Becky Harley Photography Archives

We’re taking a virtual stroll around Hertfordshire today, discovering some favourite Herts wedding venues with our lovely friend Becky Harley Photography. From mansions to gardens to barns and chic modern spaces, there’s a fabulous choice of places to get married in the county, so join us to discover our faves, and perhaps you’ll find your dream venue (and photographer!) right here!

Coltsfoot Country Retreat

I’ve worked here loads and absolutely love it. Coltsfoot has it all. In 2021 they reopened after some major refurbishment to open up the barn space so it now has high ceilings and exposed beams, letting in loads of light (an unusual feature for barns).

Set on a quiet road among rolling fields and hills, and with a beautiful courtyard it’s the perfect exclusive setting. The owners have also handmade some incredible shepherds huts, one of which is used as the suite for the newlyweds after the celebrations – nestled in a private garden full of wildflowers and festoon lighting. Plus, there are resident alpacas and sheep. What more do you want?!

https://www.coltsfoot.com

Offley Place

Another favourite venue in Hertfordshire. Offley is a beautiful manor house with modern interior.

The conservatory is the location for ceremonies and is a stunning bright space with an original wall as a backdrop, and the ballroom works for larger ceremonies and the reception space, with a beautiful skylight and chandeleirs which mirror the design of the conservatory. The perfect space for an epic party. The grounds are huge and perfect for photos, and include a rose garden which is stunning when in bloom. It’s also amazing for a snowy wedding – proof here!

https://www.offleyplace.com/weddings

Henry Moore Studios

This is a bit of a hidden gem. Its main function is as an arts and heritage centre for the late Henry Moore, very famous 20^th centry modern art sculptor. You get married in the Aisled barn, a beautiful bright space with priceless tapestries hung on the walls. In the expansive grounds there are huge modern art sculptures which are amazing for photos, and across the sheep field is the reclining figure, if you’re lucky you’ll get an epic sunset and even more epic photos.

https://henry-moore.org/studios-and-gardens/venue-hire-studios-gardens/

Fanhams Hall

Big love to Fanhams Hall for having an LGBTQ couple front and centre on their wedding home page!

A venue of two halves – the old side is traditional but beautiful with gorgeous formal gardens and more beyond, the new side more modern overlooking a lake. This venue has loads to offer and delicious food too.

“One of my favourite things about this stunning venue is undoubtedly the gardens. Every time I work at Fanhams I find something new and exciting to capture. The hotel is set in 27 acres of incredible gardens, and from the towering trees one one side, to the manicured walled garden, to the wild flowers and grasses that sit to the other side of the venue, for me, as a Fanhams Hall Wedding Photographer, the choice is absolutely endless.” ~ Becky Harley Photography

https://www.exclusive.co.uk/fanhams-hall/weddings/

Essendon Country Club

Essendon is a premier golf and country club in Hertfordshire and the grounds are enormous. The barn used for the wedding and reception is lovely, with a grand staircase and terrace that opens up to overlook a lake. It’s even possible to jump on a golf buggee and go for a drive to get to the best photo locations on this huge acreage (believe me you wouldn’t want to walk!)

Essendon has one of the best barn wedding venues in Hertfordshire – find out more here!

https://www.essendoncc.co.uk/special_occasions

Hertfordshire wedding photographer Becky Harley is an English Wedding member

Web: www.beckyharleyphotography.co.uk

Hertfordshire wedding

5 favourite wedding venues in Hertfordshire! with Becky Harley Photography

By Claire Gould, 3 years ago

Your wedding day is probably going to be the biggest and most exciting day of your life, but with so many options to choose from when planning your big day, it can easily become one of the most wasteful too. If being sustainable is important to you as a couple, read on to discover some top eco-friendly wedding tips from Entertainment Nation that will not only help save the planet, but will also be kinder on your purse strings!

All images in this blog post are by Becky Harley Photography. See Ayron & Scott’s Coltsfoot wedding here

1. Plan Your Wedding Locally

Save everyone some petrol money (they’ll definitely thank you for this!) and keep carbon emissions as low as possible by choosing a venue that’s close by to as many of your guests as possible. When booking live entertainment, think along similar lines. If you can find a band you love who live just down the road, they won’t have to travel across the country to reach you so you can reduce their carbon footprint and also save money on their travel expenses. Win win!

2. Choose a Sustainable Dress

It’s such a shame when so much effort and energy has gone into creating a stunning wedding gown for the dress to only be worn once then stored in a cupboard for the rest of time. On top of that, many wedding dresses are not made using environmentally-friendly materials or processes. It’s becoming a popular choice among planet-conscious brides to either choose a gorgeous second-hand vintage gown or a dress that is produced by a sustainable supplier. Before buying a new dress, contact the designer to find out if their production process aligns with your values. Even better, you could choose a non-conventional outfit that you love and know that you’ll wear time and time again. It’s a much more ethical decision and you’ll remember your wedding day every time you wear it!

3. Choose Any Flowers Wisely

Flowers are an integral part of any wedding and there’s no reason they shouldn’t be included in an eco-friendly celebration. There are factors to consider when choosing your flowers if you want to make the most environmentally-friendly choices. Firstly, make sure that you choose flowers that are in season at the time of your wedding to ensure they don’t have to be imported or grown using harmful pesticides and plastics. If you’re unsure, ask your florist what they’d recommend. If you have your heart set on a certain bloom that isn’t in season, dried flowers not only look incredible, but will last up to three years after your big day. No wonder they are such a popular choice! Finally, you could always create your own flowers out of fabric – a sustainable idea that will last a lifetime!

4. Scrap Excess Stationery

Save the dates, invitations, itineraries, placeholders, table plans and more – the list of wedding stationery is needlessly long when technology is available that can relinquish the need for it all. Video emails are so much more personal than save the dates and are also a lot more fun! In place of an invitation, why to set up a wedding website (there are plenty of free ones available) and send a link to all your guests? They can reply online and you can provide them with all the information they need about your big day. The best thing about it? It doesn’t involve any paper or the postal service. If you need to use paper for place cards etc, make sure they are made of recycled materials and that you recycle them afterwards of course!

5. Go Vegetarian

Reducing the amount of meat you consume is the single biggest way to have a positive impact on the environment according to scientists. So it makes sense that having as little meat on your menu as possible is going to be great for the planet. Providing a vegetarian or vegan menu is an option more and more couples are choosing these days. If you want to provide meat for your guests, choose free range chicken or locally reared pork over beef or lamb, which have a much higher carbon footprint. If possible, choose your own food suppliers so you can check that they use sustainable produce. Always try to avoid having a buffet. They’re always over catered so there’s bound to be a lot of food wasted at the end of the night.

6. Choose Eco-Friendly Wedding Favours

There are so many cute sustainable wedding favour ideas! Seeds are a great choice as your guests can grow their own plants or flowers and have a lasting memento of your day. Succulent plants are a cheap and planet-friendly idea and will also act as a lovely souvenir. If food is more your thing, try homemade jams or marmalades or buy them from a farm shop and support local business.

7. Choose An Environmentally-Friendly Cake Maker

Choosing sustainable ingredients for your wedding cake will not only be better for the Earth but it will taste better too! Check that your baker is able to source fairtrade ingredients and ask them to use in-season fruits to ensure your cake is as eco-friendly as possible.

8. Honeymoon In The UK

The UK has some of the most breathtaking scenery in the entire world. With so many beautiful places to holiday on your doorstep, your carbon footprint can remain low and you can have a fabulous honeymoon!

9. Book Your Entertainment Through An Environmentally-Friendly Agency

We’ve already talked about how you should book musicians who live locally to reduce carbon emissions, but did you know that Entertainment Nation goes above and beyond helping you find an amazing local band? We donate a proportion of every booking towards projects that help to plant trees and offset carbon around the world thanks to our partnership with Ecologi (https://ecologi.com/entertainmentnation). It’s great to know there are companies out there who are having such a significant positive impact on the environment. If you’re in the market for a wedding band, musician or entertainment, head over to www.entertainment-nation.co.uk to check out our incredible selection!

WE have many more ethical wedding tips in our sustainable weddings series – from looking after your mental health while wedding planning, to our top 60 tips for a more sustainable celebration.

Advice

9 sustainable wedding tips from our friends at Entertainment Nation

By Claire Gould, 4 yearsMay 30, 2022 ago

A wonderful article with words and images by Becky Harley Photography in Hertfordshire

Photographers talk a lot about ‘Golden Hour’, so you may have heard of it on instagram or from any photographers or wedding blogs you follow. But do you know exactly what golden hour is?

Is golden hour something we should consider when I’m booking a wedding photographer? What can we do to give ourselves the best chance of getting amazing golden hour wedding pics?

Think back to summer evenings full of sunshine – maybe you were on a beach one time, or walking in the countryside and the light just turned really golden. It happens before the sun sets: you’ll notice your shadows are really long and the sun’s low, close to the horizon – and everything’s bathed in golden light. This is the beauty of golden hour, and it’s one of our favourite things.

When the light gets like this at a wedding, I always do a happy dance. It’s amazing for a wedding photographer! And being totally honest, it’s not just at weddings that golden hour grabs me: my kids would tell you of the times I’ve sat them in the perfect position on the slide at the park, just to get a quick golden hour photo!

No one can guarantee golden hour on your wedding day. It’s not just a time of year thing: the weather and cloud cover are important, and then there’s the running order of your day. When the light’s at its very best you might be in the middle of dinner or speeches.

What exactly is golden hour?

The golden hour we talk about in the context of weddings is the hour just before sunset – when the sun is low in the sky in the evening, before it begins to set. (There’s also a golden hour just after sunrise, so you might catch that one if you’re an early bird – but probably not on your wedding day!) If you’re lucky you’ll catch the occasional sunrise golden hour in winter, when the days are shorter and the sun rises at the same time you’re on your way to work.

Photographers love golden hour for the soft light. Later on, the bright sunlight can be harsh, but in golden hour the sunlight is a beautiful ethereal golden colour. It’s very flattering, so it’s the perfect time to have some stunning and intimate wedding portraits.

I always make sure I know when golden hour will take place for every wedding (cloud conditions and so on permitting!) There’s a brilliant app I use called The Photographer’s Ephemeris – it tells me when to look out for that amazing light, so on your wedding day I’ll have one eye on the sky just in case! And if you’re happy for me to interrupt your dinner, I might even let you know so we can dash outside for five minutes and get those glorious golden hour photos!

So how can we get golden hour photos on our wedding day?

Choose the time of year carefully to give yourselves the very best chance of catching magical golden hour light. And ask your photographer about golden hour – it’s a promising sign if they’re happy to advise (and even more promising if they get all excited when you mention golden hour!) Timings are super important too: golden hour is earlier in the winter months, and much later on summer evenings. Once you’re aware of your golden hour time, plan your dinner, speeches and first dance times around it – just in case!

Golden hour essentials

you’ll rarely be guaranteed a golden hour. It’s more often a 45 minute window of lovely light. Once the sun begins to set, time flies – so sometimes it’s worth being in the right place for as long as you can while the sun sinks lower. (Golden hour engagement shoots can be amazing when the light is just right!)
often there’s no golden hour – so don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t happen on your wedding day. Bad weather, cloud cover and so on make all the difference. It’s not impossible to get stunning golden hour wedding pics if it’s raining though – Laura & Ben had some gorgeous light at their Hertfordshire wedding – take a look!
lastly, consider your venue: is there a clear view to the horizon in the west? If your reception venue has lots of tall trees, or the buildings block the light and there’s no garden or open land on the western side, you might not be able to have golden hour photos there.

So now you’re a golden hour whizz and ready to dream about golden hour photos on your wedding day! Just remember, if you’re not blessed with golden light on your day, your photographer will still get all the fabulous shots you’ll love – it’s all about the light, and there are so many ways to make the most of all kinds of light and weather conditions!

Hertfordshire wedding photographer Becky Harley is an English Wedding member

Web: www.beckyharleyphotography.co.uk

Advice

The beauty of Golden Hour and how to harness its awesomeness at your wedding!

By Claire Gould, 4 years ago

Don’t miss the amazing golden hour photos from today’s stunning Hertfordshire wedding – they are everything. Huge thanks to lovely couple Ayron and Scott for sharing their day with us, along with their top tips for a Coltsfoot Country Retreat wedding! And we’re sending a big “wow!” to lovely Hertfordshire wedding photographer Becky Harley Photography. We’re proud to have Becky as an English Wedding member and LOVE sharing her weddings with you!

Wedding photographer’s website

https://www.beckyharleyphotography.co.uk

How did you choose your photographer?

We met Becky at a wedding fair and instantly fell in love with her photography style – natural, relaxed, and timeless. Becky is also a lovely person so we knew we’d love her to be with us on our wedding day.

Were you pleased with your wedding photographer? Do tell… we love a brilliant review!

YES!!! We were blown away by the photos from our wedding. Becky captured the day so perfectly with lots of candid shots which encapsulated the love and laughter from the day. You can really see the emotion in the photos and going through them feels like we are reliving the day all over.

Tell us about your Herts wedding venue – what made this place special for you?

We got married at Coltsfoot Country Retreat which is a beautiful barn wedding venue in the Hertfordshire countryside. We didn’t know much about the venue when we booked to view it, but were immediately stunned by the barn, gorgeous courtyard and endless views!

Did you love wearing your outfits? How was the dress / suit shopping experience?

We LOVED wearing our outfits, but initially struggled finding something that made us feel like ourselves, yet really special. Lisa Lyons Bridal and Tux Lux saved the day!
I had a bespoke dress made by the super talented Lisa Lyons. I loved the whole experience and felt so beautiful in my dress. It was so special designing it with Lisa, choosing the fabrics and lace, then watching it come to life. I wish I could wear it every day!
Scott wore a gorgeous tux from TuxLux in Mill Hill along with his groomsmen. Scott tried on several tweed suits, but didn’t feel they were right so opted for a timeless tux and looked so handsome.

Did you hire a florist? Tell us about any floral amazingness

We had Jane Maples Flowers do our flowers and they exceeded all our pinterest dreams! As we got married in winter, we wanted lots of foliage with big blousy white flowers. The bouquets were stunning and the centrepieces were one of our favourite details on the day.

As cake lovers here at English Wedding we’d LOVE to know who made your cake, and how delicious it was?

Our cake was made by Ayron’s sister, Lauryn who runs ‘Lauryn’s Sweet Creations’.
Lauryn made us a beautiful white fondant 3 tiered cake which she decorated with gold leaf and white flowers. It was stunning and tasted delicious – so much so, that one of our friends had five slices!
Lauryn was also a bridesmaid so it was a particularly busy wedding for her, but she did an amazing job.

Tell us about any special personal touches, or creative projects you made yourselves

We tried to add lots of personal touches to the day as we could, from signage to name places to personal gin favours.
Lauryn’s Sweet Creations also made ‘hot chocolate sticks’ for our guests to enjoy a wintery treat!

Did you personalise your vows or have any wedding readings? What were they?

What was your first dance song? Why did you choose it?

Our first dance song was ‘Take Another Piece of my Heart’ by Dusty Springfield. We didn’t want a song that was too slow and we also wanted our guests to join in halfway through which was so much fun. Our fab DJ, Dan played 24k Magic by Bruno Mars straight after which kept our family and friends on the dancefloor!

How did the pandemic affect your wedding plans? Do you have any advice to share with couples planning their weddings right now?

We had to postpone our wedding from November 2020 which was heartbreaking at the time. We made the decision to postpone in May 2020 and weren’t sure if we were making the right decision, but it ended up being the best thing we did as it meant we could have all our friends and family celebrate with us on our big day.
Our advice would be to communicate to all your suppliers, but do what’s right for you as a couple.