Eloise + James at home on the Isle of Wight | August 2026
“Sarah! We had the most incredible day yesterday, I can’t even describe. The ceremony was so, so special and it was my favourite part of the whole day.”
We couldn’t really believe our eyes as we pulled into the driveway of this wedding venue, a.k.a Eloise’s dad’s house. And by “we” I mean my whole family because - as this wedding was in the school holidays and on the delightful white-cliffed Isle of Wight - we’d made it into a week-long adventure.
Never seen a “back garden” like it
So they dropped me off and our jaws all dropped too.
Eloise and James are Glastonbury fans, and they’d turned the land into their very own festival backdrop, the ceremony space perched on higher ground looking out over the Solent. And the sailing boats passing by.
Everything the light touches, Simba
They’d even asked me to include a tongue-in-cheek “prayer” in the ceremony that they - and all their festival friends - would successfully acquire Glastonbury tickets for 2027. I got everyone to send positive thoughts up into the blue and y’know what? I’ve since heard from Eloise that not only did she and her new husband secure tickets, but all 18 of their friends!
The nerves James was feeling before the ceremony were so gorgeous; I’m sure he won’t mind me saying that he asked me “Where does a groom normally put his hands? What do I do with my hands?”. But the minute Eloise walked up the aisle you could see the nerves switch to pure adoration. It was like he needed to have eyes on her, his person, and suddenly he was grounded.
And then they couldn’t take their eyes off each other.
Photography by Jason Mark Harris
Flossy, wedding planner from Wed and Prosper, was on hand and just the loveliest person. She didn’t even get annoyed at me when I “helpfully” put orders of service and confetti packets out on all the chairs, thinking it would be quicker than the original plan of the groomsman handing them out, only for the wind to start blowing them left, right and sideways across the lawn. I could see why the original plan made sense.
I noticed with enough time to rectify the situation (thank goodness) that my flies were undone, just a few minutes before the ceremony. That would be a new low, even for me.
It was such a fun ceremony and - in keeping with the bride and groom being fans of live music - we all sang a song together to help kick off the ceremony. The Turtles’ Happy Together which you’ll know, I feel like it’s used in many-a romcom soundtrack. The most tuneful, enthusiastic bridesmaid and groomsman had been pre-selected to come and help lead from the front with microphones. Not an easy job - pre-aperols - but they were brilliant. It was a fantastic song to pick where you can really belt out the chorus:
I can't see me lovin' nobody but you
For all my life
When you're with me, baby, the skies'll be blue
For all my life
And boy was there a lot of love in that garden, and boy were the skies blue!
Eloise and James had both written personalised vows for each other that matched, in tone, in length, in sincerity. So many of the promises and favourite things about each other matched up that it really felt as though we were witnessing a couple who were just meant to meet.
And don’t take my word for it. Listen to Hassan, manager at The King & Co pub in Clapham where the lovebirds had their first date. I phoned the pub as a surprise for Eloise and James, so I could pass on a word from the place where their love story began. In fairness to Hassan he wasn’t actually working there at the time, which got a laugh, but he was a sweetheart and promised them a free drink when they return as a married couple. My couples get to approve their wedding ceremony script so it was really fun to drop a little summin-summin in that they weren’t expecting.
I shall think of these two next summer when Glastonbury rolls around, and I shall be beaming from ear-to-ear remembering every happy together moment.
“You put us both so at ease and pretty much every guest we spoke to was asking about you and saying how brilliant you were!”