An Autumn Black Tie Wedding at Hyde House, Cotswolds
27.09.2025
hayely & ryan's black tie wedding at Hyde House in the Cotswolds, meticulously planned with beautiful florals, stylish details and a little autumn golden light too!
Early autumn is my favourite time to capture weddings at Hyde House. The changing colours, touches of orange in the trees and the chance for magical golden light always creates such a beautiful vision. Hayley and Ryan’s black tie Hyde House wedding was exactly that – alongside elegant styling, thoughtful details and personal touches woven throughout the day. With Hayley being an event planner, it’s probably no surprise that the day flowed effortlessly and looked incredible too. Everything had been carefully considered, but in a way that still felt relaxed and easygoing.
a pre wedding shoot
I first met Hayley and Ryan for their pre-wedding shoot in early March. We took a relaxed walk around Stonor Park, which made the perfect setting for some relaxed and natural photos. Pre-wedding shoots are always such a lovely way to start the journey with my couples – hearing them chat excitedly about their plans for the big day, learning more about them as a couple, and discovering what helps them relax in front of the camera.
hyde house wedding day - Morning Preparations
Hayley spent the morning in the beautiful bridal prep loft, surrounded by her bridesmaids alongside the fabulous Lauren Gosling on hair and Laura on Makeup. It was such a relaxed, happy atmosphere – lots of laughter, music, and that lovely build-up of excitement as everyone gradually got ready.
Meanwhile, Ryan and the groomsmen got ready in The Library. The boys settled into wedding mode early with a bottle of spiced rum, and an official promotion of the groomsmen to “Lords”, courtesy of Ryan and a memorable gift! Out front, we made the most of the stunning red Jaguar E-Type for some portraits with Ryan and the groomsmen – a classic car that suited the day perfectly.
Hayley and Ryan exchanged incredibly thoughtful gifts. One of Ryan’s gifts to Hayley was a locket containing photos of her grandparents – an incredibly meaningful and thoughtful detail. Hayley wore a stunning Suzanne Neville gown from Ellie Sanderson, a timeless choice that complemented the black tie dress code perfectly. Once ready, she shared an emotional first look with her bridesmaids and then her brother, which was such a lovely moment to capture.
the Ceremony in the grange barn
They held their ceremony in The Grange – a bright and airy barn with big bay windows, rustic oak beams and beautiful farmhouse-style doors. I love photographing this space thanks to the natural light that floods the room, and it looked especially incredible with the beautiful florals at the top of the aisle created by The F Word Flower. Guests had personalised wedding booklets waiting for them to read before the ceremony began – a fun and creative touch filled with photos from our pre wedding shoot, alongside lots of lovely details about them and the day ahead.
Hayley walked down the aisle with her brother, beautifully accompanied by a Piano and Cello duo from Niche London Quartet playing The Brooklyn Duo’s version of Coldplay’s Yellow. The ceremony itself included beautifully personal vows, which are always one of my favourite things at weddings, and thoughtful readings entirely bespoke to them. As they made their way back down the aisle, they shared a perfectly timed drop kiss halfway through their aisle exit – the practice was worth it!
confetti, Drinks Reception & couples portraits
After the ceremony, guests gathered outside the main house for one of my favourite parts of the day – confetti! Hayley and Ryan chose a perfect mix of cream dried petals and biodegradable paper discs, which created wonderfully full confetti photos and the perfect contrast against the Cotswolds stone house.
Following a full group photo in the gardens, Hayley and Ryan officially opened the drinks reception with a champagne tower under the arbour. Guests were entertained by the brilliant Richard ‘Gloucester Magician‘, while the atmosphere was beautifully set with a jukebox style cello and piano duo playing throughout the afternoon.
We captured group photos, alongside some fun ‘Vogue style’ seated portraits of the bridesmaids and groomsmen outside the main house. Then, while the rest of the guests found their seats for the wedding breakfast, we snuck away to capture some beautiful photos of Hayley and Ryan together. For couples portraits, you really are spoilt for choice at Hyde House. We made use of the florals in the ceremony barn, the main house backdrop, the Jaguar, and (my personal favourite) the pretty square and water feature overlooking the Cotswolds countryside. The gardens looked stunning, just beginning to show those early autumn tones, with soft oranges and warm colours appearing in the trees.
Black & white styling - Wedding Breakfast & speeches
The styling in the reception space looked beautiful, with tables featuring black bows and napkins, alongside elegant florals and soft white draping across the ceiling. The table names were also incredibly personal. Instead of simple numbers, each one represented something meaningful in their relationship – from the number of countries they’ve visited together to the year they first met.
Each table also had its own “captain”, complete with aviator sunglasses and a badge – a fun nod to Ryan’s job as a pilot. Their role was to introduce everyone, keep the drinks flowing and make sure their table had the best time possible, which was a great ice breaker and really got everyone involved.
Hayley and Ryan made a huge entrance to cheering guests and napkins waving in the air, with incredible energy filling the room. It ended with Hayley and Ryan standing on their chairs and joining in the celebrations themselves.
Cocktail Hour, Golden Light & a Saxophone on the Patio
After speeches and dinner, cocktail hour began with a drinks station serving Espresso Martinis and Amaretto Sours, beautifully styled by the Hyde House team.
As the sun started to set, we were lucky enough to catch a beautiful glimmer of autumn golden light. We snuck out for a few more couples portraits before heading back to the patio, where the party atmosphere was already building. The incredibly talented Faye Donaldson got the evening started in the best way possible, bringing the patio to life with her saxophone and instantly filling the space with energy as guests gathered outside.
The Party
After Hayley and Ryan’s first dance, the dance floor quickly filled as Faye joined the DJ set, creating an incredible atmosphere. From that point on, the dance floor stayed packed – full of heart shapes sunglasses, glow sticks and high energy dancing!
KIND WORDS
“Lucy was actually the first supplier we booked after the venue, arguably one of the most important. No words or number of stars could express just how happy we were with our decision. Lucy is beautiful through and though and the loveliest person to have around. From putting us at ease right away on our engagement shoot to being an absolute vibe on the day. We loved her, our guests loved her and the photos – We cannot even put into words how beautiful they are. We cry every time I look back over them. Lucy is so talented and managed to capture the beautiful, editorial style photos we were looking for with fabulous party photos of the evening! We just want to plaster them everywhere we can’t choose favourites!
Living locally to us, we hope that Lucy can be there with us now to capture all of our next steps and as a family.
Thank you Lucy, from the bottom of our hearts..
Hayley & Ryan
xxx”
suppliers
Venue @hyde_house
Planner @planned.byhayleyjane
Photographer @lucydarbyphotography
Second Photographer @emilycollettphotography
Hair @laurengoslinghair
MUA @lauracarrollmakeupartistry
Incredible florals @thefwordflower
Dress @suzanneneville @elliesandersonbridal
Bridesmaid dresses @sixstories
Cake @carlycakesuk
Suits @fogartyformalhire
Daytime Music @kimi_nichelondonquartet
Sax @faydonaldsonmusic
DJ @eventize.uk
Videographer @lightyearweddings
Stationary @katycrickdesign
Decor @etiquetteeventhire
Car @webbsofweybridge
Magician @glosmagician
I absolutely loved capturing their day. If you’re looking for a Hyde House wedding photographer, or you love the feel of these images and would like to enquire about your own wedding, please get in touch via my contact form.
