Last summer, S&S were married in a weekend celebration of classic elegance at Deer Park Country House. Their wedding ceremony was the perfect theatre setting to tell their love story so far, and bring their families and friends together to surround them as they committed to one another.
On a traditional English Summer’s day, where the heat crept around us in waves, and the gardens of the Deer Park were alive with the purples and whites of their gorgeous planting, and the bees and butterflies joined us to celebrate, we gathered. S&S chose a celebrant ceremony to bring the threads of their shared history together and make meaningful promises to each other that had strong significance and aligned with the people that they are. Working with them was a pleasure. They have a beautifully strong bond.
Part of Deer Park’s charm is the approach to its outdoor ceremony area. Guests wander through a majestic wisteria arch and turn onto a view of the ceremony space, which then becomes your approach if you are walking down to be married. We waited for S and her beautiful mum to turn the corner, and there was the most wonderful collective murmur of joy when they did. S, as a bride, was probably my biggest visual wow moment of last year. Her squad of friends wore gorgeous black satin, which made her stand out in high contrast in her choice of gown. I knew as soon as I saw it, and my heart gave a little skip. Vivienne Westwood.
Anyway, I digress. S&S sat for the first part of their ceremony, taking in the joy of having everybody they love assembled to enjoy the moment with them. We had the sweetest ring bearer who did them proud, a wonderful reading which stole the show, and I included a section where I gave space for the ways in which they love each other, and why; being their voice so that both of them could listen and absorb the commitment they were making to each other together. Family is so important to them, we took time to honour their wonderful mums and ensure that they felt the strength of gratitude due to them for their support and love. The ring exchange was intimate and peaceful, and they left the ceremony space to shouts of joy from everybody.
One of my favourite moments was watching them dance towards their confetti line, uninhibited and joyful, glowing with happiness. As the bees and butterflies continued their work on Deer Park’s garden, the wedding party made its way back to the main house for a gorgeous outdoor reception and dancing well into the night.
what i loved about this wedding ceremony
- There was only one choice for the groom to compliment his bride’s dress – white tuxedo. And he absolutely rocked it. Together with the black tie of the groomsmen and the black satin bridesmaids, it was intensely stylish and I think everyone felt as good as they looked.
- Creating the ceremony over a number of months. S&S were so generous with their time, and so thoughtful in their approach to choosing both me and their elements of the ceremony. The final result was a joy to deliver and felt like it had the perfect blend of their personalities and hopes for the future.
- Having treasured family be such a central part of the ceremony felt so natural, particularly for a couple for whom being close to their families is so important. It was a pleasure to be able to weave that strand of their lives in in such a demonstrable way.
- Doing the confetti walk in the ceremony area created a really nice full stop on the ceremony itself and a good transition into the sociable fun that was to follow. Watching everybody walking and laughing back to the main house was lovely.
what they loved about their ceremony
“We are so grateful to have had Eleanor as our celebrant. From the start she was warm, professional, and took the time to get to know us, creating a truly personalised ceremony that felt so special and unique to us.
On the day, she made us feel completely relaxed and comfortable, guiding us through everything with such calmness and kindness. Our guests all commented on how lovely she was and how beautifully the ceremony was delivered, it really set the perfect tone for the rest of the day.
Thank you so much, Eleanor, for making our wedding ceremony so memorable and personal. We couldn’t recommend you more highly definitely a 5/5!”
All photographs courtesy of and with thanks to the bride and groom and taken by Studio Westlake photography.
