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Photos and video by McKinley-Rodgers Photography
A chance meeting…
So a girl goes to watch the swimming at the Olympics and a guy is sitting in her seat… two years later girl marries this guy and they start their life together! Sounds like the start to a rom-com movie right?! Well this gorgeous pair Angel and Neil met just like that… a random meeting that turned into a new best friend and new love! Amazing hey!
So today we share with you their love story and photos from their big day taken by new Mr & Mrs Unique suppliers McKinley-Rodgers Photography! And they are super sweet! Enjoy
The Couple: Angel & Neil
Wedding Venue: London Wetlands Centre ‘Living Space’
Reception Venue: The Old Dairy, Crouch Hill
Pen from McKinley-Rodgers Photography…
Why do you love this wedding…
We always get swept away by a love story, and how Angel and Neil met is one that you can’t help but feel fate played a helping hand in! In terms of the actual wedding, we loved the unique choice of location, and Angel’s floral crown was just to die for!
What were the couple’s requirements…
Angel and Neil were a wonderful couple to work with, and didn’t have any specific requirements but to just capture the day as it unfolded.
Favourite details of the day…
Have I already mentioned the floral crown? Oh and the cake just looked positively delicious!
Favourite moment of the day…
I loved the first dance which I believe was literally the couples first ever dance. It was so beautifully romantic, and you could see for Angel and Neil, everyone in the room just disappeared for those few minutes.
Angel & Neil…
Tell us how you met and got engaged…
Neil and I met at the 2012 Olympics when he sat in my chair at a swimming event. We knew there was a spark so we decided to exchange emails and keep in touch. We maintained a long distance relationship in two different countries visiting one another as often as possible. In April 2013, Neil proposed to me on a hot air balloon ride at sunset in San Diego, California. It was extremely romantic!
How would you describe your wedding theme…
A bohemian, colourful, romantic celebration!
What was your main hopes and plan for the day…
We truly wanted a day that reflected who we were as a couple: silly, bohemian, romantic, foodie, music lovers! It was always meant to be intimate, which we were able to maintain with just 50 guests.
With Neil being British and myself being American, we wanted our tastes and cultures showcased in our day. Food was a big part of that, so we created a menu that reflected our love of American and British food. The other big part of our day was music, we created an eclectic playlist together that captured the essence of who we are. I walked down the aisle to ‘Flightless Bird American Mouth’ by Iron & Wine, we walked out to ‘Hoppipola’ by Sigur Ros and our first dance was to ‘Fade Into You’ by Mazzy Star. All of these songs had special meaning for us and are just beautiful.
Florals were a big deal to me since I’m a huge fan of colour and truly wanted a floral crown that would get people talking – it worked!
My daughter Madison needed to feel included as well, we were able to achieve this by making her a part of our ceremony and catering to kids at our reception. Crayons, stickers, colouring sheets, sweets and a specialised kid’s menu made this possible.
Was your favourite part of the day…
There are so many moments that were special for us, but I think we both agree on one that stood out the most. Neil and I wanted to include Maddy in our ceremony, so Neil decided to buy her a beautiful necklace and give it to her in front of all of our guests.
The only problem was the necklace got tangled up in it’s little box and took about 20 minutes to untangle. With help from our officiant and a little bit of laughter, Neil was able to place it around her neck. It was such a touching moment and had everyone tearing up and laughing all at the same time.
How was your day unique…
We did what felt natural to us.. We incorporated our family into our special day and we had a routemaster bus! Those are always fun!
What was your budget…
£5,000 initially, but in the end we probably spent around £6,000.
What was your biggest expense…
Our photography, hands down! It was our biggest and best investment.
How did you save money…
We created the majority of our decor and sourced our materials from etsy, ebay and paperchase. Since I’m a makeup artist, I did my own makeup for the big day.
What was it like working with your photographer…
It was an amazing pleasure to work with Pen and Cam. It felt like having 2 more friends at our wedding.. They’re really genuine and funny people. They love being married and capturing moments of other couples in love.
I admired their work for a long time and when it was time to choose photographers, it was a no-brainer! Pen and Cam took what we asked for and made it utterly special. I tear up every time I watch our wedding video and so does everyone else. If I could have them capture all of the special moments in our lives, I would!
Advice to any couples about to get married…
This is the part I wish I would have listened to when I was wedding planning, I could have avoided so much stress. Book your vendors early, especially photography! Good photographers book up fast!
If you know loved ones with special talents i.e. musicians, crafty people, baking -savvy etc.. in your lives, have them pitch in! It will make your day feel that more special.
Try not to sweat the small details, there were so many elements and ideas I had, but either ran out of time or patience to incorporate them. Everything will work out in the end.
If you have kids or are inviting those that do, try to have activities or things to occupy them. A fussy child is never fun.
Remember why you’re celebrating; a wedding is for one day, the commitment you’re making is forever.
What perfect words to end this blog post! A massive congratulations to you both and a massive thank you to Pen & Cam from McKinley-Rodgers Photography for sharing their images and video.
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