As I attempted to elegantly climb over the padlocked gate into Annette’s field I knew this wedding would be a little bit different. Just one week away Annette pointed towards one corner of the grassy field, then the next, explaining her vision of her future wedding day. I wondered how she would transform this empty field in less than a week, but I didn’t need to worry, Annette is the type of woman who knows what she wants and get’s things done.
No posing, she had said to me, and with that I had agreed to my first, reportage only “fly on the wall” wedding. No directing, no moving things into good light, no planning. Instead the approach is to watch and wait, wait for that moment, those emotions, then to run like the wind to where you know you’ve got to be to get a good angle, without tripping over anything.
I woke to glorious sunshine and joined Annette and her bridesmaid for preparations in the marquee. A dangerous recipe for home-made punch was underway. The wild flowers were picked. The DJ was compiling his playlist. The field had been transformed and the countdown had begun.
I meandered down to the village pub to find Tom in the beer garden calming his nerves over a pint..or two with friends, before heading back to photograph Annette’s final preparations. There is a moment on every morning, of every wedding day, when the bride is almost ready and her thoughts turn to the significance of the day. A quiet stillness envelops the room. It’s a moment of being, completely in the moment and you can’t help but notice everything; the beating of your heart, the goosebumps, your breathing, every single thing your body is feeling as you reflect on this commitment you are about to make. Call me an old romantic but it’s one of my favourite parts of the day, just a few minutes long but it always affects me and reminds me what a privileged role I have to play. Often this arrives when the bridesmaids are dashing around downstairs putting the finishing touches to their make up or topping up the bubbles in their glasses. Often it’s just me and the bride, she turns to me and I see the thoughts flash past her eyes and we share in that moment of anticipation and wonder at the future, not saying anything. On this occasion Annette had her moment of reflection surrounded by the girls and so the excitement built.
The church was packed (standing room only at the back) and as we waited for Annette’s arrival I could sense Tom’s nerves. These quickly melted away when, to the sound of the organ belting out, Annette walked down the aisle on the arm of her proud father. The love Tom and Annette have for each other couldn’t be seen any clearer than in the moment they saw each other for the first time that day and I couldn’t help but beam uncontrollably myself. I think the photographs speak for themselves.
After the service the 300 strong congregation walked in procession up to the field where the revelry began, kick started with the home-made punch and a hog roast. Guests lapped up the early evening sun sat amidst the long grass whilst Red Kites flew overhead. A visiting ice-cream van and even the portaloo’s gave the celebrations that festival feel Annette and Tom so wanted. A demonstration of Irish dancing followed by band, The Life of Riley, got everyone onto the dance floor. The dancing continued well into the early hours and a bonfire built by Tom earlier in the week was set ablaze to keep the many guests camping in the fields behind a little cosier. Here are a selection of my favourite photographs from their special day. Feel free to leave comments below and click to share the blog post on Pinterest and Facebook but remember, photographs are copyright of Helen Perry Photography so please don’t copy (steal) them, it’s not very nice. As always, photographs are reduced in resolution for fast web viewing. Enjoy!
Christiana Helen Perry 