Wednesday 30 May 2012

Laura and Pete | The Wedding

Welcome to the wedding of Laura and Pete - a day of sunshine, jumping and peak district charm.

A few of my favourite things:
1) The relationships. There was such a strong sense of togetherness and support that passed between these two and their guests. It started the night before at the rehearsal as a huge party of close friends and immediate family tumbled into the church. It continued on the morning as Laura was getting ready upstairs at Smallshaw Farm. She could see guests arrive to catch the vintage bus over to the church in Bradfield and each new arrival was pointed out and named with glee. It was spoken of in Pete's speech, including the strength of family and church ties, and was a delight to spend the day with. (Incidentally, Jon Graham won the sweepstake for the length of the speeches taking home nine English Pounds as a result.)

2) The energy and activities. When we met a couple of months back Laura and Pete described their aim of a village fete atmosphere. Pete had crafted slate signs to put about the place, and had even hand made a giant jenga. This plus the croquet, rugby ball, bowling balls and trampoline meant there was no space for a lull. Thankfully this was the weekend that we welcomed summer to our fair isle; no mud to mess up the fun. (Plus any chance to down camera and jump on a trampoline is going to be welcomed by a Kate).

3) The love of Yorkshire, or "God's Own County" as Pete put it. Local food included a fridge stocked with Our Cow Molly icecream for guests to help themselves to throughout the hot afternoon. And although I'm only half Yorkshire and didn't grow up here, I share the same fondness so liked seeing it celebrated. Being up in the peaks helped matters, (driving through the hills following Nelly the classic "Inspector Morse" style Jaguar was also something of a treat), and the owners of Smallshaw did a grand job of hosting the day with a smile.

Congratulations to both of you. You did it!

All images ©KateCooperPhotography2012