Ruth and Leigh - Upton Barn and Walled Garden

Ruth and Leigh - Upton Barn and Walled Garden

Why did you choose Yeti?

We made a list of photographers, but even from looking at photos online Yeti was our 1st choice. Once we met Vince & Matt at a riverside pub in Devon, we chose to cancel our other meetings because what was the point when we felt completely at ease with these guys! Before we even described what we wanted in a photographer, Vince basically described it. We are so thrilled we found Yeti and fall in love with our photos every time we look. They really do capture the day and take us back to the best time in our lives, so thank you Vince.

You guys…what do you do?…how do you spend your days?

We met at school when we were both 15, and basically have grown up together since then! We are ‘doers’ – always on the go. Leigh works making his own gates, does landscaping, as well as doing the never-ending renovation in our first home we bought together. Ruth is a proud NHS worker but her real passion is flowers – growing your own really is satisfying and the dream would be to have our very own flower farm (ok, maybe more Ruth’s dream than Leigh’s!). We are real country people and love our two dogs, as mad and destructive as they can be!

The proposal. Tell me everything. (All the gushy details!)

We had been together for 5 years at the time. For those whole 5 years Leigh knew that I wanted to get married and have children in the future, and he always said he wanted neither! I always hoped that he would change his mind, and everything would fall into place at the right time.

We were away for the weekend in some lovely hotels, before our dinner we went to a rooftop cocktail bar where Leigh put his arm around me and started talking about how we had been together for so long – which is very unlike him. My response was: ‘You aren’t going to propose, are you?!’ Little did I know he would have done it at that moment if I didn’t ruin it! We went for dinner and he casually asked me, I didn’t believe him for a while until he got the ring out of his pocket – the ring he and his best friend had been designing for the past 6 months. Needless to say, I was quite shocked, but of course pleasantly.

Upton Barn…..Why this place above any where else?

Upton Barn was everything we were looking for. It was the perfect mix between country and rustic, and modern and sleek. We actually looked at a few barn venues before and Ruth was sold on the one we saw in the morning, but as soon as we arrived at Upton that afternoon, she immediately changed her mind! Everything about it was perfect – the story behind the venue, the family business element, the lovely horses, fairy lights, log burner and of course the beautiful walled garden. As soon as we approached the walled garden there was beautiful acoustic music and it just felt right. Everyone there couldn’t do enough for us and helped us so much, with the planning and ensuring the day went smoothly. We have absolutely no regrets and wish we could have the excuse to go back there!

What experience do you want to give your guests?

We have a real mix of family & friends, some that are very sociable and outgoing and then others who are more introvert. We wanted everyone to feel at ease and just enjoy themselves. We wanted everyone to be able to laugh, eat good food, listen to good music and enjoy the atmosphere. We wanted it to represent ‘us’ in every way and we think we did that.