Apton Hall · Rochford, Essex
Kerry & Sam: a dusty blue rustic wedding at Apton Hall
A rustic wedding at Apton Hall in Rochford for Kerry and Sam, with a dusty blue theme and lots of decorations they made themselves. They married at St Peter and St Paul’s Church in Hockley, where Sam’s parents married over 30 years before, then celebrated at Apton Hall under a September sunset.
At a glance
Ceremony: St Peter and St Paul’s Church, Hockley
Reception: Apton Hall, Rochford, Essex
Time of year: September
Theme: rustic, dusty blue
Golden hour: sunset in the grounds at Apton Hall
Entertainment: The Shakedown Function Band and Music by Violin
The church
From Hockley to Apton Hall
Today I have decided to share the wedding of Kerry and Sam. They tied the knot at St Peter and St Paul’s Church in Hockley and then enjoyed their wedding reception at Apton Hall in Rochford. You may have read about me photographing there lots of times before, including in my Apton Hall guide. This is because I am one of the recommended suppliers there and know the venue really well.
If you scroll down the page you will be able to read some questions that I put forward to Kerry and her answers to them. This will give you a little insight into her and Sam’s day. I will also throw in some of my favourite pictures from the day, I hope that you enjoy looking at those too! I always love photographing weddings at Apton Hall, and I was especially chuffed by the sunset images that I managed to capture!
In their words
A chance meeting and a proposal at St Pancras
How did you meet?
We knew of each other through mutual friends but had never actually spoken to each other. We had a chance meeting in London at lunchtime and it went from there!
How did he propose?
We were in London for the weekend and Sam was insistent on going to the champagne bar at St Pancras. I (Kerry) wasn’t so keen as we had just had lunch but then suddenly realised what was happening. We finally made it up to the champagne bar for Sam to pop the question.
What wedding venues did you choose and why?
We got married at St Peter and St Paul Church in Hockley. Sam’s mum and dad got married at the same church over 30 years ago so the venue meant something to us and we thought it would be a good omen. We chose to get married in September as Kerry’s mum and dad got married in that month. We chose Apton Hall as our reception venue as it was close to where we first lived together in Rochford, local to us and it’s such a lovely venue! Once we visited once we knew it was for us.
Where did you buy your dress?
Precious Moments in Rayleigh. I found dress shopping stressful but everyone in the shop was really nice and helped me to relax. I knew the dress was the one as soon as I tried it on, nothing else compared.
What about the groom's suit?
Anthony’s Formalwear in Billericay. Sam was keen to go for tails as he wears a suit every day for work and chose an ivory waistcoat as part of the suit. Anthony’s provided the shirts and cravats as well.
Did you have a theme or colour scheme for your wedding?
Yes, we had a rustic and dusty blue theme to fit the venue. We tried to do a lot of the decorations ourselves and enjoyed making personal bits for the day. We chose dusty blue with the view of this being versatile if the weather decided to be summery or autumnal in September. Lucky for us it chose summer.
Golden hour
A September sunset at Apton Hall
What source did you use for wedding inspiration?
We used wedding magazines, wedding fairs, and of course Pinterest!
If you could turn back the clock before planning started, what advice would you give yourself?
Definitely to relax, enjoy the planning phase, and that everything will be perfect in the end. We were pretty organised but were quite stressed and worried that all the finer details wouldn’t come off but we needn’t have worried at all.
What was your favourite photograph from the day?
It’s so hard to choose as all of the shots are beautiful. However, we loved the shots of us coming out of the church and in the grounds at Apton Hall in the evening. The sky was so beautiful during the day and we got an amazing sunset!
What song did you choose for your first dance?
We chose Kodaline, The One, as it’s such a beautiful song and it was the perfect tempo. We were so nervous about our first dance so we were lucky that our band was able to perform the song for us to take the pressure off.
Was Gary Derbridge Photography the right photographer for you?
Yes definitely! We had no doubt in Gary’s photography as he was the photographer for Sam’s sister’s wedding a few years ago. For a couple that doesn’t love photos or PDA Gary made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera and fitted into the day like part of the wedding party. We were so pleased with the photos. Gary captured the day perfectly.
Suppliers
Kerry and Sam’s suppliers
Venues: St Peter and St Paul Church, Hockley & Apton Hall, Rochford
Wedding dress: Precious Moments
Men’s suits: Anthony’s Formalwear
Bridesmaid dresses: WED2B
Florist: Made You Look Flowers
Cake: Finesse Cakes
Hair: Peri Orrin Bridal Hair
Make-up: Leanne Perilly
Videographer: Three Cheers Media
Car: Lewis Car Hire
Violinist: Music by Violin
Band: The Shakedown Function Band
Light-up letters: KMS Hire
So I hope that you enjoyed finding out a little more about Kerry and Sam’s day. I loved being their wedding photographer and visiting one of my favourite venues, Apton Hall. If you would like to find out more information about my wedding photography services, then please do scroll around my website. You can view more of my work and see some more recent weddings that I have featured on my blog. If you would like to have a chat with me about your wedding day, then you can get in touch either by filling in my online form or calling 07852 457661. I look forward to chatting to you soon, and learning all about your big day!
Getting married at Apton Hall yourselves? Have a read of my Apton Hall wedding photographer guide, with the photo spots, timings and tips I share with every Apton Hall couple.
