When Carmen (of Carmen Weddings) first contacted me last year about photographing Chloe and Alistair’s wedding and she explained what they had planned, I was very excited indeed to be involved. Chloe and Alistair did everything exactly how they wanted, and nothing was beyond the realms of possibility for Carmen and her trusty team of suppliers as they worked with the couple to create something pretty spectacular. Chloe’s ancestral family home was knocked down in the 1960s, but she had photographs of the majestic stately home and its grounds that she showed me when I visited her for their engagement shoot. Her plan was to erect a Papakata Sperry tent in the ruined gardens of the old house, next to the church that still stands in its grounds. When we visited the spot for the engagement shoot, it was nothing but a clearing amongst the trees with some scattered lawn seed on the ground. But on returning to the spot for their wedding a few months later it was transformed. The perfect place for Chloe and Alistair’s nuptials, and it really was great to see her vision come to life! To add to this, Alistair also wanted to bring elements of his own heritage to the wedding, and with family from Nigeria, what better way to do this than with African drummers and performers. It really was a photographer’s dream come true. And my favourite moment: During a very English hymn, the faint sound of African drumming getting louder and louder as they made their way through the church. I had goosebumps! It was incredibly moving. The bride and groom and the rest of the congregation followed them out of the church, through the trees and into the clearing where the Sperry tent stood. I had tears in my eyes from the moment the drummers started playing. It was the perfect mix of traditional English with traditional African and I LOVED it!! Thanks to my second shooter Mark for helping me capture this wonderful day, and huge credit must also go to the other wonderful suppliers… Flowers by Catkin flowers, hair and makeup by Rachel Liney, amazing band: The Top Cats to name but a few. Here is their story in pictures…