A Raving Good Wedding – Hannah & Delroy

She wears: Lou Lou Bridal gown, shoes by Sophia Webster with a handmade fascinator made by bride herself at Katherine Elizabeth Millinery class. He wears: Bespoke tailored suit by Clement & Church of Oxford with shoes by Ducker & Son

We first met Hannah & Delroy on a cold winter’s evening in Oxfordshire.  As they described their love of rave and dancehall, some of the ‘characters’ on the invites list and their plans for a DJ with the sort of sound system you’d be more likely to see at St Paul’s Carnival than your average wedding, it quickly became apparent that this was a day we’d thoroughly enjoy shooting and one that would provide a rich crop of both romantic and hilarious photographs. 

 July 19th rolled around quickly and we set off bright and early.  I dropped hubby David off close to Oxford city centre so that he could meet Delroy, his 2 sons and 2 close friends at the hotel, whilst I set off to The Westwood Hotel just outside of Oxford to photograph Hannah getting ready. 

Delroy’s son playing it cool

Boys have fun getting ready for the wedding

Delroy gets his sons ready for the big day

A beautiful wedding gift from hubby-to-be of Alice in Wonderland, delivered to Hannah on the wedding morning and dedicated on the inside cover.

Sharing a laugh as the bride gets ready – hair & make-up provided by Anne Veck & Sarah Anne Stevens

Another wedding gift for the blushing bride

Sophia Webster shoes

Lou Lou Bridal Tea Dress

The stunning bride having finishing touches applied – Hannah made the fascinator herself at Katherine Elizabeth Millinery

The most beautiful handmade button & broach bouquet we’ve ever seen and it was made by the bride’s mum – what a talented lady!

It’s great when a couple hires us as a duo as it means that not a moment is missed and we’re able to capture both guys and girls getting ready and (as a general rule) having a quick drink beforehand to settle the nerves. 

Hannah’s sister helps her into her Lou Lou Bridal wedding dress

Checking out the wedding dress before the big event kicks off

Whilst Delroy and the guys walked to Oxford’s registry office (via the pub, naturally), the girls & I travelled in style thanks to a beautiful vintage split-screen VW camper.

The boys ready to roll

The boys make time for a quick calming drink before the service

Delroy & the boys

The wedding camper

Hannah looking stunning with her handmade birdcage veil and hot red lips

Still looking elegant even when taking a moment to hide from the boys across the street in the pub by scrambling to the floor of the camper!

Here come the girls

Re-creating the “Bridesmaids” movie poster!

The ceremony itself was packed with friends and family, so much so that it was almost a struggle to get the shots we wanted through the sea of elbows and guest’s cameras, but that’s just one of the many challenges us pros must overcome! 

People scramble to take a family pic

Exchanging of the rings

So happy to be wed

The ceremony is a success!

Sharing their first kiss as husband and wife

It was a lovely service and afterwards everyone gathered to throw confetti and offer their congratulations.  It was at this point that Hannah decided to reveal the ‘secret message’ she’d had sewn into her wedding dress, it’s the first time I’ve seen this done and his reaction was priceless! 

Hannah reveals her personalised lining in her wedding dress

Hannah personalised the lining of her wedding dress for her beau Delroy or “Delboy” as affectionately referenced here!

Confetti mania

Guests gather to shower the happy couple with confetti

The New Mr & Mrs Ireson retreat to their Camper transport

After a short(ish) ride to the reception venue we gave everyone a chance to relax and grab a drink (because let’s be honest, that’s all anyone wants to do at this stage) before corralling them onto the lawn for some group shots.  At some weddings this is something of a nightmare but this time everyone was up-for-it which made life much easier. 

A few family shots

Delroy with his boys

A guest takes a cheeky selfie with the happy couple

The boys & girls have a role reversal for a fun shot

The whole party gets involved in a group shot

A beautiful flower girl

The boys pose for a group shot

Hannah and Delroy were also very happy to pose for a series of photos throughout the day, which is always nice as it adds a real touch of romance and something special to a collection of photos.

Relaxing in the camper

She wears: Lou Lou Bridal gown, Sophia Webster shoes with beautiful hand made button & broach bouquet by her mum. He wears: Bespoke tailored suit from Clement & Church of Oxford and shoes by Ducker & Son of Oxford

A stolen kiss

A couple of stolen moments with Mr & Mrs Ireson – here you can really see Delroy’s beautiful bespoke tailored suit by Clement’s & Church of Oxford

A couple of stolen moments with Mr & Mrs Ireson

A couple of stolen moments with Mr & Mrs Ireson

A guest grabs the bride and grooms attention

Doing the Titanic pose off their balcony

Delroy takes his new wife for a spin

An eternal love

 We all know it’s the little personal touches that make a wedding truly special and it was great to see another couple opting for customised Converse Chuck Taylors, similar to those my hubby sported on our own wedding day last year.  Both bride and groom changed into these after the ceremony; I bet they’re a darn sight more comfortable than spending the entire day in heels!!

Personalised wedding converse

Converse love

Personalised Wedding Converse – the way forward in our book

The sun was out, but gathering storm clouds and extremely loud claps of thunder were followed by a torrential downpour which had everyone running for their tables, just in time for some rather delicious food to be served.

Some amazing A La Carte food

Love at first bite

Us photographers sometimes get forgotten at this point but Hannah & Delroy had come through for us and we got fed, thanks again guys!!

Speeches followed with a solid mix of hilarity and real emotion; it’s obvious that these guys and their families are very close and I’m sure that those who couldn’t be there would’ve been extremely proud of them.  It’s unusual for the bride to make a speech, but Hannah delivered a few beautiful words where among other things she told Delroy what an inspiration he is, something everyone clearly appreciated.  

Delroy delivers a fantastic speech

Delroy’s speech brings a tear to his new wife’s eyes

The best man cracks everyone up!

Hannah’s Mum also says a few heartwarming words

Delroy’s father gives a lovely speech to his son and new daughter-in-law

Certain members of the audience had bets on how long the speeches would last, and the realisation that they wouldn’t be quite as long as expected led to some impromptu speeches from friends which were extremely funny and heartfelt, despite being completely improvised. 

Guests applaud the heartfelt speeches

An impromptu speech from a guest desperate to win the speeches bet!

Checking the bets….

The winner of the speech bets!

After all of these shenanigans it was time to really get the party started – Ryan Asbo’s sound system kicked in with all the aggression of a cage fighter and unlike many weddings we’ve attended, the dance floor filled immediately with everyone reaching for the lasers.  Things were taken down a notch slightly for the first dance played by DJ Dee of Premier Sound until Delroy beckoned everyone back onto the floor to get involved. 

The first dance

So in love…

And so the party begins….

Delroy busting some moves on the dance floor

The love between friends can clearly be seen as the party takes full swing

A heartfelt moment

Hannah takes her Tea Dress for a swirl

Taking his new bride for a spin

Despite a very kind invitation to stay and join the party (we were both sorely tempted) we left just as things were really getting going.  I’ve no doubt that every guest had a fantastic day and an equally smashing night, with no doubt one-or-two sore heads the next morning!  We hope Hannah & Delroy had a wonderful month away for their honeymoon and look forward to catching up with them again soon, they’re a truly awesome couple who’ll no doubt have a very happy and bass-filled life together.

Wishing Hannah & Delroy Ireson a very happy life together!

Photography: http://www.photographybystefanie.co.uk

Hair & Make-up: Anne Veck & Sarah Anne Stevens

Bridal gown: www.louloubridal.co.uk

Bridal shoes: www.sophiawebster.co.uk

Bridal Bouquet: Handmade by bride mum

Bridal Birdcage Fascinator: Hand made by Bride at www.katherineelizabethhats.com

Grooms Suit: www.clementsandchurch.co.uk

Groom’s shoes: www.duckerandson.co.uk

Bride & Groom evening shoes: www.converse.com/landing-design-your-own

Beats: http://www.premiersound.co.uk