In this Blog we meet another couple who chose to have a Celebrant Led wedding with me, in a venue that they loved on a balmy day in July – let’s find out more.
Where: The Boundary, Garon Park, Southend. https://www.the-boundary.uk/
When: July 2024.
Who: Charlotte and Mark.
First Contact: I was at an Open Event in April 2023 at The Boundary in Southend. It was a gloriously sunny and warm day and I had been allocated a space outside of their new rustic Gazebo so I took full advantage and plonked myself down to have a chat with whoever happened to be passing.
Along came Charlotte and Mark who had come to see what the gazebo looked like as they already liked the venue but fancied the idea of an outdoor setting. They took a seat with me on the benches and we chatted about their style, their locality to the venue and the vision they had for the day. They were chilled out, funny but had a clear aesthetic in mind and the gazebo didn’t disappoint them – and neither did I, it would seem.
A few days later I got an email asking about my availability for their date and we booked a chat over Zoom. I don’t remember talking much about their wedding plans, it was more about understanding them and who they were. We booked in a meeting for the following April and we sat in their back garden, entertained by their dog Ozzy, and set about planning.
Wedding Day: Despite a bit of a breeze it was a clear and bright day for Charlotte and Mark’s ceremony. I got to the venue early enough to be able to admire the simplicity of decoration that The Boundary needs to go from great to stunning and how our couple’s aesthetic was coming to life, with dried flower arrangements, table runners and dried petals in the reception marquee.
The gazebo was as simple and gorgeous as always, we had a table with a dried flower arrangement atop, lovingly created by Charlotte, ready for their certificate signing. There was a simple white aisle runner with two bay trees in pots half way down and capped with candles aflame in oversized vases filled with red rose petals. Every Chiavari chair was adorned simply with a paper fan and a pack of confetti. No Mess, no fuss – completely them.
Mark was accompanied by his two brothers in dinner suits and was himself resplendent in a lounge jacket that had almost a golden shimmer to it. He wore a hat to protect his head from the sun and had a button hole which again consisted of the dried flowers that ran throughout the venue.
Charlotte was stunning in her close fitting, white satin gown, which made her look every bit the pin up girl to Mark’s Bond. She wore fabulous elbow length gloves with marabou feathering at the tops – I was nervous thinking about getting wedding rings exchanged but these little beauties had a stitched slot on the ring finger so the wedding ring could slide over the glove and then settle on her hand – genius!
Our ceremony was simple, full of joy and love, humour and story telling with meaningful vows and simple readings. Their certificate was counter signed by Charlotte’s sister and Mark’s brothers and we paused for some photos with the wonderful Matt Heath before sending our couple up the aisle and gathering guests for the throwing of confetti.
Celebrant Led: Our couple would not have been able to have their ceremony in this venue of choice without a celebrant because it does not hold a weddings licence. However, the service and care The Boundary demonstrate to every couple and occasion is second to none. As proven when we realised we had no music to play or a device to play it on – Manager Charlotte swooped into action, borrowed a battery powered blue tooth speaker from the kitchens and thanks to the fact I had written their song choices into the script, we managed to get a song to walk down the aisle to, both ways – Phew!
Supplier Love:
Venue: The Boundary
Photographer: Matt Heath Photography https://mattheathphotography.com/
