It wasn’t just immediate family that made it a family affair. Sasha and Chris were keen it felt like real life and wasn’t just a posh, quiet event for grown ups. So, in the ceremony, there were kids galore. Kids on laps, kids escaping laps, kids having a little cry and being shushed back to quiet(ish), and kids being kids. Brilliant and unpredictable and part of the fun.
Read MoreThe first time I met lovely Amber and Rob, and their lovely little girls, in their lovely garden, I was offered homemade blueberry cupcakes and sun cream, shown plastic horse after plastic horse, we discussed our favourite Bluey episodes and it felt more like a playdate then a wedding planning meeting. In a good way. They made me feel so at home.
Read MoreAlex and Hana are so chill, and Hana is hilariously sarcastic. But she was visibly trembling as she arrived at the top of the aisle, it was very sweet. I did my best to relax her; I always want my couples to feel authentically themselves at the front, and able to enjoy it, but it’s easier said than done when dozens and dozens of people are staring at you!
Read MoreI loved The Octagon Barn. It was an indoor-outdoor hybrid space which was brilliant - the best of both worlds - especially on a hot day. We were outside, but completely covered, one barn wall open to the elements so a lovely breeze circulated but nobody was sitting in direct sun. I always worry for the older folks in direct sun. And the babies. And the baldies. And myself - I get adrenaline-sweaty as it is.
Read MoreI was looking forward to this one (or hoping, first, to get the job!) since the minute I first spoke to Alice and George and they explained their plan to marry on the bandstand in Battersea Park. The bandstand in Battersea Park! Fits right in with my need to make everything in life feel like a film.
Read MoreThe bride walked down the aisle, mum on one arm and dad on the other, to one of the most beautiful pieces of music from - perhaps - an unexpected source. Disney’s Encanto. If you’re a parent you’ll recognise it…
Read More“Hals über Kopf verliebt” is the phrase I will always think of when I think of Florin and Lucy. And how they met, dancing; literally spinning into each other’s lives. And how they celebrated their wedding in an explosion of colour and tears and joy. Hals über Kopf verliebt. Head over heels in love.
Read MoreEmotions were high and happy as we began the wedding. Then factor in that Hannah’s ridiculously talented friend Maddy (and her ridiculously talented brothers Niall and Laurie) sang to the bride and groom in the ceremony, and I was struggling not to cry. I’d already welled up watching them rehearse before the ceremony.
Read MoreMy dad asked me this weekend “what’s been the most fun wedding you’ve had this year?”…and this is the one that sprang to mind. Khristianne and Glen. The One Where They Let Me Choose Their Surname. But it wasn’t just my involvement in picking their name. It was EVERYTHING.
Read MoreAbigail and Tim’s wedding day took place in their own shed on their own land. Which was fitting, as young farmers. And when a couple get married in their own house/garden (or farming shed haha!) it makes me excited for them, thinking: you can visit your wedding venue whenever you want. You live here.
Read MoreThe heavens opened just in time for Kelly and James’ big day. Very Alanis Morissette lyrics. But as I said to lovely Kelly - better to have dodgy weather and the beautiful, gorgeous relationship they have, than gorgeous weather and a dodgy relationship.
Read MoreRachel and Connor honoured the splendour of the setting by hiring a string quartet, and to make the most of the live music - and get everyone up on their feet- we sang soul classic Stand by Me. I can’t tell you the RELIEF when the guests GO FOR IT. People sang their hearts out - “won’t you stand, staaaand by meee”- and it was glorious.
Read MoreDuring the ceremony we popped a (posh) bottle of champagne they’d saved from their engagement, after I’d told the brilliant story of how this was a wedding that almost didn’t happen. Because it started with a first date that almost didn’t happen, after Molly broke her phone and ghosted poor young Jason.
Read MoreThe charming stone barn was already looking wedding-ready with the colourful flowers and setting off the stained glass windows, and white paper lanterns hung like stars. And a banner that read “We’re gonna know each other forever” from their favourite song by their favourite band. And the vibes were chilled and gorgeous too, as guests got ready on site, many having camped the night before.
Read MoreWith three dogs (with jobs), this wedding had more animals than I’ve had as part of any other wedding to date! First Nellie came down the aisle with the bridesmaids, Ziggy was the ring bearer, and then Aries, who can’t be fully trusted, was just there for a good time. The lovely Cameron from Wagging Tails played chaperone.
Read MoreIt’s important to me to know what’s important to my brides and grooms. And for this particular bride and groom, Sarah and Mark, it was for their wedding ceremony to feel homely. So ‘home’ was a theme to the ceremony and on the day, when we added in the magic ingredients of closest friends and family and their beloved dog Ollie, it ended up feeling so gentle and relaxed.
Read MoreI was excited to meet their much-loved octogenarian uncle, Catholic priest Father Tom. He had officiated at the other sisters’ weddings and was to play a role in this ceremony too, but with me leading. I loved Fr Tom immediately as he cheekily noted this was the first time he was to play second fiddle; “I can be your altar boy!” he said.
Read MoreIt’s my job to match the vibe a couple are envisaging for their ceremony. Whether it’s relaxed, sentimental or fun, it’s up to me to suggest ideas that might fit and bring that particular energy to the day. So when Beckie and Adam told me they wanted a “spooky, festive” feel I was excited. This sounded a bit different.
Read MoreMiddleton Lodge had been on my Dream Venue List for a long time. In fact, not even necessarily for a wedding - I just wanted to cast my eyes on the place and the famous, steam-rising-in-the-courtyard outdoor pool. Suffice it to say I was excited when Harriet and Julian told me their venue and asked if I would be their celebrant, and overexcited (in festive sequins) when their December day rolled around.
Read MoreI was struck, as soon as I stepped into the ceremony space, by the brilliant banner (“Home is wherever I’m with you”) that hung front and centre, perfectly rust-coloured in the rustic space. “My Nana made it!” Charlotte told me. A nana-sewn banner? Erm, what could be more delightful?!
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