Tag: summer

Matilda & Rose’s Back Garden & Community Wedding

bethdooner

I am truly delighted to show you the wedding of Matilda and Rose, held in the back garden of Matilda’s home growing up, a local community centre, and local church. The pair were utterly adorable and besotted with each other all day, I found them an utter joy to photograph. Having been legally married a month earlier, they held two ceremonies to celebrate their union, one in the back garden and the other in a church, both led by Matilda’s mother.

They day was so much of the community coming together and celebrating them, you saw people from many different walks of life existing as their best selves. It was honestly so heartening to see it all and I found myself wiping a few tears away during the garden ceremony. Not only was it heartening, it was undeniably fun! A geek theme ceilidh rock band playing in the evening and honestly, I found myself wanting to join in the Star Wars Medley dance so much! You can see the genuine care, compassion, and laughter throughout the day and images.

I feel incredibly lucky to have been part of such a special day for the pair of them and am delighted to share the images with you. I hope you’ll join me in celebrating their day and love through their photos. This was one of those weddings that just reminded me of what love can be in its many forms, truly a heartwarming and much needed day.

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Charlotte & Rosie at Wood Lane Countryside Centre in Sheffield

bethdooner

Welcome to the wedding of Charlotte and Rosie, which took place in the gorgeous venue of Wood Lane Countryside Centre in Sheffield. The pair got married on a gorgeous summer’s day and the guests certainly took advantage of the weather and the grounds of the venue, with relaxing in the sun and outdoor games being a big theme of the day.

The wedding was also an introvert’s paradise, with the pair having thoughtfully considered their guests and their own need’s throughout the day day. There was a quiet room with board games, a silent disco to avoid noise overwhelm, puzzles at the wedding breakfast, and a small dog in case of overwhelming moments.
The ceremony included Charlotte’s brother playing piano for everyone and Rosie’s mother giving a blessing for the brides, and the painting on the menu being given to them as a wedding gift. Several friends and family from all over came to celebrate the couple on their wonderful day, who I’m sure you’ll agree from looking through the photos were effortlessly affectionate and lovely.

You may also recognise some guests and a couple from a previous wedding I photographed. It’s always an honour to be remembered by guests and it feels like catching up with old friends. In any case, I invite you to look through the photos and smile alongside the couple, just as I ended up doing throughout the day.

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Alicia & Chris – Sword Arch & Sword Fighting

bethdooner

Last year I had the pleasure of photographing the wedding of Alicia and Chris, both of whom I knew of through a mutual hobby, but we’d never actually had the pleasure of properly meeting. Now I can say with confidence that there will be a long lasting friendship from photographing their union. I had such excitement when I was first told about the day, celebrating their lives as a blacksmith and a writer… who also do fencing together. It’s like this wedding was created for me, aside from the obvious part of it not being my wedding.

The day started with Alicia getting ready in her family home, in her old bedroom. There is always something incredibly touching when folk are able to reconnect with their younger selves on such a momentous day. After they got married in a local church, they chose to include a handfasting ceremony over their work anvil. Both of these occasions were wonderful and personal, with one of the most accommodating churches I have ever photographed. Of course, the amount of swords present never got old and kept on being such a unique delight during the whole day. There was so much love and enthusiasm from all corners, seen with how enthusiastically people join in with singing and dancing later in the evening.

I am truly honoured to finally share these photos with you, this was an incredible event to be a part of. I had a big grin on my face all day and I hope you will too when going through these photos. This is one of those weddings that reminds me of how much I love being a wedding photographer; and which epitomise the name I gave myself of “Unique Unions”. Enjoy!

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Fiona and James at The Missing Sock in Cambridge

bethdooner

My season of photographing weddings was kicked off perfectly by this incredibly special day. It had all traditional parts you expect from a wedding, but with a personalised and quirky addition to all of them. Whenever I think of this wedding I just think of the explosion of colours, flowers, and sunshine that came with it.

We were incredibly lucky with the weather; we had been forecast storms for the whole day… but ended up with only one period of heavy rain during dinner and speeches, which was inside anyway! This meant the lovely James and Fiona were able to have the outdoor ceremony they’d envisioned when they booked the venue. Speaking of, the fantastic venue The Missing Sock did so much to add to the vibe of the day!

One thing that really touched me from the wedding was seeing that they’d invited their guests to wear flower crowns, and that everyone got in on the fun and wore one during the day (some people were even deciding which ones to wear so it could match their outfit). There was such camaraderie from all guests during the day, and you could really feel the love and enjoyment from everyone.
I hope you all enjoy the photos, as I sure loved every minute of photographing it.

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Steph and Kit’s Wedding at Bramdean in Hampshire

bethdooner

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One of my favourite things about this particular day in Bramdean was the amount of affection expressed by everyone at the wedding, it was utterly infectious. It matched Steph and Kit’s warm personalities, as they are two of the kindest and most generous people I have met. I was so happy when they asked me to photograph their day, and they even asked me to make sure I ‘treated myself like a guest’ and to allow myself to enjoy the day too.

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The day itself was an utterly glorious summer’s day, incredibly warm, which suited the tent venue just fine. Also – much to their tastes – it made the whole thing feel like a huge party of friends had come together and collaborated for a summer celebration. Seeing everyone come together to help with the set up and how every performance was from a friend of theirs’ just made the whole day so personal and heartwarming. Speaking of which, everyone was encouraged to come ‘wearing their heart on their sleeves’, which is why you see the range of outfits people are wearing.
Yes, one of the groomsmen IS wearing a full suit of armour. And yes, the groom himself is in a sarong. That just sums up so much, and in the best possible way too.

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The day was gloriously warm and bright, it’s still what comes to mind for me when people mention a ‘summer wedding’ and I feel like it will for a while. Steph walking down into the clearing whilst her bridesmaids sang ‘You are my sunshine’ is going to stay with me for a while, and I am glad I can provide a lasting memory for them too. Enjoy the photos.

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