On Friday I had the pleasure of photographing Pili & Faris's wedding at the beautiful Nettlestead Place.
One of the things I loved most about their wedding was just how personal and wonderfully multicultural it felt. Friends and family weren't simply there to witness the day — they were woven into almost every part of it, and with guests travelling from across the UK, Spain and beyond, the whole celebration brought together so many different cultures, languages and traditions.
Their ceremony took place in the Rose Garden and was led by two of their friends, Carmen and Gijs, who did a fantastic job. Throughout the ceremony there were heartfelt speeches from Pili's sisters, her dad and Faris' mum before the couple exchanged their vows, creating a ceremony that felt incredibly relaxed, personal and full of love.
To make sure everyone could follow every part of the ceremony, many sections were spoken in both English and Spanish, while guests also had beautifully prepared order of service booklets containing full translations. They were even asked not to read ahead so they could experience each speech as it happened — a lovely touch that kept everyone fully immersed in the moment.
Afterwards, everyone celebrated with confetti before heading onto the lawn for drinks, canapés and plenty of catching up in the sunshine. Faris' school friend Fergus performed close-up magic throughout the drinks reception and later during the wedding breakfast, leaving guests completely baffled. My favourite reaction came from one guest who declared that he now believed in God after seeing one of Fergus' tricks!
Before the wedding breakfast began, Pili introduced everyone to one of her favourite Spanish wedding traditions. Every so often someone would leap to their feet shouting, "¡La novia, la novia, la novia es cojonuda, como la novia no hay ninguna!" ("The bride, the bride, the bride is brilliant — there's no one like the bride!"), prompting all of Pili's friends to stand up and join in. Not to be outdone, Faris' friends would immediately answer even louder with "¡El novio, el novio, el novio es cojonudo, como el novio no hay ninguno!" It quickly became a wonderfully noisy competition between the two sides of the room and had everyone laughing throughout the meal.
Another special mention has to go to their DJ, Jon, who had travelled over from France after Pili & Faris first heard him performing at a friend's wedding there. Not only did he keep the atmosphere going all day, but he also became an honorary member of the wedding team, happily helping to solve a few last-minute audio and microphone issues during both the ceremony and speeches.
The speeches themselves continued the wonderfully personal feel of the day, with contributions spread throughout the meal before everyone headed outside to enjoy the evening sunshine. We finished with a few relaxed portraits around Nettlestead Place before leaving everyone to enjoy the rest of the celebrations.
It was such a fun wedding to be part of — full of personality, laughter and so many thoughtful touches that reflected exactly who Pili & Faris are.
Congratulations Pili & Faris — thank you for having me there to capture your day.
Suppliers:
- Coco Bloom - Florists
- Locate to create - Furniture hire
- Black Saucers - Glasses and napkins
- Marisa Espineira - All designs and creative direction
- Magician - Fergus Flanagan
- DJ : t.b.c (Jon from France)
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