In this Blog we look back to a balmy April day and the real wedding of Louise and Craig.
Where: Craig and Louise were the first couple to utilise the new, yet rustic, hand crafted wooden Gazebo at The Boundary, Garon Park, Southend. Their guests soon found the bar of the next door cricket club and took their seats on the bespoke wooden benches ready to celebrate the love of Louise and Craig.
First Contact: Louise reached out to me after viewing The Boundary with venue manager Charlotte, as I am one of their recommended suppliers. We had a video chat to discuss the details and identified some considerations that I had not had to make before. Firstly, some guests were deaf so we would need to incorporate a BSL Interpreter and secondly, they wanted to involve their children, however there were some neurodivergence’s to consider.
Wedding Day: Amidst a gentle breeze and accompanied by the sound of the cricket match in the background, Louise walked down the aisle to the strains of ‘Beauty and The Beast’ from the Disney music, escorted by her dad. I was joined in the gazebo by Lauren who sang and played keyboards and Louise the BSL Interpreter, as well as a videographer and at times a photographer – it was cosy but we coped.
We paid tribute to treasured family relationships and acknowledged that it had taken a mere eleven years to get from engagement to wedding day. Louise and Craig’s children joined me as ring bearers and bridesmaid, roles we had practiced at a venue open day before the ceremony so that the children could cope with exactly what their jobs involved, that there would be clapping and cheering and that they could express themselves in anyway they wished with a dance or striking a pose, which they fully embraced, they smashed it!
After a certificate signing we gathered all the guests as close as we could to the gazebo so Matt, the photographer, could try to capture an Oscar’s selfie style photo of everyone shouting ‘cheers’ it was an epic first for me!
Celebrant Led: The benefit of engaging my services in a ceremony such as this was huge.
The venue was not licensed so there was no option of a registrar attending, instead Craig and Louise had an intimate legal ceremony followed by a family dinner. Their guests could enjoy an alcoholic drink whilst watching their loved ones make their promises to each other, this would not be allowed with a registrar present.
I created a fully bespoke ceremony, incorporating the key pints and figures in Louise and Craig’s relationship and then was able to work through it with Louise, the interpreter, so she could be a signing magician on the day. Involving the children was a joy and a privilege and I loved working with them and planning their roles with them so they had as little anxiety on the day as possible, they really are brilliant.
We filled the ceremony with love, humour and personal touches that made it truly special and I remembered once again, how lucky I am to do the job I do.
All photos courtesy of Matt Wing Photography.
Louise Thalemann can be engaged as a BSL Interpreter via eslin.org.uk/user/louisethalemann/
