Getting Ready:
A Shack in the Woods

The getting ready space at The Dreys is unlike any other — a cabin built from stacked logs, hidden in the trees, warm and dark inside with just enough light to do your makeup. Amy had her bridesmaids around her in green, bouquets of blush and peach roses, the whole morning unhurried and completely removed from the outside world. No hotel corridors, no function room. Just the woods outside and the day ahead.

The Ceremony:
Vows Under the Tin Roof

The ceremony space stops people in their tracks. A tin-roofed structure with branches woven through the rafters, a harlequin-painted backdrop, a chandelier overhead, a twig arch framed by the most extraordinary florals — orange, blush and fern — with vintage mirrors on either side. Amy walked in and Luke turned around and that was that. The room held its breath. It photographs itself.

The Walkways, The Barrels, The Vibe

Before the ceremony, guests gathered along the raised wooden boardwalks that connect the different spaces at The Dreys — drinks in hand, wine barrels for leaning on, festoon lights overhead, a tipi visible across the field. It’s one of those venues where people just naturally spread out and find their place. The May light through the canopy was exactly what you’d want — dappled, warm, doing all the work without any help from me.

The Lounge, The Field, The Fire Pits

After the ceremony, The Dreys opens up completely. Guests spilled out onto the boardwalks, found their way to the eclectic lounge space under the stretch tent — carved wooden benches, a leather armchair, sheepskin throws, kilim cushions, a driftwood coffee table — with the camping field stretching out beyond. Fire pits, seating pods, glamping tents in the distance. The whole site felt like a festival that had been styled by someone with very good taste.

The First Dance

By the time the dancing started, the tin-roofed space had transformed completely. The branches overhead caught the blue stage light, the pendant bulbs glowed warm, and Amy and Luke had the floor to themselves for about thirty seconds before everyone piled in. That first dance shot — the two of them, the roof, the crowd at the edges — is one of my favourite images from the whole year.