Courtney and Liam’s wedding at Ingestre Orangery was relaxed, emotional and full of thoughtful personal details. Their day included an indoor ceremony surrounded by delicate wild flowers, photographs in the beautiful Ingestre grounds, a vintage car chosen by Courtney’s dad, a retro Mini for Liam, relaxed food from a BBQ pop-up and a surprise ice cream van chosen by their daughter, Ebony.
Courtney and Liam’s wedding was such a lovely example of a day that felt calm, personal and completely true to them. They wanted a wedding that felt relaxed rather than flashy, with time to enjoy the people they love most and space for the day to unfold naturally.
Although they had originally hoped for an outdoor ceremony, the British weather had other ideas. In the end, everything moved inside the Orangery, and it could not have suited the day more beautifully. The wild flowers brought the outside in, the ceremony space felt light and romantic, and we still managed to use the beautiful grounds at Ingestre for so many of their photographs.
Liam proposed on their eight year anniversary with a piece of metal artwork he had made himself.
"We actually met on a night out in Stafford, on a student night, back in 2016.
The proposal happened on our eight year anniversary in the kitchen. Liam made some artwork out of metal with the ring on it."
I love that this feels so personal to them. Not every proposal has to be a huge public moment. Sometimes the most meaningful ones are the ones that happen at home, in a place that already means something, with a detail that could only really belong to that couple.
"The Orangery ticked all the boxes for us. We wanted somewhere outdoors and pretty, but not big and flashy.
We visited a few times and it was just our favourite place to be. Even if our ceremony needed to be indoors because of British weather, we still knew it would have that outdoor feeling."
This is one of the lovely things about Ingestre Orangery. It gives couples that light, garden-inspired feel, even when the weather means the day needs to move indoors. For Courtney and Liam, that was such an important part of why the venue felt right.
"We wanted bright but calm. Bright but pretty flowers that were not big and bold, along with a blush rose for the groomsmen and bridesmaids.
The grounds were too pretty to outshine them with big, bulky details."
This was such a good choice for Ingestre Orangery. The styling felt colourful and pretty, but it did not compete with the venue. The wild flowers brought softness and detail to the ceremony space, while the blush tones kept everything feeling gentle and romantic.
Courtney and Liam wanted the day to feel relaxed rather than overly formal, and the styling reflected that perfectly.
"My wedding morning was super chilled. I hate stress. Being a business owner and parent, I feel stress 24/7, and I told myself my wedding morning would be chilled.
It was. We had the girls singing and playing guitar all morning for entertainment.
Courtney’s morning had such a lovely, calm feeling to it, in her own home, surrounded by her dogs which are a massive part of her life. I always think wedding mornings set the tone for the day, and hers felt exactly as she had hoped. Relaxed, familiar and full of little family moments.
"I told my dad he could choose a car for us to travel in, as cars are his thing. I felt it gave my dad something to help sort, as my mum was big in the planning of my wedding.
He chose the perfect car and it suited my dress and my look perfectly without him seeing anything beforehand. Lucky!"
"Liam’s very first car was a Mini just like that one, so he was sure that was how he was travelling.
It all suited perfectly, and we have some wonderful photos."
I loved this detail. The Mini was not just a fun car for photographs, it had a real connection to Liam, which made it feel personal rather than just decorative. Alongside Courtney’s vintage car, it gave the day so much character and made for some brilliant portraits after the ceremony.
"To have our daughter involved was so, so special. I think we both cried constantly all day with the joy we felt having her as such a huge part of it, and looking super cute in her dress.
She absolutely loved having what she thought was her personal photographer for the day."
Some of the most emotional moments from Courtney and Liam’s wedding centred around Ebony. Watching her walk down the aisle was one of the memories they both treasured most, and she brought so much joy and personality to the day.
For the purpose of this blog I will only include close up images where her face is not shown. Ebony was such a huge part of the day and we created some incredible images for them all to treasure.
"The ceremony space inside unfolded perfectly. The delicate wild flowers really brought the outside feel indoors.
I am actually glad it was indoors in the end, as the aisle space was bigger and the detail was stunning."
It can feel disappointing when an outdoor ceremony has to change at the last minute, but Courtney and Liam’s wedding is such a good example of why it is always worth choosing a venue where you love the indoor option too.
Their ceremony still felt soft, natural and full of light. The wild flowers suited the Orangery beautifully, and the indoor space gave everything a calm and intimate feel without losing the connection to the grounds outside.
"All we ever said when planning the wedding was that we wanted to feel relaxed and have time to enjoy the day with those we love the most.
We didn’t want to feel rushed or bossed around. The food van took away from the whole ‘sit down and don’t move’ feel that a regular sit down wedding breakfast can make you feel.
We just loved the food and the people running the business so much at a food festival we went to, so it was a certain pick for us. It was our wedding, so we wanted what we wanted, not what pleased others. It was one day that was ours.
The ice cream van was Ebony’s choice. We asked her what dessert we should have for the wedding and she said, ‘Ice cream,’ so that was a deal.
Seeing her face when it arrived, as we didn’t tell anyone about it, was just adorable and captured by you so well."
This part of the day summed Courtney and Liam up so well. They were not trying to follow a wedding formula. They wanted food they genuinely loved, a relaxed atmosphere for their guests, and little details that meant something to their family.
The ice cream van arriving as a surprise was such a brilliant moment, especially because it had come from Ebony’s choice. Those are the kinds of details guests remember because they feel real and personal.
"Our favourite memory of the day was actually seeing Ebony walk down the aisle and Liam, who never cries, bawling his eyes out.
The emotion of seeing a dad appreciate his daughter so much is special.
Then when we both got very emotional at first sight, when we both never cry, it was a lot of emotion and love. It was just a wonderful feeling.
I cried at the photos of the ceremony because you could feel the emotion."
The ceremony was one of the most emotional parts of Courtney and Liam’s day. There was so much feeling in the room, from Ebony walking down the aisle to the moment Courtney and Liam saw each other.
Those are the photographs that often become more meaningful with time. Not just because they show what happened, but because they bring back exactly how it felt.
"We chose you as our wedding photographer because we had heard from someone else who had used you how relaxed and friendly you were.
We looked at your work and loved that you could do posed photos so beautifully, but it was as if you weren’t there.
You captured moments we didn’t think you were around for, and the natural, unplanned shots were so, so beautiful."
This is always one of the loveliest things to hear, because it is exactly how I want wedding photography to feel.
I will always give gentle guidance when it is needed, especially for portraits and family photographs, but so much of the story of a wedding day comes from those little unplanned moments. The looks, the laughter, the movement, the emotion, and the things couples did not even realise were happening around them.
"My advice for other couples would be to do what you both want and not what others expect.
Set a budget and roll with that. Flashy and expensive doesn’t mean better. You want a wedding you and others remember.
Will anyone remember you spending thousands on a big setup? We included who was close to us, not everyone who wasn’t."
This is such honest and useful advice. Courtney and Liam’s day felt so special because it was built around what mattered to them. Their daughter, their families, relaxed food, meaningful cars, soft flowers, and time to enjoy the day with the people closest to them.
It is a reminder that weddings do not have to be big or flashy to be beautiful. They just have to feel like you.
"Our favourite photo is hard because there are a few.
We probably both love the ones of us by the cars, and the one of Ebony running towards you while we are sat on the steps. These will be up on the walls."
I can completely see why those images are favourites. The car photographs bring together two such personal details from the day, while the image on the steps captures something so full of life and family. It is relaxed, joyful and completely them.
For me, Courtney and Liam’s wedding was a beautiful reminder that the best wedding photographs are not always about perfect weather or perfectly controlled moments. Sometimes they are about the way a day gently changes shape, the people who matter most, and the little details that tell the story of who you are.
Ingestre Orangery is a beautiful Staffordshire wedding venue for couples who want a romantic, light-filled setting with a relaxed garden feel. Courtney and Liam’s day showed exactly why it works so well in all weather, with an indoor ceremony that still felt soft and natural, and grounds that gave us so many lovely options for photographs afterwards.
If you are planning your own wedding at Ingestre Orangery and would like relaxed, natural and elegant photographs that feel true to your day, I would love to hear more about your plans.
Venue: The Orangery at Ingestre
Décor and styling: Sorella Decor
Wedding planner: Bespoke Creations
Catering: The Shorthorn BBQ
Ice cream van: Tony’s Ices
DJ: TCK Wedding Entertainment
Bridal shop: Lucy Alexander Bridal
Hair stylist: Reflections by Cheryl
Suits: Dapper Dan Suit Hire