Alley & James’ Wedding at Monkton Barn
Festival vibes, tipi celebrations, and big confetti moments
Ally & James’s wedding was a full-on festival celebration at Monkton Barn, making the most of the open countryside setting and total freedom the venue offers. From bridal prep in Esher and a vintage fire engine arrival, to a meadow ceremony overlooking Buckinghamshire, tipi dining, lawn games, confetti cannons, and a sparkler finish, their day was joyful, playful, and packed with personality.
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The Wedding Day
James and Ally had a September wedding at Monkton Barn in Marlow. Monkton Barn offers you complete flexibility for your wedding which is one of the reasons James and Ally chose it as their venue for their Tipi wedding.
My coverage of the wedding began with bride prep in Esher, photographing Ally and her maid of honour and 5 bridesmaids. Ally had hired a vintage fire engine to take her and her bridal party to Monkton Barn.
The ceremony took place on a meadow with views overlooking the Buckinghamshire countryside. The ceremony began with sirens blaring to announce the arrival of the Ally and her bridal party. Ally was walked down the aisle by her brother and was greeted at by a groom who looked in awe.
The wedding ceremony was just perfect and ended with the bride and groom walking back down the aisle in a flurry of confetti.
The wedding had a festival theme, with guests playing lots of games including skittles, playing on a coconut shy and playing quoits. James and Ally had really pulled out all the stops to ensure their wedding was great fun for their guests. The couple had also hired a bouncy castle, which the guests loved, and which helped create lots of fun wedding photos!
The tipi was decorated with the festival theme. Table names were the names of various festivals and wedding favours were festival wristbands, wedding timetables and retro sunglasses.
A buffet wedding breakfast was enjoyed in the Tipi and was followed by speeches, which included the presentation of birthday cake to James as it was a double celebration for him.
After the wedding breakfast, guests enjoyed the September sun (with a few light showers) with more entertainment arriving in the form of a VW campervan photo booth and glitter bar.
The first dance was epic, with the newlyweds dancing in a traditional ball room style to ‘It Had To Be You’ by Frank Sinatra before James swept Ally of her feet with confetti cannons blasting and the music transitioning to ‘You & Me’ by the Wannadies.
The evening saw lots of dancing and ended (for me) with a sparkler shot of the couple. What a fantastic wedding day!
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Dream Team of Suppliers
Experienced photographing tipi and outdoor weddings
Natural, documentary-style coverage throughout the day
Confident with large groups and high-energy celebrations
