A Back Garden Wedding in Nuneaton | Siobhan & Ryan
A Rainy DIY Back Garden Wedding
When I met Siobhan & Ryan it was almost like we’d been friends in a previous life and just picking up from where we left off. They are super down to earth and wanted to plan a unique back garden wedding day which included their dogs Poppy and Finley. As Siobhan and Ryan rolled out their idea of a wedding day in front of me I was getting more and more hooked by each line. Remember when you’re on a first date with someone and you realise you’re just such a great fit and you get incredibly excited? Yeah well this feeling is like this but I realise I’m such a great fit for someones idea of a wedding day haha. Strange I know but it’s the best way to describe the euphoria I get when people talk about their days. After
Anyway fast forward to the wedding day just over a year later and I’m reunited with this awesome pair. After a rather panicked morning with hair running slightly late we managed to calm the atmosphere and head for the church in a vintage VW van. Siobhan wore an incredible Essence of Australia dress from Georgina Scott Bridal. Perfectly coupled with an incredible bouquet from Flowers by Chris.
It always helps having an awesome relationship with your church. The Vicar leading the service this year was really invested in Siobhan and Ryan as a couple so the service just sounded so much more from the heart which then passes the oomf over to the guests also. Just recently I’ve started recommending no phones during services. It’s not because I’m some sort of jealous photographer or anything. No, it’s purely to do with the fact in most services I shoot from the front looking back so a lot of the time the guests are background to my photographs. Having their full attention for every photograph is paramount for me but just out of respect it’s awesome to see them completely involved in such an incredible moment. Just take a look at the photograph of them leaving. Everyone is completely focused on the moment clapping and looking, this is such a rarity.
Once everyone had left the church the dogs came down to see us and we had a little moment with them in the rain. I can honestly say my most anticipated photograph for my wedding is one with Juno my miniature dachshund. So when Siobhan messaged me saying she loved the photograph of her and Ryan with Poppy and Finley I knew just how it felt.
Once at the home we fought with the weather and the tasks at hand to bring the party atmosphere into full force. I often tell couples you don’t just get a photographer with me. This wedding has never been such a showcase of this. I love to photograph confusion and the unordinary but when this turns into panic I have to step into the frame. I spent so much time just talking to guests, helping them put their shoes on, rearranging the order of the day to accommodate the bad weather, correcting their jaunty ties, cleaning champagne flutes for the speeches and all these things are me at my core. I love to help and hate to see people struggle. This attitude also makes people open up to me and I then photograph them more purely. The dance floor was so small but absolutely no one had an issue with me being a 3 foot away dancing with them whilst taking photographs.
Will Rain Ruin My Wedding Day?
One of the biggest concerns I hear from my Brides and Grooms is they hope it doesn’t rain on their day. I constantly have to reassure them that no matter what the weather we’ll deal with it to bring them the most amazing photographs. On Siobhan and Ryan’s day it never really stopped raining.
This didn’t stop us having a freakin’ awesome time even if we didn’t have any sides on our tents! I had to rearrange the plan of the day and think on my feet for several moments as this unconventional back garden wedding met the very conventional English weather. Using little gaps in the day we were able to grab portraits whilst at the church and at the home. We were even able to throw confetti right in the archway of the church after a little bit of sweet talking from yours truly.
To keep warm later on Siobhan donned her embroidered denim jacket. She loves a denim jacket and had one of her own embroidered by Wedding Belles of Four Oaks.
A Tentacle Stretch Tent Wedding
When it came to planning their back garden wedding Siobhan and Ryan wanted something a little less “pub car park” looking for the structure. Basically they didn’t want a classic marquee. Their whole day was about the unusual and these tentacle stretch tents sure gave a unique working environment. I loved the wave look of the roof inside and the fact it was open to the elements.
When it came to the first dance it was the next best thing to dancing under the stars. With the horrendous amount of rain we had it was definitely needed else we would have been dancing under the rain and stars which I’m sure wouldn’t of been an issue for the guests but I’m not sure my cameras would have enjoyed it.