I met Penny and her Mum at a wedding fair. Having spoken to her partner Loretta, Penny booked me the following week. We all met up a few weeks before the wedding to run through everything about their day. One of the most important things I always like to discuss with a couple beforehand is the close family dynamic. To say that Penny and Loretta had a complicated famliy dynamic is an understatement (it took up two sides of A4 paper!) but this is so important for me to know on a wedding day. Not just for the group photos, where divorced parents may not want to stand together but so that I dont ask about family members who are no longer with us or just not attending on the day. Stops any embarassment or upset. My father had passed away before my wedding day and if anyone had asked me when he was coming to see me before walking me down the ailse, I would have been a blubbering wreck!
The couple chose the beautiful Barns Hotel in Bedford for their ceremony and celebrations. They also both got ready there in the morning, which was great.The barn looked amazing. Their chosen colour was a pale blue with lanterns lining the aisle. Loretta walked down the aisle first with her father and the emotion on her face as she watched Penny and her father follow, made everyone cry!
It was a very beautiful sunny day but extremely cold as it was November. However, we did manage to take some group photos outside. When the guests went in to get warm, Penny and Loretta were able to take a quiet walk outside the barn and stand on the tiny path by the waters edge. Ten minutes was about enough in the cold air.
The barn then became the wedding breakfast venue with hints of sky blue, wood and gypsophila. the table plan was a map of places visited by the couple with chalkboard hearts on each table displaying the names. They danced the night away in the barn but had blankets outside for guests who wanted to brave the cold and sit by the river. Sparklers added a sparkly touch!
Penny and Loretta had specifically asked me to pose a photo of them under the wooden arch over the gate to the river when it was lit with fairy lights. It made a magical evening photo to end their wedding day story.
It was a gorgeous day and I am delighted that I will meet them both again at Penny's Mum's wedding later this year.
