When Amy and Alex told me they were planning a Peanuts themed wedding I knew it’d be a lot of fun. I really love it when a couple plan a wedding that’s authentically them and their joint love of Peanuts was the perfect theme for their quirky wedding day at Bush Hall in West London.
Here’s what Amy and Alex had to say about their photography:
“We selected Laura to photograph our wedding because we felt her unstuffy and alternative take on photography seemed to chime on our own views of the wedding. From this, as you might expect, the whole process was friendly rather than formal. Whilst we were offered as much input into the process as we wanted, we were able to let Laura and Peter take the creative lead rather than needing to worry about photography. Frankly there are other things on your mind on the day, but you can see the positive results for yourselves!”
Scroll down to the bottom to read more about Amy and Alex’s Peanuts themed wedding at Bush Hall in their own words.
If you’re looking for a West London wedding photographer do get in touch!
The Beginning
We met through mutual friends (mostly Amy’s bandmates!) but only got together after she moved into a conveniently proximate house a couple of years later. We became engaged on a sunny St Ives morning whilst holidaying in Autumn 2014, which meant we had the best part of two years to plan our wedding.
The Venues
Living in Kew gave us a choice of churches, but we liked the look, feel and friendly welcome of the Barn Church. As the name suggests, all the beams allowed us to adorn it more like a decorated barn than a church. Bush Hall isn’t too far away, which allowed us to have a nice venue that reflected our music interests and (like the church) permitted creative freedom to introduce our own ideas, designs… and drinks! We also wanted someone who could incorporate our wedding theme – Peanuts. We’re nuts about Peanuts.
The Outfits
Amy – I wanted something quite simple, and to go more overboard on decorations. It was pretty much the first dress I tried on, no fuss, fitted me lovely, and made me feel fabulous.
Alex – In keeping with Amy’s comments, morning dress was strictly off the agenda. However, this gave me the opportunity to get measured up for a nice new suit… which is likely to get plenty of re-use in future!
The Decor
We were keen to avoid excessively flamboyant floral displays and Amy sought a minimal look rather than engaging a florist. There was a lot of running around at the last minute, but potting some lavender (thank you mother in law!) and sticking with gypsophila for the bouquet gave some colour without overshadowing the bunting and lanterns Amy also organized.
The Ceremony
We were permitted to tailor the liturgy slightly to better reflect our inclusive view of marriage, but the vows were standard Common Worship. We made flags with Peanuts strips on them so that people could wave them down the aisle at us – which worked really well, and one big memory was everyone cheering and waving the flags like mad when the Vicar announced we were now married. We should have spell checked the hymns again, but it did afford a laugh in the service when friends spotted the typographical errors whilst singing! Our friend’s reading from ‘Love is Walking Hand in Hand’ (illustrated prose by Charles M Schulz) definitely brought a little tear to the eye.
The First Dance
Twist & Shout, as performed by the Beatles: Probably on account of Ferris Bueller, this is the only song with which Alex can persuade Amy away from her general disdain for one of the greatest bands of all time.
The Entertainment
Dr Butler’s Hatstand Medicine Band, whom we had previously seen in our old home town of Leeds, were on hand to serenade guests in the lobby as they arrived at Bush Hall. They later returned for a very well received turn on stage during the evening. Entertainment was also supplemented by Amy’s Peanuts quiz, which certainly brought out the competitive spirit amongst some guests!
The Words of Wisdom
Don’t feel too scared of delegating tasks to your guests. There will always be plenty who offer assistance and are only too happy to help. If you don’t want an off-the-peg wedding and want to put your own mark on it, that’s great, and that’s what we wanted to do. But be warned; be prepared to spend time and energy conveying your ideas to others in order to make them happen.
The Credits
Bride’s dress – Vivien of Holloway http://www.vivienofholloway.com/ // Shoes – Topshop, about 6 years ago http://www.topshop.com/ with Chuck Taylor Converse in evening // Bag
Rodnik X Peanuts Belle, from Urban Outfitters http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/uk/index.jsp // Bridesmaid’s dress – Collectif https://www.collectif.co.uk/ // Jewellery – Bride’s own (vintage) // Headpiece
Handmade by Bridesmaid Laura // Hair/make up – Kelly aka Miss Honey Bare http://www.misshoneybare.com/ via Lipstick and Curls http://www.lipstickandcurls.net/ //Flowers – Marks and Spencer and Sainsbury’s (in store) // Venue styling – Handmade mostly using cartoons from our favourite Peanuts strips, with bunting templates from ASDA and lanterns from Talking Tables http://www.talkingtables.co.uk/ // Cake Maker – Cakes by Robin http://www.cakesbyrobin.co.uk/ //Caterer -Bush Hall Dining http://www.bushhalldining.co.uk/ //Groom -Suit by Neil Birkett (http://www.birkettbespoke.co.uk/) //Ties by Café Press (http://www.cafepress.com) // Handkerchiefs by Dick Beau (https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/DickBeau) //
Menus and decorations self-crafted and printed // Entertainment – Dr Butler’s Hatstand Medicine Band http://www.hatstandmedicineband.com/ //Transport – Ensign Bus (http://www.ensignbushire.com/weddings.html)
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