Probably one of the most commonly asked questions I get when I meet potential couples is what if it rains on our wedding day? And really, the answer is that we just crack on, have wet weather plans in place (it’s worth asking what your venue’s wet weather contingency plan is before you book – see this blog about tips for wet weddings) and remember that it’s rare is rains ALL DAY. Well, Megan and Jamie, I sold you a doozy because your day was the day where it did rain. All day.

BUT HERE’S THE THING. Rain might be a pain but it will only ruin the day if you let it. As your photographer, it’s my job to be creative, work around it and get wet so you don’t have to. For Megan and Jamie that meant me getting wet to get the car to drive them 25 meters to a covered area for portraits and working alongside Roo their videographer to throw brollies around to get them in and out of cars with as little hassle as possible. And as you can see, a brilliant day was had by all.

What a glorious, cosy day. Make a brew and settle in for this one.

HOW DID YOU MEET?

Working at Loch Fyne seafood restaurant.

Megan worked behind the bar and I was a waiter and instantly very keen, very shy and accidentally very blunt! We worked through it until I plucked up the courage to ask her out for a nice formal meal to McDonalds. Everyone at work overheard and decided to join us. I asked again hoping for better but once again everyone came… We eventually went out somewhere else without the whole of our team and the rest is history!

TELL ME YOUR PROPOSAL STORY

We were travelling around New Zealand at the start of 2020 and I (Jamie) was having to hide a ring from any peeping eyes until I found the perfect location which happened to be Hahei beach in the Coramandel. I pretend to take a countdown picture but then got down to 1 knee and popped the magic question.

Thankfully, she said yes otherwise it may have been an interesting trip!

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO HAVE YOUR WEDDING AT CROCKWELL FARM?

When Covid hit we went into lockdown in NZ and we started looking for venues. The main thing Megan was looking for was a feature tree. We did a general UK wide wedding venue search and found this amazing tree that was outside a beautiful venue and then realised that it was a fairly close location to us. We fell in love with the venue the moment we saw it.
We spoke to the team whilst still in New Zealand and it instantly felt like the right place and so we pencilled in our big day from the other side of the world before seeing in person.

WHAT WAS IT YOU LOVED ABOUT YOUR OUTFITS AND ACCESSORIES THAT MADE YOU CHOOSE THEM?

Megan – The wild flower embroidery on my dress caught my attention when I first saw it online as we were keen on a relaxed garden party theme! I am all about comfort so embroided converse was always a must, especially as I wanted to do some serious dancing in the evening. I had my great grandmas ring on from my nannas side as well as my great grandmas embroidered hanky on my Grandads side. These covered my something blue, borrowed and old.  It was lovely for myself and family to have connection to past generations.

Jamie – blue suit, red tie and braces – perfect!

TELL ME ABOUT THE VISION YOU HAD FOR YOUR WEDDING

We went for a garden party theme where we wanted all guests to be relaxed and have a good time. To tie in with this style we chose to have a BBQ for our wedding breakfast. Flower wise we decided to go for wild flowers as Crockwell has lovely gardens and Megan had a vision of bouquet looking like it was scooped up from the grounds. The flowers were mirrored on our cake in sugar replicas. The were so realistic that no one could believe they were not real!

To suit the bridesmaids colouring we avoided Pastel colours and chose for a stronger red which suited everyone and the venue. The same red was used for the ties of the myself and the groomsman. We also all wore braces as this is something I had all always wanted to wear.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST DANCE AND WHY DID YOU CHOOSE IT?

The You and Me Together Song – The 1975

This song was the soundtrack on our travels around New Zealand. That and the some the lyrics made this feel the perfect choice.

WHAT WERE THE MOST WONDERFUL PARTS OF THE DAY FOR YOU?

Megan – My wedding dress reveal to my mum (she cried, I cried, it was a lovely moment), marrying my best friend and becoming Mrs Hayes and sharing pizza and cake at the end of the day with my new Husband looking back on a magical day.

Jamie – The ceremony, the speeches (seeing all the people we know and Love in front of me)  and the rare moments we had together.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE HANNAH HALL PHOTOGRAPHY AS YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER, AND WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE OF YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY ON THE DAY?

We wanted a relaxed natural style throughout the day and this included the photography. We saw Hannah’s work and instantly knew she was the right fit.

On the day and Hannah and Kieran were a calming influence on everyone and fit in as though they were part of the wedding party. They helped with preparations and were happy to help with anything we needed .

The photos we received after were better than we could have imagined. There is so much movement and emotion in them and you can really grasp the feel of the day, taking you back to the moments they were taken.

WHAT WOULD BE YOUR BEST BIT OF ADVICE TO OTHER COUPLES PLANNING THEIR WEDDING?

Book Hannah Hall! 

Try not to worry. Whatever happens you will be married and would have had the best day.

We spent 1000 days of planning and hoped for a sunny day in the middle of July, however, the rain came and bought everyone even closer and we wouldn’t change a thing!

MEGAN + JAMIE’S VERY WET WEDDING AT CROCKWELL FARM HAPPENED WITH THE HELP OF THE FOLLOWING SUPPLIERS

Hair eClips Hair Studio / Makeup Sarah Evans / Bride’s Outfit Justin Alexander from Dotty Bridal

Flowers By Arrangement / Venue Crockwell Farm / Videography Roo Films / Cake The Whimsical Cakery

Suppliers please drop me a line for image use!

HELLO, IS IT ME YOU’RE LOOKING FOR?

If you’re looking for a wedding photographer who laughs in the face of rain, I could be your girl. Find out more about me here.

SEEN ENOUGH? DROP ME A LINE.