Last weekend I FINALLY got to shoot a wedding at The Party Field in Lewes, which just 15 minutes away from our home. And what a wedding… Amy and Jack threw an epic festival wedding in honour of their fave festival, Glasto.
Groom prep
I did groom prep photos, as it was in the village next to mine. It’s a different beast to bridal prep! There was poo chat, bacon baps, and they were still having showers up to 30 mins before leaving! Definitely my chilled kinda vibe!
Legal and celebrant ceremony
The ceremony itself took place at the Secret Garden in Kempton, Brighton. What made it even more awesome was that Amy and Jack decided to have a double ceremony. They began with the legal stuff conducted by registrars, and then seamlessly transitioned into a more personal ceremony performed by a celebrant. This unique twist added a personal touch that I totally recommend other couples think about for their own wedding day, if they want to be legally married while also having a more personal and cool ceremony.
Party at The Party Field in Lewes
We all then went on to The Party Field in Lewes, which is a big field with fab suppliers for tipis, bell tents and wedding coordination. It was the perfect location for a Glastonbury festival style wedding. The sun set over the South Downs while the firepit was lit and the festoon lights came on.
The groom’s in a band!
Before the first dance, Jack got up and performed a couple of songs in his band! People went wild, they loved it. What an atmosphere! Also I have to mention the awesome dancefloor set up. I’m not sure if it was all the DJ’s doing but the lights were so good for vibe and photos, and the decorations were all shimmery and perfect for creative pics.
Fire + drunk people + walking backwards
The evening (well my part anyway – I’m told they went on till 4am!) ended with sparklers and fireworks, and they handed out “love glasses” which turn fireworks into hearts! I put a pair in front of my lens, and you can see the result at the end of the gallery.
However we couldn’t let the evening pass without a bit of hilarity – Lucy (my assistant for the day) and I were walking backwards for the sparkler aisle photos (as you do – fire + drunk people + walking backwards, what could go wrong?) and just as I called out “we’ve reached the end!” – the end being a giant sign of Amy and Jack’s names made out of hundreds of pins with glitter squares hanging off them – Lucy stacked it straight into the sign! There’s a photo don’t worry. I love how I took a photo instead of helping her, and she carried on filming for the iPhone film even though she was sitting on nails. A trooper!
Silent disco
After we left, Amy and Jack had a silent disco (countryside neighbours don’t take well to thumping music all night!). It was a perfect way to keep the party going.
Planning a festival wedding
“Advice for future couples: start planning as early as possible – we haven’t found planning the wedding stressful because we do little bits every so often rather than tackling everything all at once. Also, don’t panic about things that might go wrong. We’ve had a couple of bumps in the road which mean we couldn’t do exactly what we wanted, but we keep reminding ourselves that this is a big party and not something to be stressed about- just excited!”
“We booked Anna and Todd because they’re local, fun, friendly and their photos jumped out at us as being colourful, vibrant, and will deliver on the festival vibe we’re going for.”
Catering and Bar- The Indian Wedding People @theindianweddingpeople
Decorations – Tamara D’Silva @tamaradsilvadesign
Cake- Amy’s Auntie Claire
Wedding Favours – LoveSpecs @love_specs, disco ball earrings Amy’s bridesmaid Camilla, chilli jam- Jack’s Auntie Janet
Flowers – Amy’s second cousin, Jo
Generator, Chiller, Co-Ordination – Grizzly Bear Events @grizzlybearevents
Tipis and Furniture – Tribeca Tipis @tribecatipis
Bell Tents – Brighton Bell Tents @brightonbelltents_glamping
DJ and Silent Disco – Eddie The Goatboy @eddiethegoatboy
PA – Brighton Soundsystem @brighton_sound_system
Ceremony- The Secret Garden @secretgardenkt
Reception – The Party Field @thepartyfield
Reception Music- Amber Burgoyne @amberburgoyne
Ceremony Music – 6 Strings and a Cello @6stringsandacello
Jack’s Suit – Suit Supply @suitsupply
Amy’s Dress – Isolbel’s Bridal @isobelsbridal
