Emily + Tom | June 2023
“It was everything and more than we could’ve hoped for! 1000/10 would recommend you to anyone”
Emily and Tom were a couple whose wedding plans had been scuppered - more than once - by the dreaded pandemic. They just wanted to be married: to share a family name and be able to celebrate with everyone, no restrictions, no masks, no rules.
I first met the couple just before Christmas in the cosiest Northumberland country pub - a fireside table while the lights twinkled around us, like something out of The Holiday. I fell in love with them instantly; they were so upbeat and joyful, despite the wedding disappointments and cancellations they’d already faced. I also fell in love with the story of how they met - something worthy of a romcom too - with Tom coming to Emily’s rescue after she fainted. Albeit in a sticky-floored Brummie nightclub.
They had a toddler son and, in the wait to wed, had fallen pregnant with twins….babies who would be making their entrance a matter of months before the wedding day. As a twin mum myself, we bonded over all the excitement to come.
Their wedding was planned to take place outdoors in a woodland glade at Hallington Mill, and Emily and I both spent the days in the build up frantically refreshing weather apps. The day dawned and it couldn’t have been more perfect: still, cloudless and warm. Actually hot for the north east.
I’m grateful to be part of such wonderful people’s wonderful days
Arriving guests made their way to the ceremony clearing down a winding woodland path; they sat on hay bales, and there was a rustic arch of greenery at the top of the aisle. The whole effect was so relaxing and charming, with the sounds of the birds, the nearby stream and guests chatting.
All photography by the ever-so-lovely Andrew Jukes
In a genius move, Emily and Tom hired a nanny to look after their twins at the back of the ceremony so the children could be very much present, but not a distraction to them or the grandparents. I wrote a little bit into the ceremony so that after their first kiss as husband and wife, all three of their children were brought forward and they had hugs and kisses - as a family of five - at the front. It was so gorgeous.
The whole family had a hug and kiss at the front
Every wedding I’ve attended - as a guest or celebrant - has had a ‘feel’ to it: a sense of what is most important to the couple. In some instances you can tell they’re foodies, or live music fans, that their lives centre around their huge friendship group, that their spirituality is most important to them, or that they’re outdoorsy. Often it’s - of course - a combination of many factors.
For Emily and Tom the overwhelming vibe was ‘family’ - their wonderful parents, grandparents and siblings, the adorable multitude of their friends’ offspring who ran wild across the paddock and, most especially, their own newly-extended family of five.
For the couple, marriage is about “commitment to choose each other over and over again, even in the most difficult times”
It was as much a celebration of their commitment to each other as it was their commitment to raising their family together.
“Sarah from start to finish was absolutely amazing. She put us at ease, made us laugh, we loved how enthusiastic and genuine she was.”