People do crazy things for love. Case in point: me saying “yes, of course!” to flying to England for one day to cover Kristian & Maeve’s festival themed wedding in the countryside of Derbyshire. I was jet lagged to the max and by the end of the day, my colleague Aaron said, “you’re not even saying actual words” when I mumbled something that I though sounded like, “hey the pizza truck is here”. But I would do it all over again given the opportunity. My heart is full.
So. Maeve & Kristian have been together for 10 years. And although all weddings have a special place in my heart, there’s something particularly meaningful to me about capturing a couple who have been together for an uber long time and only now choosing to join their lives together in marriage. I feel like marriage used to be such a given. So common. Just a step in life. Like going to college. But with so many mainstream options for how people can choose to build their relationships, marriage as a conscious choice seems more powerful to me now.
And so conscious is a very good word to describe Kriss & Maeve. Conscious and intentional. This was a wedding I could really get behind. No one “gave away” the bride. She didn’t take his name (they double-barreled both of their names together). The maid of honor gave a speech (cuz ladies can talk good too!) And as feminist as we have become in society, I so often witness wedding traditions that can be so out of sync with the values we say we hold about women. Ok, so anyway…the whole thing was just really my jam.
So now about the day itself! It was a festival themed wedding. All took place at one venue, Mapperley Farm in Ilkeston, Derbyshire. The ceremony was in a woodland. The reception in tipis. From there, you could see the glamping tents for people to sleep over on-site. Firepits, food trucks, live music. Not one little thing was missed. It was a dream of a plan which came together perfectly.
The sky was overcast but we were blessed with one hell of a golden hour as the sun set behind the tents and we left our friends dancing the night away.
