American-English summer wedding in Surrey
Outdoor Summer wedding
The beautiful wedding couple, Aurora and Alex, are university sweethearts! The bride is American and met Alex, the groom, when she first came to university in the UK. Aurora decided then to move to London permanently. They’ve been together ever since.
This sweet couple lives in London but decided to hold their wedding in the small village of Pirbright near Woking in Surrey, where Alex’s parents live. They wanted a relaxed, English countryside wedding. The church, the outdoor drinks reception, and the evening reception at the village hall are all within walking distance. Many guests came from America, so all the venues needed to be easy to travel to. Also, it showed off the beautiful English countryside and picturesque village to the guests, many of whom had never been to England.
Alex and Aurora wanted an informal yet stylish wedding day, so with that in mind, they hired the lovely Lisa from Carmela Weddings to coordinate and plan the day. Emma Soulsby to create some fantastic floral décor – including a living wall of flowers and foliage as a backdrop to the dessert table and greenery all along the ceiling of the village hall. Lisa, meanwhile, had the whole hall floor covered in artificial grass to bring the feeling of the outdoors into an indoor space. She arranges the lounge areas with armchairs and sofas for the guests to relax. Every tiny detail fitted into the elegant but natural theme of the wedding day, from an old piano specially hired to the little-potted succulents on the tables.
The wedding day
The day started at St. Michael & All Angels Church in Pirbright. From there, the guests strolled down the road to the drinks reception held in an open field and orchard belonging to a family friend. Emma left her stamp with stylish floral arrangements on the gateway, even here! After everyone had drinks, Aurora and Alex made some informal speeches. Then everyone walked down to the village hall for the evening reception while I did some portraits of the couple on the village green. At the village hall, there were signature cocktails to get everyone in the mood for the fun evening ahead. Instead of a sit-down dinner, food trucks arrived behind the hall, where guests chose pies and mash, pizza or Mexican food! After that, it was dancing with a live band – but not before Aurora’s best friend and bridesmaid surprised the couple by performing a song on stage with the band!
Alex and Aurora, thank you so much for inviting me to be part of your wedding day! With so many close family members there, the whole day felt like a lovely family reunion/party/get-together, which is what Aurora and Alex wanted to achieve. They did it so stylishly.
The couple also booked me for a pre-wedding photoshoot a few weeks before the big day.
Please, get in touch if you are looking for a wedding or engagement photographer in London.