Freya & Louis

30 Dec

A colorful celebration at The Matara Centre in Gloucestershire

It was a sunny day in October…

Sounds like a fairytale, but this is a true story from 2025. However, the photos you are about to see might as well be out of a fairytale as Freya and Louis had a truly magical wedding at The Matara Centre in Tetbury. This venue is a lush oasis in Gloucestershire, set in 28 acres with plenty of space to roam and enjoy a relaxed wedding day.
If you could see our couple's home, you would know instantly that this was indeed the perfect venue for them: cheerful and full of color, just like all the stationary and decorations created by Freya. But I’m getting carried away. Let’s s start from the beginning.

Getting ready in the Kingscote Park House

After arriving at the venue and saying hello to everyone there, we unpacked our gear in the bride's room. We always start with capturing the outfit and details first thing, but I had a hard time spotting the bride's dress. Until I finally saw it, and then everything made sense! Freya went for a nontraditional wedding dress: soft pink covered in star shaped sequins and matched with shinning pink shoes. Such a vibe! And everything came together so nicely in a boho theme that combines astrological elements with flowers and autumn colors. You can instantly tell Freya is a designer and she created all the stationary & décor together with her friends and family. And the flower bouquet? A total show-stopper created by one of the bridesmaids.

The morning was a chill one. Dressed in their pink pajamas, Freya and the girls were getting ready together, sharing laughter and compliments. When the room got a bit too warm, one of them decided to open the door and let some cool fresh in. But that was when the bees started snooping around too. Saved by the hair and make-up team, the morning continued in the same peaceful manner, just behind closed windows.

In the other side of the manor, the boys were having some fun, before heading out to welcome guests.

First look

Before rushing down the aisle, Freya and Louis opted for some peaceful moments with their parents and a first look just outside the house. I think these are such precious memories as they give the couple a chance to pause and reflect on the day ahead while sharing a few words with their most beloved people before getting nervous for the ceremony and then mingling with all the other guests.

If time allows, we always aim to get some group photos with the bridesmaids and groomsmen in the morning, to make the after ceremony sessions shorter and more relaxed. And in this case, we wanted to try a new composition with the bridesmaids sitting on chairs. We're pretty happy with the results, even though the space was not as big as we initially imagined.

Ceremony next to the koi fish pond

I was really nervous about the weather. The Matara Centre offers amazing outdoor ceremony spaces and I was afraid the couple might have changed their mind for fear of getting rained on. However, when I realized they were going ahead with the plan to get married on the platform above the koi fish pond, I was blown away. This place was like nothing we've ever seen before, with the couple placed in daylight, surrounded by lush green and scarlet leaves and streaks of light peeking through the clouds. The ceremony was led with so much energy by Ellis and she fit so well in the story, while the guests were having a wonderful time laughing and shedding tears of joy. Honestly, it couldn't have been more perfect than this!

Couple photos

After the family photos, we had a quick couple session. The venue is packed with many photogenic corners, but Freya and Louis were especially drawn to the greenhouse where they wanted just a few photos before heading back to spend more time with their family and friends.

Speeches by candlelight

After getting a taste of what the theme was, our jaws still dropped when we saw the decorations in the main room. The candles, the flowers, and the hanging stars were all matching perfectly, governed by the custom wedding banner with pink tinsel. We knew this was going to be one of our favorite weddings of the year, but we couldn't anticipate just how much we will love every detail! And because everything was giving us autumn fairy vibes, we used our hazy filter a lot more than usual to get this dreamy effect on photos. This was all done in camera, so if you ever want this look for your wedding, please make sure you let us know in advance. We are obsessed with it!

The speeches can be one of the most emotional times of the day, even for us. This is when you can actually feel everyone's love and support for the couple and it's amazing to witness. It's also a great opportunity for us to find out a bit more about the bride and groom, making us feel so grateful for being part of their wedding day.

The wild part

The night kicked off with an outfit change, (another gorgeous sequin dress,) and a first dance under the eyes and love of everyone invited. Followed closely by a dancefloor mayhem as everyone started showing off their best dance moves.

Dear Freya & Louis,

From the bottom of our hearts, Congratulations! May your life be as bright and full of color as your wedding day and may you greet everything that's thrown at you with a smile!