“We also wanted to especially say thank you to you both not only for taking great pictures (and blending in seamlessly!) but for both being such a calming and happy presence on the day! It made things so much easier for us, and we can’t thank you enough … and a separate thank you for your interventions with having the ceremony outside, it made the day so much more perfect to be able to do that (despite the rain) and I don’t think that would have happened without you so thank you!!!”
– Beth & Emyr
This is going to be a bit of a strange blog post because I just want to share a couple of chapters of this particular story with you. This is a little love letter to positivity in general and how you should always go your own way on your wedding day, despite what people may think.
Beth & Emyr got married at Marleybrook House back in the middle of July, in fact it was in the middle of the longest heatwave we’ve ever known, and it rained. A bit. It wasn’t exactly bucketing down and it was still pretty warm, but it wasn’t exactly what you’d call glorious weather either.
Beth happens to be one of loveliest and least diva-ish (not sure that’s a word but you know what I mean) brides we could ever wish to shoot. Her and Emyr booked Marleybrook House not only for the spectacular vintage funfair but also for the beautiful lavender lined lawn where they had planned to have their ceremony.
I’m not entirely sure why, but it seems that given the slightest hint of “adverse weather” we Brits just collapse into a meltdown and have no idea what to do.
Unfortunately this meant that Beth was told by the registrars that the ceremony would now be indoors and that was it. Beth nodded along and smiled politely, because she’s lovely, but after the lady had gone was clearly gutted.
So I did something that I’ve never done before and stepped in with 30mins to go and had a word with the venue and the registrar and fought Beth’s corner a little to have the ceremony outside. Ultimately, if the bride wants to get married in the rain, who are we to say she can’t? She didn’t care about her dress, the odd wet bum of a guest in the crowd. She just wanted to marry her love standing outside breathing in the air surrounded by the people that care about them.
In the end Beth spoke up herself and the registrar folded and allowed it to happen (the last time I checked there’s no laws about getting married in the summer rain so I’m still not sure why this was such a big deal).
And then the photos below happened…
Guests rushed with chairs, staff hurried and wiped down furniture, everyone came together and it was perfect. People smiled, a lot. Beth & Emyr got married, heavily pregnant, head over heels in love, beaming from ear to ear with rain on their shoulders and dotted in their hair. It was kind of magical and I’m glad that we ruffled a feather or two with a stuffy register to give these two special people the wedding that they’d been dreaming of.
Afterwards, people partied in the rain. Swung hammers, rode fairground rides and laughed their heads off drinking champagne in the soft summer rain.
So if you’re reading this and thinking ‘what happens if it rains on my wedding day?” the answer is simple: anything you wanted before the heavens opened.
Make it happen.
Have a little conviction.
Kiss.
Dance in the rain.
Here’s to Beth & Emyr…
Marleybrook House Wedding Photographer | Jackson & Co Photography
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