DIY Garden Party Wedding

DIY Garden Party Wedding – Charley & Ian

Charley and I have been friends for just shy of (whisper it) 30 years. After 13 years and 3 children together, Charley & Ian decided to get married because, as their wedding invites stated,  “we’ve run out of reasons not to”. Not ones for tradition, they opted for a DIY garden party wedding at a quirky venue in Lincolnshire. It was a day filled with, amongst other things, flower girls in cat face paint, a Paul Simon singalong in church, a mad scientist at the end of the garden, not to mention some of my oldest and dearest friends in the world. I was lucky to have a wingman, my very own Stephen Bunn, shooting alongside me so I could have a few champagne breaks with the girls during the course of the day…

Things started (and ended) at the wonderfully eccentric Priory House, a private Georgian mansion owned by a fashion designer and a sculptor, who have very eclectic tastes: “The Music Room is home to Tarquin the cockerel who was stuffed after his untimely demise, he was too pretty to bury, and there’s a large quantity of empty goose eggs under the piano waiting to be Faberge’d “. Charley got ready with most of her family (Ian and the boys were back at their house) and best friend Ali. Longtime readers of my blog will remember Ali’s  Brighton wedding I photographed back in 2013. Charley couldn’t make Ali’s wedding as she was heavily pregnant, and in the taxi on our way to the town hall, she texted from her hospital bed to say she’d just brought baby Sonny into the world. A doubly special day. The girls had their faces painted (because daughter Dizzy insisted she wanted to go to the wedding dressed as a cat), buttonholes went in, the champagne was opened and at the last minute Charley was cutting bits off her dress to make it more comfortable. Classic, inimitable Charley.

Our bride insisted she would drive herself to the church, but sister Rachel was having none of that, so their dad drove. The church is situated in the pretty village where they live, and Penny the vicar was very laid back allowing them to have the ceremony they wanted. There were musical instruments for all the kids to play whilst everyone sang, and as they left the church paper aeroplanes were thrown. Back out into the glorious June sunshine and all aboard a bus to take us back to Priory House, with juice for the kids and Gin for the grownups. A very relaxed afternoon followed, with food, games, and lots of speeches. I always get a bit choked up at speeches, even with people I don’t know, but it’s a whole different ball game when it’s friends. Thank God for waterproof mascara, eh?

Day became evening, and evening became night. There was the mad scientist keeping the kids (and adults) entertained with his experiments at the end of the garden, there was cake, more booze, dancing… All in all, an amazing day, and one I was so happy to have been part of.

DIY Garden Party Wedding –  Priory House Wedding

“We’ve all just sat down and watched it repeatedly together. they are perfect – they totally sum up how I recall the day, and we love that you have evoked plenty of laughs and happy tears for us. You are both amazing. thank you a million times over.”