Obviously all weddings are full of happiness and smiles but Helen & Richards ceremony in The Chapel at The Secret Garden has to be the smiliest I have ever photographed. They didn’t stop laughing throughout and it was an absolute joy.

I met up with Helen & Richard before their wedding to say ‘Hi’ and to run through their plans for the day. I knew they would be fun as soon as we first spoke. Having never met them before, I pulled up in the pub car park next to a car that I noticed had a couple seated inside. I reversed into my space and was next to the female passengers window. I popped the handbrake on and we made eye contact and I mouthed ‘Are you Helen & Richard?’ as she mouthed ‘Are you Nicola?’. We then both laughed as we realised how awkward and potentially sordid our meeting looked. But is sure broke the ice and I knew that we’d be completely relaxed on their wedding day.

Their Kent wedding was early October and whilst they had hoped that they may be able to hold their ceremony outside in the gardens gorgeous gazebo, the threatening clouds and forecast showers meant that they moved indoors to the Chapel. Certainly one of the great things about this venue and it’s amazing team is that they can leave that decision til the last minute so give you the best opportunity for the ceremony you want.

As it happens, the Chapel space is just as gorgeous so I’m not sure they were too disappointed.

I loved the details of their wedding. Helen loves pinks and her beautiful bouquet reflected that. They had also lovingly hand painted pebbles with their guests names as place holders and also a keepsake. But my favourite details has to be her white Dr Marten boots. I’m definitely partial to unique wedding shoe!

The weather did the graceful thing and allowed us a wonderful window for group shots and also some lovely portraits too. It is honestly very rare not to be able to find a dry window somewhere on your day. But it is also an important reason to create a relaxed timeline with a little room for manoeuvre. You can read my advice on creating a relaxed wedding timeline right here.

As you can see from their gallery, they were so happy on their day, to be marrying each other and to be surrounded by their friends and family. It was so amazing to see the joy on the faces. I can only imagine how much their cheeks ached by the evening.

Venue @secretgardenkent ⁠⁠
Florist @karenanemoneblue⁠⁠
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