A KENYAN THEMED, ARTY, BACK GARDEN CELEBRATION: WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY IN EYE, SUFFOLK

If a wedding with really artistic styling, DIY touches and a kenyan theme is right up your street, you’ll utterly adore Emily & Andy’s back garden wedding in Eye, Suffolk. Relaxed, joy-filled wedding photography and family and friend centred fun in the heart of Eye, Suffolk.

Emily & Andy had a completely gorgeous, relaxed wedding. A church ceremony at St Mary’s church and then back to Emily’s childhood home and garden where tipis and marquees awaited for the party to really get underway.. The whole day had a Kenyan theme (it’s Emily’s happy place and the pair got engaged there at sunrise!) with hand drawn and hand printed napkins each with different animals, plus, lots of divine Kenyan fabrics dotted throughout the day. Their wedding celebration was honestly, SO relaxed and incredible fun from start to finish.. If you’re considering having a DIY outdoorsy wedding at home or in a field nearby, take inspiration from here! I photographed Emily & Andy a few months ago at Alton Water in Suffolk (see here!) and had so much fun with them, so I was super pumped to get involved with their guests and photograph their big day.

Getting ready

Emily got ready at her family home in Eye, Suffolk. When I arrived, her bridesmaids, flower girl and family were all happily pottering around the house and garden getting everything ready for the reception later that day. Everyone was really laid back, super ahead of schedule and relaxing with glasses of Prosecco waiting for the time to get dressed to come around.

Emily’s dress was originally designed by Elspeth Fox Pitt, made in 1957. Not only is it a gorgeous vintage dress, it was actually her Grandmothers. I bloomin’ adore it when brides wear their mother or grandmothers dress; it’s so special. There were a few stains so Emily’s mum worked wonders cleaning it. In the family home was a photograph of Emily’s Grandparents on their wedding day – I loved seeing the dress being worn the first time round.

Andy chose to wear a classic morning suit, mixed up a little with a jazzy, colourful Kenyan waistcoat. The groomsmen wore outfits to match Andy’s and the bridesmaids each chose their own Navy coloured dress.

The Ceremony at St Mary’s Church, Eye

The minister that lead Emily and Andy’s church service was a family friend called Jokey. There were tales from Jokey of Emily’s childhood which made the whole service was so very personal. The church was jammed packed with their favourite peoples, which made for the most epic, long confetti line outside afterwards!

The Wedding Reception at home in Eye, Suffolk

The wedding had mainly a Kenyan theme, with kikoy (a Kenyan fabric) bunting, table runners and of course the waistcoats. There were real Flamingo feathers in Emily’s hair as well as in the bouquet, button holes and in the jars on the table amongst the lavender. The pair had made a DIY bar from scaffold boards and used a pallet to make signs from. The napkins on the tables had each been hand-printed by Emily’s mum with 13 different Kenyan animals.

The catering was by the Paella and Tapas Company, which served, unsurprisingly, delicious tapas on the lawn and Paella served in the marquee.

The Party

After a whole load of completely hilarious speeches, it was time for drinks and mingling before Jax & Co (a Suffolk based Johnny Cash tribute band) kept everyone on the dance floor. These guys were SO friendly and went down so well. High fives to them in particular after they volunteered to go on a booze run for E&A after they ran out of beer earlier than expected! I could have stayed and danced for the rest of the evening!

Above all, this fun, arty, Kenyan themed garden wedding was incredible. Whether you’re getting married in Eye or somewhere else altogether and looking for a relaxed wedding photographer, find out more about what I offer here!

Credits:

Cake: Angela Herrod-Taylor
Dress: Emily’s Grandmother’s wedding dress, designed by Elspeth Fox Pitt 1957
Waistcoats: Handmade in Kenya, arranged by Ben Hudson
VW Campervan – Constable Classic Campers
Hair and Makeup – Becki Jordan
Flowers – assembled by many of the aunts, fathers, mothers, sisters, cousins.
Supplier: Triangle Nursery, Woodbridge