Informal garden wedding for Blackpool couple

They held the ceremony in the back garden alongside a pond and a backdrop of flowers before a reception in a tipi in an adjoining field.Sarah, a lettings manager, 33 from Thornton Cleveleys said: “As we’d already done the legal bit, it meant our Saturday ceremony could be exactly as we wanted it to be. “The lovely Anne Kelsall who married us on the Thursday also conducted our Saturday ceremony, we wrote our own vows and my dad tied handfasting cords in a fisherman’s knot around our joined hands.“He is a trawlerman, with two boats which used to dock in Fleetwood.”

They met in 2003 through a mutual friend and became engaged on Valentine’s Day in 2017. They had just moved into their empty flat and celebrated with a takeaway and fizz, sat on the carpet.They say they are not the formal kind and knew they wanted their wedding day to be more informal. They had been to a festival early in their relationship and enjoyed it so much, they decided on a festival theme.Sarah said: “Once my mum and I went to see the tipi’s at an open day, we were sold! “They are truly breathtaking and really made the whole day feel so special. “We wanted a party feel which our entertainer John Norcott really pulled off! We had a sax player during cocktails and had The Jeps band in the evening and the dance floor was never empty! “Unfortunately my brother, Ben, couldn’t be there as he was in Mali with the RAF. This made for an emotional speech from my dad, which he wrote the night before the wedding and it was brilliant.“It was a perfect mix of humour and emotion and was one of my favourite memories of the day along with saying our vows which I just about managed to get them out without crying!”

To go with the informal feel they had a VW camper van, ‘The Fish Bay’ serving a fish supper as the wedding breakfast which was a nod to Sarah’s dad and also as she worked in a chippy when she was at college. Dairy Fairy Ice Cream served unlimited ice cream from a converted horse box for dessert and Sarah made a cake to cut.One of the main aspects of the day was choosing the music, something the couple enjoyed doing together,Sarah walked down the aisle to Madness, It Must Be Love and they danced into the tipi’s to Sigala, Came Here For Love.Their first dance was also a Sigala song called Sweet Lovin, which started slow and then turned into a dance version, complete with confetti canons.“We received tickets to see Sigala as a wedding gift which was fab,” said Sarah.

“My mum and I got really into planning mode as we quickly realised that not having ‘a proper venue’ was a lot of work, but it was so worth it! I handmade all the signage and my mum made the brilliant WFEST sign with arrows indicating where everything was.“Our family and friends really made the day extra special.“As Paul and I have both lived in different cities, as well as abroad, our friends and family travelled from far and wide.“Paul’s best man Ricky travelled from Brisbane, Australia where he lives. He is one of Paul’s oldest and closest friends, despite the long distance. “My friend Jess, travelled all the way from Hawaii, along with traditional Haku Lei for Paul and I to wear), and Paul’s niece who had been travelling and was working in Melbourne, Australia surprised us the week of the wedding after telling us she couldn’t make it!“I could never have imagined how amazing and special the whole day would be, it went way too fast. What I wouldn’t give to do it all again!”Paul, 39, a support worker from Fleetwood said: “My bride was more than fashionably late but definitely worth the wait! Best day ever!”

Photos: Fairclough Studios www.faircloughstudios.co.uk