I’m so excited to share Katherine and Axel’s Aynhoe Park wedding on the blog today! Not only are they such a great couple, full of energy and enthusiasm, but Aynhoe Park is such an iconic venue. The venue has been restored in recent years and is so incredibly special. Every wall is interesting and the décor is beautiful. Each room is filled with art and curiosities. Katherine is an art curator so it’s easy to see why she would choose such a unique venue.
The Couple
Katherine is originally from New York, Axel is from Sweden and they live together in London. It was great to see how they brought a mixture of their own traditions into the wedding celebrations to create a day that was truly unique and a perfect reflection of their personalities.
The Wedding: Swedish & Jewish Traditions
The wedding ceremony was conducted by Katherine’s mother and took place in The Orangery. Katherine wore a beautiful dress and cape designed by Duro Olowu. It suited her perfectly and it was a wonderfully refreshing change to a see a bride in a colourful dress.
In keeping with Swedish traditions, the wedding had the most speeches I’ve ever known. There were 24 in total, starting outdoors in the gardens and continuing during the wedding breakfast. Each guest was greeted at the table by a framed art image chosen by Katherine as a representation of their looks or personality. The food was absolutely delicious, as well as speeches there were games and singing during the wedding breakfast making it the most fun meal ever!
The party was a perfect end to such a fun day. It was a lively affair with great entertainment, a fantastic lighting display and it even included a chairlift (the hora) a tradition from Katherine’s Jewish heritage.
Katherine and Axel’s favourite Wedding Photos
I couldn’t resist asking both Katherine and Axel which images really meant something to them and this is what they had to say.
Axel’s favourite photo is this confetti shot picture – “because it captures the joy and celebration of the moment. We love that both of our siblings our smiling behind the swirls of confetti, which was hand-made by a friend to match the wedding dress and flowers. The burst of colours and big smiles remind us how personal every second of our special day was!”
Katherine’s favourites are these two photos of their first dance to “At Last” by Etta James. “From the first night we met dancing was always such a natural and fun dynamic, so we decided not to practice this key tradition and just embrace the moment when it came. These images remind us how comfortable but completely magical this occassion was – there were surprise kisses and dips and we remember so clearly feeling like the wedding was truly transitioning into our fantasy after hours fête!”
“I also absolutely adore this first look photo and the kick-start moment it represented – it started to all feel very real all of a sudden!”
Joint Favourite Wedding Photos
They also shared with me their joint-favourite image, which I must say I am in love with too!
“it really sums up everything we love about each other & how magical the whole wedding felt! The hanging giraffe and disco lights totally capture the eccentric venue, and we love seeing both our friends and Pappa celebrating all together in such style! It’s like you’re dancing with us… “
Aynhoe Park Wedding Day Highlights
You can see all the images that represent the story of their perfect day below –
Thanks so much, Katherine & Axel, for inviting me to play a part in your wonderful unique wedding!
A big thanks to my amazing second shooter, Rowan Williams. Having two photographers capture your wedding can really help with the story telling process.
If you’re planning a Aynhoe Park Wedding or any other type of country house wedding then I’d love to hear from you!
The Amazing Suppliers
Florest – Juliet Glaves / Wedding Band – Soul Beat – Hannah Coombes / Hair – Carmen Amelia / Makeup – Lucinda / Wedding Dress – Duro Olowu / Grooms Attire – Redwood & Feller / Wedding Cake – Nevie-Pie Cakes / Doughnuts – Bread Ahead Bakery / Confetti- Glitter Tits/
Such a fantastic couples, and such stylish guests too. What a dream wedding to photograph!