Kelly + James at Hallington Mill | May 2025
“...when I was waiting to walk down the aisle with my dad, all I could hear was laughter from all my guests. You just made our day truly magical!”
I don’t blame Kelly for being nervous about the weather in the lead up to her wedding day: after a literal drought in the area, the driest spring in almost 70 years, the heavens opened at Hallington Mill 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. And they are such fun people the rain didn’t matter in the end.
Photography by one of my FAVE duos From The Smiths
And their guests were such fun people that it actually sort of unified us all. Huddling under a last-minute canopy that had been ordered. Brollies up. People laughing. And - during the ceremony - when the wind blew over one of the stunning, big floral displays, and Kelly’s best friend (and florist) dived to hold it up, half-hiding behind the pillar, she got a huge cheer. It was so much fun.
And rain also doesn’t matter when you have the most excellent-est of suppliers working seamlessly, making the magic happen. Wedding planner Jane from Birdcages and Dragonflies was marching around when I arrived, sorting everything out, and videographer James from Jolly Films and photographers From The Smiths captured every brolly-huddle and comic, gorgeous moment.
And we had allll the emotions in the ceremony - big tears from the groom’s dad, mock disappointment from die-hard Newcastle fans (because the bride got me to relay that anyone caught watching the end-of-season game would have a glass of wine chucked in their face) and laughter from the guests as we waited for her entrance.
I love that Kelly said as she waited to come down the aisle - heart in her mouth, arm in her dad Barry’s arm - all she could hear was laughter from through the trees. Her assembled loved ones not caring about the weather, just excited to witness Kelly and James make things official.
This ceremony, as I told the guests as the word left my lips, had my first ever mention of the word “nipples”. It was hilarious. I tend to ask my couples as well as what they love about each other, maybe also what annoys them about each other. And, for groom James, it was being nipple-bothered too regularly by Kelly.
When I say every wedding is unique to every couple I think that captures it perfectly!
“She kept our guests laughing throughout and brought such a beautiful, uplifting presence. We honestly couldn’t recommend her highly enough—she really is a ray of sunshine!”