What springs to mind when you think of a ‘beer garden’ wedding? I can almost guarantee it’s not what I experienced in June of this year! But, let’s start at the very beginning…
I first met Cat and Carl in September 2023 at their original choice of venue, a clearing in some woods where they love to camp as a family. It was a beautiful area, very natural and totally in line with who they are as people. They had great ideas of how they wanted the area to look and some for how they wanted the ceremony to run.
Then, just two months before the wedding, disaster struck - land ownership swapped hands and their wedding plans were scuppered! Being the outdoorsy people they are, they wanted to find another venue that was out in nature and allowed overnight camping. And they found the perfect place in the St John’s Arms, a beautiful little pub with a fantastic large, green outside space, surrounded by fields with horses.
Skip forward to their wedding day towards the end of June, and I was blown away by the beautiful simplicity of the set up. They, along with a large number of their guests, had put up tents along one of the fences of the field, there was a marquee where the DJ was already set up and, over in a sunny corner surrounded by trees, was the ceremony area with flowered arches to mark out an aisle. The best bit? In true Cat and Carl style, guests brought their own camping chairs to sit on!
Cat and Carl share a fabulous sense of humour so, to confuse their guests, when I first asked them to stand to welcome Cat, the DJ played the beginning of Gold Digger by Kanye West, so NOT their usual vibe! After bewildered glances from their guests, the DJ changed this to the real entrance song, At Last by Etta James and Cat, escorted by her dad, and the rest of the bridal party made their entrance.
The ceremony told their story perfectly and was peppered with humour, as were their vows - neither can be too serious for too long!
The after party got off to the best start with speeches from Mark, Carl’s dad and best man, and Cat’s daughter Tyler, which were filled with love and, of course, humour.
My part in the day ended there but, from what I’ve seen and heard since, the rest of the day was just as much fun - the bouncy castle looked like it kept everybody entertained (adults particularly!) and the firepit in the evening was the perfect way to end a perfect day.
Cat and Carl were a fabulous couple to work with who truly felt like friends by the time their wedding day arrived, and I love the fact that myself and Cat now swap news (and disaster stories on my side!) of how our puppies are doing!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
For me, I’m all about encouraging couples to plan a wedding that 100% reflects them, their lives, their story. Cat and Carl did that perfectly, with their wedding being all about being outside, being with family and, above all, being a day full of laughter.
Photographer - https://www.michaelheathphotography.co.uk/
Comments