Josie + Joe at The Exchange 1856 | July 2025
“We were recommended Sarah by a friend who said she was one of the funniest people they’d ever met — and they weren’t wrong! From our first chat, we knew she’d bring such a fun, relaxed vibe to our intimate wedding.”
You would never ordinarily wish for rain on anyone’s wedding day. I mean, I don’t mind a wet, cosy day if you’re in the right venue…and The Exchange in North Shields is perfectly that. But the rain that fell on Josie and Joe’s day felt like a paid actor: their surname is Brolly and the signage and other bits-and-bobs were umbrella-themed.
This wedding wasn’t just THE cosiest celebration I’ve done because of the rain alone. Josie and Joe had an intimate 21 guests, we were upstairs at The Exchange, with rain pattering on the huge 19th century bay window, and I was working with people I call friends. You’d have to ask planner Emma (Emma Jordan Weddings) and married photographer duo SJ and Simon (From The Smiths) whether they’d also call me a friend but, suffice to say, the vibes were lovely.
A small wedding. With people you really like. On a cosy, wet day. At a venue that doesn’t require much stepping outdoors.
Photography by total babes and pros From The Smiths
And Josie and Joe themselves are another key (haha! obviously) factor that made this wedding absolutely gorgeous. They are very funny, very self-deprecating, very warm, and I enjoyed every minute in their company. From our first pub meeting to their wedding day.
They put great emphasis, in their relationship, on taking the piss out of each other and I’ve got a lot of time for that.
They were also happy for me to take the piss out of them in the ceremony, and I’ve got a lot of time for that too.
I was chomping at the bit in the morning to get to Whitley Bay and see Josie, her family and her bridesmaids at their airbnb. And they did not disappoint. They were all giggling and drinking tea and eating crisps and, in fact, the only downer was yours truly because - on arrival, trying to be helpful (“trying” being the operative word) - I spilt half a bottle of prosecco across the kitchen worktop. I mean, thank goodness none of it hit the bride. Small blessings.
I’d say the average amount of guests at weddings I’ve done has been around 70-80. Because there were 20 or so of us in the room on this occasion, it felt so different. In a beautiful way. It felt like I was truly telling stories from their relationship in a party setting, or someone’s living room. That intimacy of being able to look everyone in the eye (or eyes, they all had two) and involve Josie and Joe’s favourite people as the ceremony progressed.
The mother of the bride read that beautiful extract from Louis de Bernières’ Captain Corelli's Mandolin, and told me afterwards she had painted the tree from the poem as their wedding present.
Love is a temporary madness, it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides.
And when it subsides you have to make a decision.
You have to work out whether your root was so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part.
Because this is what love is.
Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion.
That is just being in love, which any fool can do.
Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident.
Those that truly love have roots that grow towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms have fallen from their branches, they find that they are one tree and not two.
The other great thing about a small group is rather than me pop a bottle and just pour a glass for the happy couple, it only took a couple of minutes to fill glasses for everyone, so we could all raise a toast to Joe and Josie within the ceremony. Little things like that made the ceremony feel even more like a family gathering.
Have you heard the wedding day phrase “a wet knot is harder to untie?”. I didn’t realise but it actually originates from Hindi tradition ("शादी के दिन बारिश" or Shaadi ke din baarish), with rain seen as a symbol of good luck and a strong marriage. I suspect The Brollys didn’t need rain, or luck, on their wedding day for everyone in that room, witnessing the wonderful, warm, hilarious way they interact, to know their marriage will be strong.
“Sarah really helped make our wedding feel so us — personal, heartfelt, and full of laughter. It honestly felt like having a friend marry us. She made the whole process so easy and enjoyable, keeping us calm and laughing the whole way through...”