Chris and Kara’s Rocking Tunbrige Wells Ceremony and Hotel du Vin Wedding Reception
Posted in - Blog on April 6th 2015
Shotgun Weddings – Chris & Kara’s Tunbridge Wells Wedding and The Hotel du Vin Wedding Reception
Chris & Kara, first off, I’d like to raise a toast to you. You two. Truly, your wedding was wild and wonderful, and I’m thrilled to have been along for the ride. If you are reading this, and you are not Chris or Kara, let me assure you, you do not know how to party.
This couple represents the perfect blend of reverence and revelry. Their wedding was held in this posh, stuffy old church built some time before the invention of indoor plumbing. This is the kind of place that broods, breathes, commands respect and demands silence. It is a serious place where serious people do serious things. And apparently, these two never got the memo. Their vows were full of warmth and affection, peppered with more than a few mildly inappropriate (read: awesome) jokes and giggles.
They held their reception at The Hotel du Vin. Because of course they did. The wine flowed like wine, toasts abounded, and Kara’s infectious laughter had more than a few guests laughing until champagne fountains nearly flowed from their noses. (This may or may not have happened, but I never did manage to photograph it, so the secret dies with me.) The guests had a brilliant time, but never came close to the fun that was had by bride & groom.
These two seriously know how to party.
I do not recall the details of the best man’s bet–or I’m contractually bound not to repeat them–but I have a few odd photos of him drinking an unidentifiable mystery liquid from an unmarked bottle. Knowing these two, it was probably more champagne. Or wine. Or liquid happiness. (That’s the same thing, right?)
The EPIC Hotel du Vin Wedding Reception
And with any good wedding, it’s always a bit tricky to pull the bride & groom away from the action and take a few portraits. Not with these two. They decided long before that they were the action, so wherever they went, the party followed. They didn’t leave the party, they were the party. (I would venture to say that they are the party.) Their portraits ranged from bouncing on the bed to tackling on the bed to lounging in the cast iron claw-foot tub.
After the portraits, they brought the party back to the party and dove headfirst into the photo booth. I’m still not sure what I call this – The Shooting Gallery? Shotgun Booth? Shotgun Target? Whatever, it’s the most fun you can have while keeping out of jail – and these two lead the charge, followed closely by an mob of merrymakers. It was epic. In was uninhibited. It was [fill in the blank].
And then there was the dance floor. For whatever reason–the libations, the libertine attitude of the couple, the music, the mood, the food, I don’t know–this dance floor lit up like a Christmas tree. It was insane. And impressive. There were moves that none of us had seen since the 80s. There were hat-tricks, head-spins, dead-drops, mazy-grays, and a variety of other shimmies and shakes that have yet to be named. When some people come out of their shells, they do it right. (See below.)
If you’re reading this and you’re thinking to yourself, “Looks like I missed a great party!” or “How do I get more of this in my life?” – let me encourage you to call me when you’re ready to wed. I need more weddings like this in my life. The love between these two was as abundant as the wine, the love of their guests was as big as the church, and the love of life and joy and laughter was as big as the moon. It was a joy to shoot and an honor to attend. Scroll through the photos and you’ll see what I mean.
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They held their reception at The Hotel du Vin. Because of course they did. The wine flowed like wine, toasts abounded, and Kara’s infectious laughter had more than a few guests laughing until champagne fountains nearly flowed from their noses. (This may or may not have happened, but I never did manage to photograph it, so the secret dies with me.) The guests had a brilliant time, but never came close to the fun that was had by bride & groom.
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