A Portsmouth wedding as the precursor to a multi-day celebration built around a shared love of music and an awesome festival wedding theme at the height of Summer. Wow, you’d have to go some way to top that!
Music is a huge part of Laura & Steve’s lives, and that of all their friends and family. Indeed, their first date was at the Isle of Wight Festival, so what could be more appropriate that to celebrate their marriage with their very own music festival, held over the course of a weekend on the anniversary of that auspicious occasion? And so it was that one weekend in August saw the Timbusry Manor estate – home to fields and lakes, trees and gardens and, most importantly, room for lots of tents, play host to the first ever Baldfest – a celebration of all things Mr & Mrs Baldwin.
But I’ve got a little ahead of myself. Before we could have our festival wedding they actually had to become Mr & Mrs Baldwin, and so for day 1 we headed into town for a Portsmouth wedding on a gloriously sunny day. This occasion was all about the legal ceremony, followed by photos on the seafront and a smaller, more intimate meal for close family and friends (before the doors were then thrown wide open at the weekend for some serious tunes and partying!). Portsmouth’s Registry Office is located bang in the middle of the city, down by the University and around the corner from Gunwharf Quays. It’s a handsome building with an impressive upstairs ceremony room, and it has a little trick up its sleeves compared to many other Registry Offices: a huge and beautifully-maintained garden which provides an absolutely wonderful backdrop either for photos or for general milling around pre- or post-ceremony. It was here that I caught up with our bride and groom before they made their way upstairs with guests to the charming ceremony room to say their ‘I do’s’.
After a short but very sweet ceremony, our newly married bride and groom emerged from the Registry Office to a barrage of confetti, before heading back into the gardens for a brief while. As other other guests then made their way on to the restaurant which had been booked for lunch, Sant Yago in Southsea, I stole our couple away and took them down to the waterfront for some photos in the blazing sun. Perfect blue skies and fluffy white clouds – it was about as summery as you could get.
You’re missing a trick with a Portsmouth wedding if you don’t head down to the seafront to check out just how nice these parts of the old city can be, especially with those big wide views across the water and over to the Isle of Wight. (It was perhaps to our advantage that the ceremony took place mid-week, so we had more of the old walls and waterfront to ourselves than we might have done on a similarly sunny Saturday). There’s loads to play with there for a photographer; the old stonework, lawns, tunnels… and of course those wide blue skies. Knowing that we had the advantage of a second, full day for more couple photos coming up though, we were able to head round to the restaurant before too long so that the celebrating could really begin. (Check out the size of those cocktails!).
So our bride and groom were married, and their nuptials had been toasted and celebrated. But there was more to come, a lot more in fact… Head over to day 2 to see what happens when you bring 100 of your closest together in a tented village with a whole load of bands, a cocktail bar, fire pits and all the rest for three days for three days of camping, dancing and general partying. Plus another wedding ceremony, outside under the trees this time. It’s the legendary festival wedding weekend now forever known as Baldfest!
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Making it possible…
Venue: Portsmouth Registry Office (ceremony)
Reception: Sant Yago restaurant, Southsea
Florist: Catkin & Pussywillow
Suits: Moss Bros
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If you are currently planning your Portsmouth wedding and would like to know more about my wedding photography services, packages and prices, please do get in touch to check availability and ask me any questions you might have. I’m only too happy to help however I can.
Thanks as ever for reading, and don’t forget to check out part 2 of this incredible wedding!
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