Bangkok where I was living for a few years. We were both part of our company’s CSR(Corporate Social Responsibility) group that organised volunteering activities, so we met through that but didn’t really talk much as Apichart seemed really shy. Months after we’d first met, he started to message me on Facebook and then I soon realised that he wasn’t shy at all…. I wasn’t really looking for anything serious at the time but somehow, he convinced me!
Apichart: We used to work together at the same company but barely talked to each other because we worked in totally different areas. I got to know her more through a charity group which we were both involved in. We did a few projects together and then I started to like her more and more, and here we are getting married!
How did you get engaged, is there a cool story?
Apichart proposed on a holiday in Bali a couple of years ago. The day he proposed everything that could possibly go wrong, went wrong and I could see him getting more and more stressed as we were really late arriving to Seminyak from one of the Gili islands, and that’s where he had planned to propose.
He had booked a beautiful place on the beach for drinks at sunset and due to lots of things throughout the day, it meant we ended up running there to try and catch the sunset and just made it. Regardless it was still perfect, I cried my eyes out when he got down on one knee and said yes straight away.
What made you choose your wedding venue, did you look at many?
We wanted a venue that had a nice relaxed vibe to it, was easy for people to get to, had accommodation (but wasn’t a hotel), and weather permitting, gave us the option for an outdoor ceremony and reception. We weren’t fixed on an area or location and actually neither of us have any connection to Kent (Lauren is originally from Yorkshire and Apichart from Thailand), but we just really liked the venue. I think we saw about 10 before visiting Cooling Castle Barn but they all had something we weren’t sure about. We saw this one and just knew it was the one, we secured a date during our first visit.
What was the inspiration/theme of your wedding?
Everyone having a great time! Honestly, we didn’t overthink the theme and instead chose things we liked – from the wedding dress, the groom’s suit, bridesmaids’ dresses to the table decorations, flowers, food etc. We just followed our gut and chose what people liked or felt good in or things we thought would look beautiful on the day. We also kept it pretty simple, we don’t think there needs to be a lot of fuss for people to have a good time so instead focused on a great atmosphere and good music.
What is your first song and why?
Tenerife Sea by Ed Sheeran. We’re both Ed Sheeran fans (Apichart more so) and love the lyrics of his songs. We were keen to use one of his songs but didn’t want one people had heard 100s of times.
What would be your number one tip to other couples planning their wedding?
Book a venue early (especially if you want a weekend). We were surprised by how hard it was to find somewhere who was free on a weekend for the next year. Hence us doing it on a Monday!
Keep it simple. There doesn’t need to be a lot of fuss or overthinking to have a great day. It’s all about the people, and everyone having a great time, so don’t worry about the small stuff – no one will even notice!
Check out Lauren and Apichart’s Summer wedding at Cooling Castle Barn below.
You can follow my Instagram here.
Feel free to pin any image you love on your Pinterest boards.
The photography: All images captured with two Fujifilm X-T3 cameras.
Lenses: Fujinon XF 16mm f1.4 R WR, Fujinon XF 23mm f1.4 R, Fujinon XF 35mm f1.4 R and Fujinon XF 56mm f1.2.
Other awesome suppliers who helped during Lauren and Apichart’s Summer wedding at Cooling Castle Barn
Hair stylist: Terri Gilham, Kent Bridal Hair
Website: https://www.kentbridalhair.com/
Make up artist: Helen Lee
Website: https://www.helenleemakeup.co.uk/
Brides dress: Sottero & Midgley
Website: https://www.maggiesottero.com/sottero-and-midgley
Bridesmaids dresses: David’s Bridal
Website: https://www.davidsbridal.co.uk/
Suits: Hackett
Website: https://www.hackett.com/gb/
Florist: Floral Explosion
Website: https://www.floral-explosion.co.uk/
Cake: Spooned
Website: http://www.spooned.london/home.html
Caterer: Cooling Castle Barn
Website: https://www.coolingcastlebarn.com/
Band/DJ: Bowery Music & venue’s DJ
Website: http://www.bowerymusic.co.uk/
Stationary: Caligrafia
Website: https://www.caligrafia.co.uk/
Wedding website: SPRK
Website: https://www.sprkdesign.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.
Summer wedding at Cooling Castle Barn| Kent Wedding Photography | Kent wedding photographer | https://rosshurley.com | Copyright Ross Hurley Photography 2019
