Baya Dome Wedding Photography, Somerset

1. WHAT DO YOU GUYS DO? WHAT IS IMPORTANT IN LIFE TO YOU? HOW DO YOU SPEND YOUR FREE TIME?

We’re both quite active and social. Sport plays a big part of our lives - we’ve both usually got some kind of sport commitment taking place each week - whether it’s watching or playing - and that’s kind of reflective of our personalities, in that we’re both quite competitive. Away from sport and spending time with our friends and families, our dog Pepper is the other key part of our lives. Having adopted her a couple of years ago, we couldn’t imagine life without her anyone - she’s certainly given us an excuse to get out and explore more.

2. THE PROPOSAL: HOW DID IT HAPPEN, WHAT’S THE STORY?

Having been together for 10 years, we both knew getting engaged was on cards, it was just a matter of when rather than if - and working out the best time to catch Emily off guard!

During a week of glorious weather in June 2018, Ian suggested an early morning dog walk, so with Pepper leading the way, we made our way across the Bath Skyline walk. And after breakfast on a picnic blanket overlooking an incredible view of Bath, Ian finally popped the question.

(Cue the emergence of champagne flutes and a bottle of bubbly from the rucksack that Emily had grumpily said was too big for a morning dog walk - oops!)

3. WHAT MADE THE BAYA DOME AND SHOSCOMBE THE PERFECT SETTING FOR YOU?

We had visited a handful of local venues in / around Bath, and were struggling to visualise our wedding day in any of them - we were looking for somewhere we both felt a connection with and something that felt unique to us. Then one evening after visiting Emily’s parents in Shoscombe (the village she grew up in), we were walking the dog and stopped at a gate which has an awesome view of the valley and fields beyond and thought “that would be an amazing field to have a wedding!”.

So after tracking down the farmer - who was more than happy to gift us the field for our wedding (thanks Jeff!) - we set about looking at marquees. We stumbled across BAYA Domes during an online search and instantly fell in love - they were completely different to anything we’d seen. We had found something that felt big and bold, but also intimate! The best thing about choosing to get married in the field is that we can always go and visit the view and “our gate” whenever we want!

4. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE SIMON TO PHOTOGRAPH YOUR WEDDING?

As we looked through various portfolios online, we both agreed that the candid photos that captured ‘moments’ were our favourites and we wanted to steer clear of anything cringey and posed! As we began choosing suppliers, it immediately became clear that surrounding ourselves with people we trusted and genuinely liked was just as important than what they could offer. Simon’s photos fit the bill perfectly and after meeting him for a drink to talk through what we had in mind, our minds were instantly put at rest.

5. WHAT KIND OF EXPERIENCE DID YOU WANT FOR YOUR GUESTS?

We love hosting get togethers - we love hanging out, catching up, having a good laugh - and that’s exactly what we wanted for our wedding. We wanted to have a relaxed day, full of fun, good food, good music and our favourite people. We wanted it to feel a little bit different to your standard traditional wedding, but still feel special.

6. WHAT WERE THE MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS FROM YOUR DAY?

When we think back to the day, a million images flash up and we can’t help but smile at all of them…so here’s a handful:

- The first look - seeing each other for the first time at opposite ends of the aisle. Knowing all the planning had come to this one moment was so exciting. Despite seeing each other the day before, it genuinely felt like we hadn’t seen each other for days. And seeing Emily in her dress for the first time - just wow!

- The vows - we’d written our own, and even though we had shared them with each other before the day, saying them in front of all the most important people our lives was very special.

- The speeches - in a break against tradition we had a speech from the bride as well as the groom, father of the bride and the best man. And once we’d decided who was going first (via rock, paper, scissors!), they were very well received, but for Emily, her Dad’s speech was the most special - being one of 5 children has meant I have had to share my parents my whole life, so it was nice to have a personal moment with him (a moment that set off half the dome - pass the tissues!)

- Dancing - our first dance felt really special - in fact we both agree nothing will ever come close to how close we felt in those few minutes (it sounds cliche, but we genuinely got lost in one another’s company)…And to follow, we then had an awesome band. (Freddie & the Freeloaders) who got everyone up on the dance floor - standing back and seeing everyone so happy was such a fun moment.

7. ANY TIPS FOR FUTURE COUPLES PLANNING THEIR WEDDING?

Make the day what you want. Don’t feel like you have to conform to anyone else’s idea about what they think your day should be, or that every tradition needs to be ticked off the list. Spending time with your favourite people, and your new husband/wife, are the bits you’re going to remember, so don’t get bogged down or stressed about tiny details - that in the grand scheme of things, just don’t matter. Focus on a couple of things that are important to you as a couple and make them great. And on the day…well, just stand back and take it all in…it will fly by, so just immerse yourself in everything!