Abbi + Craig at Hallington Mill | April 2026
“You were amazing, we wouldn’t have wanted or trusted anyone else to tell our story as well as you did. Everyone was so complimentary on you, saying how fabulous you were...”
It’s the happy couple - of course - who are the guests of honour on a wedding day, but at Abbi and Craig’s nuptials there was a VIP so important that the whole wedding had been postponed so she could attend. Sweet baby Freya. When I first met Abbi and Craig, at their lovely home (where I especially enjoyed spying on all their holiday photos in the downstairs loo), I met their gorgeous baby daughter Hattie. And we made plans for their September wedding.
But then they discovered they were expecting again, the wedding was moved to the following April, and Freya arrived to make their family complete.
Photos by one of my very faves Claire McGowan
And it felt meant-to-be. Their wedding when it rolled around - a family-focused, sunshine celebration in the field of Hallington Mill - felt especially special. Both their daughters were part of the fun, mentioned in all the stories, and in these incredible photos which will last forever.
Abbi and Craig’s meet-cute story was an unusual one: working on a super yacht so big that, even after they’d chatted and fancied each other, it could be days - weeks, even months - before they bumped into each other again. The boat was that enormous.
Telling the story of the proposal happening the same day Abbi bought a discounted breast pump at a car boot haha!
As well as meeting out on the ocean, they got engaged at a reservoir and so we chose a fitting poem to read. It’s a popular one, but it’s popular for a reason. It’s such a brilliant wish for a love story - for it to not burn in intensity and fizzle out, but flow on - building momentum, always changing and adapting to the circumstances - like a river.
This was written by modern-day poet Whitney Hanson, and went viral on instagram a few years ago.
They say that sometimes love starts with a spark.
And that might be true,
but if I were to wish you a love,
I wouldn't wish fire for you.
You see, fire is powerful.
It burns bright and then it's gone.
It's beautiful and warm,
but it doesn't last long.
So instead of wishing you a love that burns,
I wish you a love like a river twists and turns.
It changes and it flows,
It is powerful and free.
But it consistently finds its way back to the sea.
And so like the water,
I hope your love is ever growing, ever changing.
I hope your love is powerful and free,
And may you always find each other…
Like a river finds the sea.
You canny beat the flung-open barn doors of Hallington Mill on a blue-sky day
I will remember such a joyful feeling among all the guests on Craig and Abbi’s big day - and not just because they had the most perfect weather. Their day was a real celebration of the family of four that they’ve made, but also the wider families they’ve come from. As it should be: the bride and groom at the centre, with their two favourite little people, and surrounded by the tears, whoops and cheers of the loved ones who’ve supported them to this point. And will continue to be there for them.
Hattie was her mummy’s mini me for most of the day
“It just felt like a friend marrying us, it was just perfect.”