Missy & Jamie’s Awesome Intimate Garden Wedding in the suburbs of London
Missy and Jamie’s intimate garden wedding absolutely rocked! And was like no other wedding I’d attended before. I’d previously photographed weddings with 35 guests and 15 guests but this was the first with 5 guests. There was Missy and Jamie, Ioanna the Maid of Honour, Alex the Bestman, and Missy’s mother (Noriko) and sister (Ayaka). And then there was me. I always prefer to be seen as more of a guest than a supplier as it offers me greater access to capture intimate moments. A wedding this small truly allowed me to embrace this. It was an amazing experience to be so intwined in the energy and atmosphere of the day; something that was made so easy by everyone who were so fun and welcoming.
For this post I’m trying something a little differently. Rather than continue writing about the day from my perspective, I thought it’d be cool to hear from Missy and Jamie in their own words. So, take it over Mr & Mrs Curtis (yep Jamie took Missy’s last name).
Tell us about how you proposed
Missy likes food, as long as it’s tasty. After taking her to Knightsbridge to Pierre Herme for Macaron Day and feeding her some of her favourite treats, I had planned to propose on top of the Wellington Arch in Hyde Park. However, as it was closed for refurbishment, it ended up happening on a park bench instead.
No matter how sure I was of the answer when Missy started panicking saying “Jay, what are you doing? Jay, stand up. People are going to look at us, Jay. Jay, just stand up” whilst I was getting ready to propose, that little seed of panic thinking “have I really massively misjudged this?” cropped up for about 5 seconds until Missy said, “Yes. Now get up before more people look at us”.
What made you choose the church and your home as a wedding venue?
The church was pretty and had a very nice (and close) location opposite Carshalton ponds. Being close to the pub (The Sun) for friends to dive in whilst we had photos taken was very handy.
For the ‘reception’, what better venue could we have had than our house surrounded by a few of our closest friends and our cats? As the night wore on and the outfits slowly came undone with the dress change, the suit jacket came off, and finally the onesies coming out. It was all very comfortable and relaxing.
What made you choose your outfits?
Missy’s veil was the stand-out feature of her outfit. Whilst mine was put together with a very good offer on the suit and eBay coming to the fore with ex-hire waistcoats.
Did you style your house for the wedding?
We decorated our house and garden to suit us and have a perfect living space! We didn’t do anything special for the day – that would have been too much effort and tidying up.
What were your favourite moments from the day?
Special moment #1
Alex [Best man]: “We should get some shots in before everyone else arrives”
Jamie [Groom] whispering: “Did you bring a hip flask?”
Alex: “I meant photography shots, but I can quickly hit up the pub if you really want a drink?”
Special moment #2
Jamie nearly cried during the vows but managed to hold himself together.
Missy [Bride]: “What does ‘trothe’ mean?
Father John [Vicar]: “Well you’ve just given it, so it’s a bit late to ask!”
Special moment #3 (during the Formal Photos)
Matt [Photographer]: “Can people duck down?”
Missy: “Everyone duck!”
VWOM *Everyone hides behind a bush*
Special moment #4
Jamie: “Let’s try to light two fireworks at once”
*fails and dives out the way before it blows up in his face*
Jamie: “We’ll try that once more!”
Special moment #5
A terrifying moment being thrown around on a chair by Alex and Matt.
Jamie – I have a wife now! That feels odd. I’m not used to having a wife.
Missy – my new ring is nice and shiny.
Missy was a bit stressed getting ready, but was happy that I was able to sit outside and make time to have a cigarette with her (only she had a cigarette). She was very anxious after I left the house to go to the church – it all make it very real very quickly! But she was very happy to see us waiting outside the church and that calmed her down all the way. She really enjoyed us walking towards the church and entering it together.
I have a wife! I’m so lucky to have this person, even though she doesn’t know what ‘trothe’ means. I know that she’ll always be too lazy to go through the paperwork to leave. That’s exactly what our relationship needed – a legal contract. In all honestly, the vows and giving of commitment was my favourite part, as cheesy as that sounds!
Do you have any comments about your photographer?
Matt’s a great friend and good laugh. The day wouldn’t have been the same without him! We were very pleased that Matt stayed through to the end of the day, and he was kind enough to help make sure all two of our other guests were able to make it back to the station safely in an uber.
Do you have any tips or advice for couples planning their wedding?
Plan nothing and the day will be amazing! Just make sure you have food marinating in the fridge and a barbecue ready. Cats help too.
Kudos to the suppliers:
Church: Carshalton All Saints| Pub: The Sun | Flowers: Missy & Asda | Catering: Jamie & Asda | Hair & Make Up:Lauren from Blow Ltd
I hope you enjoyed learning about Jamie and Missy’s intimate garden wedding. If you’re planning an intimate wedding and think I’d be a good fit then please get in touch and say hello.
