A chilled out, fun and informal garden party on the outskirts of Poole

It is quite something to put together a wedding entirely from scratch, and even more impressive when that wedding is EXACTLY what you planned for it to be! In the case of Charlie and Daniel, the vibes they were going for were chilled out, fun, relaxed and informal, with a hint of festival thrown in for good measure. They achieved this in quite a spectacular fashion!

They started with an Air BnB house with a huge garden, and left everything up to fate with 100 guests and no rainy day back up plan! Quite the risk at the beginning of June, or at any time of year in England to be honest. The biggest room in the house, attractive as it was, would only have held about 30 people, and there was no marquee, so it really was a risk. One that well and truly payed off, as we had wonderful sunshine and warm temperatures for the whole day.

The couple put together a gorgeous outdoor ceremony area with chairs, comfy cushions and even some sofas to give their big wedding a lovely intimate and relaxed feel. There were other areas around the garden for sitting and chatting, and there was even a zip line and swings for the young people to enjoy!

I (very unsurprisingly) arrived to a lovely relaxed house full of the wedding party getting ready. Everything was DIY and Charlie really did an incredible job of making hers and her bridesmaid's bouquets in fabulous vibrant colours that matched their gorgeously bright bridesmaid dresses. Charlie had decided to make a flower crown for herself the morning of the wedding, so as I took photos of the Groom and his friends, the beautiful Bride was sat in her wedding dress, having her hair done by her bridesmaid and making her flower crown from the leftovers from the bouquets. It was a good choice, as the flower crown was simply gorgeous, and it suited Charlie and the vibe of the wedding, so well.

The ceremony was performed by a close friend of the couple and as they were pronounced newly married, various friends stood up to sing the couple back down the aisle. The Bride even sang the last line of the song, and the Groom had no idea this was going to happen! I've got some great photos of a very surprised and happy Groom! I knew that this was going to happen thank goodness, so was ready to go with my camera. I always say to my couples, 'surprise your guests (or in this case, your Groom), not your photographer!' If I know that a special surprise is coming, then I can be in the right place at the right time to capture it!

The couple were really keen on getting some silly/fun style photos of them with their huge group of lovely friends, so we had lots of fun lifting the Bride, and then the Groom. Then there was swapping jackets and flowers amongst the bridesmaids and groomsmen and pretending to be each other. We had the couples friends hiding around the corner giggling while the Bride and Groom shared a cheeky kiss, and some fun cheering and crazy poses. Everyone was up for the challenge and I am so pleased with the final results. They really capture the fun of the day.

We kept the 'formal' photos to a minimum, and I wandered around the vast grounds capturing candid photos of the guests chatting and enjoying the fajita truck (which smelt SOOO good!)

Then I took the new husband and wife off into the woods behind the house for some couples portraits. The woods were beautifully green, covered in gorgeous dappled light, and there were foxgloves everywhere. We captured some wonderful photos of the poses that we had practised at the engagement photo session back in the Autumn, and I got to take some photos of the couple practising their choreographed first dance, in the romantic setting of the woodlands.

It really was a wonderful day and I smiled on the drive all the way home. Charlie and Daniel are such lovely people and they have wonderful friends and family, who clearly absolutely adore them. I wish them every happiness in the start of their journey as a married couple.