These are my favourites from the marriage of Jamie and Edward. As you will see if you read on, their commitment to each other and desire to be husband and wife overcame EVERYTHING that 2020 and Covid19 had to throw at them and what a beautiful intimate wedding ceremony they had at the very pretty St Peter and St Paul Church, Shorne in Kent.

I first met Jamie and Ed at a Wedding Fair in Kent last year and as with so many couples planning their 2020 wedding, the news of the outbreak and the lockdown restrictions hit them hard. But from our earliest conversations about their plans it was clear that they wanted to hold on to all hope that their ceremony would go ahead. They held out long enough for the initial restrictions to be lifted and ceremonies of 30 people were allowed. Then came the fantastic news that the day of their wedding could see the same 30 guests attend a small reception to be able to share in the celebrations. Shortly after and during bad weather, part of the ceiling of the Church was damaged and it was touch and go as to whether they would be able to hold their ceremony there safely. When that was resolved I think we all began to get our heads around how the day was going to go. We spoke a few times in the build up to the day. It was my first Wedding since lockdown and neither myself, Ed or Jamie had an exact picture of how everything would work so we talked through things that we thought we could and couldn’t do, how to manage bubbles and everyone’s safety BUT it was so exciting to be talking about photographing a Wedding again.

And then, with less than 24 hours to go until their Wedding it was announced that the restrictions allowing 30 people to attend a reception were being postponed. My heart broke for them as I watched the announcement being made so I can only imagine the disappointment they felt at having to change their plans yet again so close to the day. They must have felt like everything was conspiring against them. They contacted their reception venue to discuss reducing their numbers back down to the two household bubbles permitted, only to be told by the venue that they were no longer able to host their reception at all. They wouldn’t accommodate even just their two household bubbles or permit them to take any wedding portraits there either. I couldn’t believe it when I called Ed and he told me that they had been struck with yet another blow. He explained that they were calling around to try and find a pub or restaurant to host just their two family bubbles and that he had no idea where they could take their Wedding portraits.

The answer came to me pretty quickly and I gave them the name of The Bull Hotel in Wrotham. It is an award winning restaurant, boutique hotel and wedding venue, serves great food, has some lovely local spots for wedding day portraits and as one of their recommended suppliers I was 100% confident that they would serve them a meal worthy of the celebration of their marriage. A quick call to Martin at The Bull and as predicted, they came up trumps and booked them into their private dining room. Disaster averted.

For their resilience, determination and belief they were rewarded with a gorgeous and heart warming wedding. It felt so good to be a wedding photographer again, surrounded by smiling, happy people. And I think that when you know quite how bumpy their journey was, the hand holding, the eye contact, the beaming smiles and the joy become even more palpable.

Congratulations Jamie and Ed x

Brides Dress – Brocades Bridal Studio

Bridal Hair – Amy from Tangles

Bridesmaids Dresses – Wed2B

Suits – Young’s Suit hire

Reception Venue – The Bull Hotel