Getting Ready in the Garden

Jess got ready at her parents’ house — bridesmaids in matching white pyjamas in the garden, drinks already poured, the morning warm and unhurried. It’s the kind of getting ready that sets the tone for the whole day. Relaxed, close, no rush. By the time everyone had their gold dresses on and the wildflower bouquets were in hand, the day was ready to begin.

Walking Through the Woods

Longton Wood’s ceremony space is reached on foot — guests wander through the trees to get there, which immediately does something to the atmosphere. By the time Jess walked down that woodland aisle with her dad, the whole crowd was already settled and present in a way that only happens at venues like this. Hot June sunshine filtering through the canopy, confetti underfoot, and a little girl in a yellow dress staring up at the bouquet like it was the most astonishing thing she’d ever seen.

The Reception Under the Trees

The clear-sided marquee at Longton Wood is one of the best reception spaces I’ve photographed. The trees are right there through the panels, the pendant lights hang above long wooden tables, wildflowers and candles everywhere, donuts on the plates alongside the champagne. The neon “The Days” sign glowed at the top table during speeches. Jess changed into a second dress — this one with “Love” embroidered across the back in white — and the afternoon rolled into evening with that easy, inevitable pace that the best weddings have.

The Details

Jess and Tim are the kind of couple who put thought into every corner without it feeling try-hard. A wall of crisps for the evening — every flavour, pegged in rows — that the kids found approximately thirty seconds after it went up. Rattan chairs, vintage rugs, J&T initials on the cake table. A live band. A confetti cannon timed for the first dance. And a disco ball hanging above the dancefloor that caught the last of the evening light through the clear roof.

The First Dance

Tim spun Jess under the disco ball as the confetti cannon went off and the whole room lost its mind. The little flower girl in the heart sunglasses was already on the dancefloor before the song was halfway through. That image — her charging through the confetti while the band played and the adults tried to keep up — is one of my favourite frames from the whole year.

Suppliers:

• Makeup: Lydia Rae Make Up – keeping things natural, glowy, and relaxed
• Florals: Hedges & Flowers – wild, romantic, and perfectly at home in a woodland setting
• Catering: Fresh Catering Events – delicious, unfussy, and ideal for laid-back outdoor celebrations