Erin + Mike at Alnwick Garden | May 2026
“Eeeeee we had such a fantastic day!!!”
I was recommended to Erin (and Mike haha) by a mum I used to hang out with at baby groups years ago. Who was lovely. And so I just knew I’d like Erin and we’d have lots in common. And I was right. And what was especially lovely (I often prefer this) is both times we met it was at their house. It’s fun to meet couples in a pub, but there’s nothing like going to someone’s casa to get a perspective on what they love, where they’ve travelled, who their pets are. Erin and Mike have two young daughters and so I got to admire all their artwork and creations as I drank my tea and yapped about love.
We bonded, as parents to similar-aged children, and discussed how their marriage was - in big part - for the girls.
How exquisite
I was delighted their ceremony was going to be at Alnwick Garden; if you put aside the fact it’s a beautiful, buzzing-with-life venue, and the fact I really like the wedding team Daisy and Lydia (so lovely and helpful!), the other big plus is it’s my local town. I could do a Big Shop before or after. I didn’t, but I could.
When Erin and Mike’s day dawned it was the perfect spring day. And the ceremony room - The Pavilion - was packed with loved ones and cakes. What a great duo. The bride and groom had asked friends to bring different sweet treats as their contributions and you should have seen the long table laden with rocky roads, blondies, and fancily iced, towered sponges. I had a reet good perve on what I would have, hypothetically, if I was still around when “cake time!” was called. Sadly I wasn’t, but nevermind. I have the visual memories.
One memorable aspect of Mike and Erin’s personal ceremony is all the poetry we included. Rather than one reading, or maybe two, Erin chose three poems because she loves her poetry and prose. She herself is published in an anthology (with a poem about the coast) which I made sure to mention.
Photos by the lovely Lindy Rogers Photography
There were also a couple of funny moments in the ceremony, the best being a crowd-pleasingly hilarious speech from their little daughter Emily who, after being introduced, said simply “I’m not great at speeches” and sat back down to much laughter. Impeccable timing because she left it a minute before getting back up to do the actual speech she’d studiously prepared and practised.
Then the other comic part? I forgot the rings! I’m not usually in charge of the rings, but on this occasion I had them in a little pouch, ready to send around the guests for a wedding band warming. When we got to that bit I did the panicked pocket tap - no, not in that one, not in that one - realising (to my horror) they were in my bag at the very back of the large Pavilion room. I did a little jog to the back, in my heels, while announcing “in a hundred or so weddings this has never happened before! How exciting for you all - a first!”, trying to style out the disaster.
Erin’s veil was embroidered with flowers, fitting for the world-famous garden venue
Luckily, Erin and Mike are the kindest, most level-headed people. They didn’t mind a jot! I hope it added to the gentle humour of a beautiful day.