Wow, what a lovely intimate wedding it was for Melissa and Harry, at Orleans House Gallery last weekend.

It was a small gathering of their nearest and dearest and was to be a private declaration of their feelings for each other.  They asked me to create something personal, meaningful, and sentimental, but also to feel 'real' and comfortable on the day.

We hit the mark with the script and on the day, I was so excited to help them celebrate!  When I arrived, I made sure the space worked for everything that was about to happen, and with the help of the lovely team at the venue, we got everything in place ready for the arrival of the groom and his friends.

Harry strives to always make Melissa laugh and to surprise her with things that might be considered out of the ordinary, and so he asked his neices to decrate his wedding trainers with pens, which made them very unique indeed!  He also had a surprise addition to his pink suit for after the ceremony which I can't wait to see the official images of!

His good friend Tom was in charge of music and between us we got everything ready and organised and so when guests began filling the beautiful space inside the gallery, we were raring to go.  He was a marvellous person to have organising this and he did a perfect job!

After a brief delay, the bride arrived and we welcomed her and her family and friends into the space and the ceremony was underway! 

We always knew it would be quite unconventional and very relaxed, and so when the wedding party began their procession and the flower girls dumped a heap of petals onto the grooms shoes, and then continued to throw it at him during the ceremony, it just added to the humour and nature of the celebrations.

We had a lovely warm welcome for the wedding party and family, then spoke about marriage and what it means to the couple.  With two beautiful readings, and their love story conveyed, we moved on to some really emotional vows.  The couple had only just announced the impending arrival of a new addition to the family, so it was made even more special as they spoke about their future family.

Harry says that he tells Melissa that she is his soul mate.  She says that their souls are mates!  I love this, it shows that they have a great balance of the romance and the realism.  They are perfect for each other.
For them it is about searching for their own truths, enjoying the journey to find meaning, and finding themselves and each other along the way.

The couple exchanged wedding rings, and then we welcomed the brides Nana to join us and she carried out a Hindu ritual to bless the couple, using shawls that belonged to her grandparents, and with a beautiful tray of symbolic items, and the lighting of a special candle, their shawls were tied together to demonstrate their union.

The couple were presented back to their guests to huge applause and the sounds of the Spice Girls as they danced back up the aisle!

Their family and friends then gathered outside for a confetti throw and as I re-announced them out into the gardens, cheers went up again and everyone enjoyed drinks on the lawns.

It was just what they wanted.  A relaxed, and pared-back celebration, that was full of lovely impromptu moments, and lots of fun.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and am thrilled for them both!  What a future they have ahead of them and I can't wait to see how things unfold with the new arrival.

They are such a wonderful couple and I'm delighted to have played a part in their fabulous day!

Jenny

x