When your wedding day finally arrives, you can expect lots of excitement and nerves. What you don't expect is for one of your children to have chicken pox, & yet that is what happened to Nicola and Peter. Thankfully, their little one was feeling fine despite the itchiness, and it didn't (as far as I'm aware) impact their day to any great extent, but what a way to start the day?!
I started my coverage of their at their house in Tunbridge Wells, where Nicola was getting ready with her bridesmaids and daughters (who were flower girls). Then it was just a short drive to St. Mark's church, for the wedding ceremony which was conducted by Rev. Jane Edwards.
After a bubble confetti blessing, the newlyweds and their guests headed over to Penshurst Place for the rest of the wedding day celebrations. They enjoyed drinks and canapes in the courtyard (with a buffet table for the children), before moving in to the spectacular Barons Hall for the wedding breakfast. One thing I love about photographing weddings at Penshurst Place is listening to all the comments of guests who are consistently blown away by this hall. It never fails to make an impression.
There were speeches from the groom, mother of the bride and best man, and then time for a few portraits of the bride and groom around the gardens before the cake cutting and first dance. For their evening party, Nicola and Peter chose a Ceilidh band, and opted for a 'Strip the Willlow' dance with guests for their first dance. I've photographed a few of these now and they are always thoroughly enjoyed by everyone, absolutely manic, and a joy to photograph.
Whilst the band (and guests) were taking a break, I took Nicola and Peter outside for a couple of night portraits. One of Peter's groomsmen had brought his classic WWII jeep, and I was as keen as the groom to use it in a few pictures. Don't they look like absolute movie stars in the last photo?!
Congratulations Nicola & Peter!
Here is lots more information about Nic & Peter & their wedding choices, plus photos from throughout the whole day.
How did you meet, & how did you become engaged?
"We met at my house-warming party. I had just moved to the area for work and was looking for friends rather than a relationship. My new flat-mate decided to throw me a party, and Pete was invited by one of her oldest friends.
"We got engaged fourteen years later, after a flat, a house and two children. A decision that some of our friends are still describing as a bit hasty.
"Pete proposed on Applecross beach, in the highlands of Scotland. He assures me it was an incredibly heartfelt and romantic moment. Unfortunately, as soon as he went down on one knee and took out the ring box, I must have gone into shock as I can’t remember the proposal that clearly. I had long since assumed that we weren’t getting married – so saying that the proposal was a surprise would be a bit of an understatement. After I eventually said yes… (my immediate response was “oh…. Oh! Are we actually doing this then!?!”) we drove back through the highlands to tell the rest of the family. Our respective parents were delighted. The children were decidedly non-plussed."
How long did you take to plan your wedding?
"About 18 months, give or take. However, when you have been together for 15 years some things have already been discussed in detail."
What made you choose your wedding venues and how did you decorate them?
"St Mark’s is our local parish church, and the parish has made us feel extremely welcome over the years, so that was a very straightforward decision. The fact that the church is stunningly beautiful also helped.
We also chose Penhurst Place for its beauty, and the fact it would still be spectacular in the sun or the rain. It was a venue that we had talked about when discussing our hypothetical ‘ideal’ wedding earlier in our relationship – so it felt right to celebrate there."
What inspired you to style your day the way you did?
"We wanted the day to have meaning to us and those around us. We have built a life and a family together in Tunbridge Wells and wanted the wedding to reflect that. As such, we used local suppliers that have been a part of our lives, wherever possible. The macarons we used instead of a wedding cake, were made by The Crow Kitchen, who take a stall at the farmers market in The Pantiles. We have been Mary-Anne’s regulars for over five years now. Our flowers were grown locally and were designed to look as if we had gone out into the gardens of Penshurst Place that day to cut them. The furthest item sourced for the wedding was Pete’s kilt which came from Campbells of Beauly in the highlands. However, this also had a personal connection as Pete’s family kilt was made here in the 30s for his great grandfather and we often travel to the highlands to see relatives."
How did you decide on your dress and accessories?
"I had a vision of my wedding dress for years before we got married, and it was wrong in pretty much every respect. I thought I wanted a 1950s style-dress. The dress I chose was a soft, floaty, romantic seventies-style gown with a plunging neckline. A modern twist on my mother’s wedding dress – although I didn’t know that when I fell in love with it!"
How did you decide on the outfits for the groom and groomsmen?
"This was quite as easy one as Pete was born in Edinburgh and the family tartan is rather a good one. We didn’t want to put the groomsmen through the dilemma of choosing between the virtues of underwear or breeze, so we asked them to wear blue suits which we knew they had already. We bought their ties which all matched in colour but had different animals on them dependent on their roles."
Who walked you down the aisle? And did you walk down the aisle to a particular song?
"My father walked me down the aisle. I really wanted the organist from St Marks to play at the wedding – he leads the music group, which I sing with most Sundays. Paul helped us choose the wedding music. The highlight was probably having Ode to Joy playing when we signed the registry – it is not every day that you can sneak a Die-Hard reference into your wedding ceremony!"
Did you have any readings? If so, what were they and why did you choose them?
"As it was a Church of England ceremony, at least one of the readings needed to be a bible reading. We chose 1 Corinthians 13, which is a wedding classic for a reason. Our other two readings were a little more personal. A piece called “all I know about love” by Neil Gaiman, one of my favourite authors, and a poem by Pam Ayres called “Yes, I will marry you my dear”."
Please describe your wedding breakfast and the reasons behind it?
"The catering team at Penshurst Place are excellent and very accommodating. Our wedding breakfast and canapes were chosen from their selection and were delicious. The catering team were fantastic at accommodating the number of children at the wedding. We set up a special ‘kid’s buffet’ table during the drinks reception which went down very well with the younger guests (and one or two parents….)."
Did you provide wedding favours?
"We did not do wedding favours, however each child who came to the wedding had a party bag waiting for them when they sat down to eat. We tailored the party bags to the ages of the children using toys from Amazon. We also used the upstairs room in the venue as a children’s room - set up with games, a TV (complete with Disney +), bean bags and blankets, in case the younger guests needed a break from the reception."
Please describe your cake and why you chose it?
"Neither Pete nor I are particularly fond of wedding cakes. We are, however, very fond of macarons and brownies, so we ordered a macaron tower and stacks of brownies and blondies from our favourite local bakery instead – Crows Kitchen. We are regulars at their stall at our local farmer’s market and knew that they would go down a storm with our guests!"
What was your first dance track and what did it mean to you?
"We chose to have a cèilidh. They are great fun and some of Pete’s relative’s reel, so we knew there would always be people on the dancefloor. We chose strip the willow for our first dance, primarily because we had both danced it before, but also because it is great fun! It certainly had us all laughing!"
What was your favourite part of the day and why?
"Setting aside the twenty minutes after we discovered that our youngest had chosen the day of our wedding to contract chicken pox, the entire day was perfect. I am not sure I can choose a favourite part. That said, the moments when we were having our photos taken in the gardens of Penshurst Place, were probably the most peaceful and relaxing."
What led you to choose Nick (Parkershots) as your photographer & please can you comment on the results?
"We chose Nick because we loved his work. We wanted to use a local photographer and spent a lot of time researching wedding photographers in the area. Parkershots stood out from the start. He was one of the rare photographers who both managed to create stunning portraits and equally gorgeous candid shots. His photos are real works of art. Nick’s night portraits of Penshurst Place are particularly stunning. In fact, the one taken at our own wedding is now hanging on the wall! It also helped that Nick’s website featured a wide range of weddings and couples – so we could visualise how our photos might turn out relatively easily. It is safe to say that we were not disappointed!"
On reflection, is there anything you would have done differently with foresight?
"With hindsight, we probably should have vaccinated the youngest child against chicken pox."
If you could impart any words of wisdom to a bride to be planning her marriage and wedding day, what would they be?
"No matter how carefully you plan, something unexpected will happen. In our case, chickenpox. If you focus on what really matters, and the reason you are all there, then the surprises (be they welcome or not) are much easier to cope with when they come.
"Spending a bit more on experienced suppliers can be well worth the money. Having a team that you trust and know what they are doing, reduces the stress and if anything does happen, they will help and support you. Once you have chosen them, trust and listen to them with an open mind – our suppliers were all genuine experts at what they do. That expertise was invaluable.
"Oh… and hire Nick. He is excellent."
Suppliers:
- Make up artist: Make-Up Angel
- Florist: Sylvestrium
- Hair: Vine Hair
- Band is Bowreed
- Brownies and Macarons: Crows Kitchen
- Bride’s dress: Isabella Grace
- Jewellery Designer: Irregular Choice
- Veil / Headpiece: Isabella Grace
- Bride’s shoes: Irregular Choice
- Venue: Penshurst Place
- Cake: Mary Anne from Crow Kitchen
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