Will this be our last super Covid style real wedding post? We shall see! Either way we love this Stoke Newington ‘just go for it’ wedding, shot by Two For Joy Photography. Meg and Nikki told us a bit about it too.

“We loved shooting Amanda & James' wedding, they were meant to be getting married in the lakes in August 2020 and postponed until 2021 and then just thought sod it lets still get married this year (2020) so organised a local Stoke Newington wedding, which was very different to the Lake District wedding they’d planned. It was fab having the different places to shoot and more time with them because there were less guests. And they’re still getting their big “in the country DO” later this year. I think they feel like the heart ache was worth it.”

LOVE! So much to enjoy about this day that was pulled together in under 8 weeks, and we think it looks like it was always meant to be this way but with all the joy of a couple who just wanted to do it but actually realised, you know what this is actually super cool! Photos in Clissold Park Skate Park, a slight Alice in Wonderland Theme (we are also life long fans so, this works for us), a dapper bunch of mates to support you, a Groom in Grenson’s and a Bride in blue suede boots and Lirika Matoshi sparkly socks, a brand we used in one of our campaigns. Two for Joy said, these guys are very ‘Most Curious’ ..jackpot haha!

Who are you both and what you do?

Amanda (from Glasgow, 32) and James (from Hampshire, 34), we both work in TV/Film, predominantly London based. James is a 2nd Assistant Director and Amanda is a Costume Supervisor.

How did you meet?

At work!

What’s your fave thing about each other?!

Amanda - My favourite thing about James is how caring he is and how well he takes care of me, and our dog, Kingsley!

James - My favourite thing about Amanda is her warm heart and kindness.

What is your Covid story?!

We were due to get married in Sept 2020 with 140 guests in the Lake District - I (Amanda) am from Glasgow and James is from Hampshire, we live in London, so our friends and family are spread all over the country and the Lake District seemed like a good meeting point. We remained as positive as possible but sadly our venue told us in July 2020 that we wouldn't be able to go ahead. So we made the decision to re-arrange for a wedding of 26 locally to us in Stoke Newington, London, with not a lot of notice to get everything rebooked!

What did you find particularly hard emotionally in the both the planning and anything else on the day because of the above?

Deciding to go ahead with 26 people in the local church followed by a pub reception (with a 10am curfew) from the sole-use country house and barn wedding we had been planning was quite hard to get our heads around and get excited for, it was emotional uninviting friends and family and trying to decide fairly who to invite so as not to upset anyone. One of my bridesmaid's was unable to come as she was in Spain, so that was also difficult on the day when all the other bridesmaids were ready and we were together - and not just because I had meticulously planned their dresses around the colour scheme, haha.

Is there anything that has actually ended up being for the better out of the situ?

We were incredibly lucky to book a London based videographer just 3 weeks out from the wedding date when they are usually booked years in advance! The guys at Filmmakers of London were amazing and slotted seamlessly into the day. We also were able to get cakes from a local bakery called Luminary Bakery - a London Social Enterprise Bakery that helps to create jobs, community and support women who have experienced social disadvantage - being able to support local businesses like this was a real bonus for us. Additionally, a make up artist friend of mine was able to come and do my hair and make up which really helped with the wedding morning jitters! Another friend very generously did all the suit alterations - including tailoring down a man's suit for James' groomslady, Annie! It felt like everyone was just so happy that we could at least get married, they all really came together. James, the grooms party, my bridemaids, dad, brother in law and now-in laws, all set up the reception venue on the wedding morning - when I got there after them, there was nothing for me to do! James had instructed everything perfectly, and we're so grateful for all the help we received.

And all the main/lovely details about the day! Who was there, venue details, what was the running order, any meanings or stories behind the things you chose? Was there a theme/vibe/feeling/aesthetic you were going for?

We, of course, just had to keep to very minimal family and closest friends, between us our bridal party was half the numbers allowed already! We were very lucky as just 2 days after our wedding, the restrictions brought the numbers down to 15! Getting married locally ended up being lovely as we went to the local park (Clissold Park) for our wedding photos, we spend a lot of time there in the summer walking the dog so it was lovely getting photos against the gorgeous backdrop of Clissold House but also in the skate park - highlight was my veil blowing off into the skate bowl and James having to climb down after it!

Picking The Prince for our reception was fairly easy as their private dining room has a homely feeling which somewhat reflecting the vibe we were trying to create with the original Lake District wedding. I made all the centrepieces, seating plan, and the cards suitcase, originally we were doing a different Children's book per table and I spent a lot of lockdown creating bits and pieces but the new smaller venue didn't really suit that, last minute we went with a subtle Alice in Wonderland theme (my favourite book!) and decorated the venue with flowers, tea pots, tea cups and mason jars which James and I decorated. A friend of ours hand painted everyone's place name (again, another luxury which would have been too time-consuming for a wedding of 140!). One of my bridesmaids made everyone matching face masks and I covered hand sanitizer bottles with floral paper to make them look "pretty" and have a little "COVID" intrusions in the day as we could! Wedding favours were "Drink Me" whiskey miniatures with my family's clan tartan on them and "Eat Me" honey from Hampshire where James is from. Each table had a disposable camera on it which we are yet to develop! Maybe that will be a treat for our 1 year anniversary!

What was your favourite part of the day?

Amanda - it's so hard to pick just one bit! Maybe when we went off with Megs and Nikki to do our couples photos, we both felt so relaxed with them that it felt like so much fun rather than my usual camera shy-awkwardness! I also loved the speeches - James had me in tears and his brother, Charles, had everyone in stitches laughing.

James - My favorite part of the day was the relief when we got whisked off in the black cab we'd booked, and beat everyone to do the photos and were left waiting together for the others to catch up; It was the most peaceful moment of the whole day, and our first time we'd been on our own as husband and wife.

What have you learnt about married life so far!

Amanda - that I will never get used to saying "my husband"! To me, it doesn't feel much different but maybe because we've gotten married at such an unusual time.

James - It doesn't feel like much has changed so far, we still live in a small flat with a mad dog, but it's still exciting to be able to call Amanda "my wife"!