I was delighted to be asked - at the last minute after another photographer had to pull out due to illness - to capture Kathy and Rich get married at the beautiful Folly Farm. Kathy, a fellow wedding photographer, worked at the photography department where I was studying, and I was equally terrified but excited to be asked to shoot their day!
Their 4th May Star Wars themed wedding was one of the most personalised I've witnessed!
First off Kathy, her bridesmaids and Mum were all spending time together getting ready. Kathy received a photo album from Rich of their lives together so far which was such a beautiful present on the morning of their big day!
One of the most exciting aspects of this wedding for me was the number of outfits Kathy was going to be wearing! She was staring off in a stunning bodysuit with a huge skirt and heels, and which was swapped to a floaty skirt for dancing with gold trainers, and then eventually ended up in a tutu by the end of the night!
Next up was time for Kathy to get ready, and for the finishing touches on everyone else. (notice the Lego Figure Star Wars Characters in all the buttonholes and on the bouquets of flowers!)
Kathy and Rich's ceremony had everyone laughing and crying all at the same time. A few beautiful readings from close family and friends made this feel extremely personal and touching.
Then time for confetti!
After the ceremony, everyone headed over to the back of the venue to congratulate the newly married couple and grab a drink. The sun was out on a beautiful May bank holiday, so everyone got involved with all of the games Kathy and Rich had set up for everyone!
After spending time with all their guests, we snuck Kathy and Rich away for some photos away from the crowds. Folly Farm is situated in such a beautiful location with some gorgeous areas to explore.
With a good number of the wedding guests being photographers as well, it was to be expected that we ended up with a fun sight like this at Kathy and Rich's wedding! Another technician from the photography department at my university had brought the equipment to make a wet plate collodion - a very early photographic practice - of the couple.
Then time for the group photos!
Time for a few detail shots of all the handmade and personalised decorations in the dining hall! Each table had a different theme, with handmade name places to tie in with each theme. Kathy and Rich had their Star Wars theme on their own table!
We were lucky enough to be able to have the speeches outside!
Everyone got a Superhero mask at their place on the table, so after dinner these came out...as did Kathy's first outfit change so she was ready for the dancing!
First up was a ceilidh - during which Kathy surprised almost everybody (including Rich!) by joining in with the band on her violin. We'd heard her practicing at university for weeks and suddenly it all became clear!
We snuck out for a breather...
And then it was time for the first dance (which included a drinking game that's a tradition with Kathy and Rich!), and then we danced the night away...
And Kathy even ended up in a tutu...duelling with a lightsaber with her new husband Rich...