This is part two of an epic, three-part series from our wedding!
You can read Part one – getting ready, over here.
The Ceremony and Photos
We ended up getting married inside, in the hall attached to our reception venue, as although the sun was out, it was a bit windy.
Walking in together was such a blur, and I am so glad I got to do it with Oz, rather than walking down the aisle by myself with all eyes on me! People were cheering and waving the ribbon wands and flags, it is actually one of my favourite parts of the day.
I had originally thought we’d have the dance floor outside, under fairly lights, but in the end it was going to be too much of a gamble, so instead we laid a huge piece of turf on the floor in the hall, and strung fairy lights over the top, to create the feeling of an outdoor dance floor.
I made the ceremony backdrop with my mum, by glueing strips of ribbon onto a piece of dowel, then we attached paper fans and poms around the edges.
We were so lucky to have Jenny Grandfield as our celebrant – we had done boot camp with Jen a few years ago and it was so nice to have someone who knew us both officiate our ceremony.
Working with Jen we were able to pull together a ceremony that truly reflected Oz and I and the journey we have been on together over the past 9 years.
We had so much lovely feedback from people about the ceremony and how personal it was, I know I will always read back over the copy of it we have and treasure it.
Of course our fur-kids were there to celebrate with us! They were so well behaved too (phewph!).
We have joked for a long time about amalgamating our surnames (Banks and Tucker) to become Bucker-Tanks, as neither one of us wants to give our own up; so we asked Jen to announce us as Mr and Mrs Bucker-Tanks at the end of the ceremony. We thought it was hilarious, but there were a few confused faces in the audience who thought we were serious!
After the ceremony we went for some photos, just the two of us with our photographer. I am so glad we had this time together, to soak up the ceremony and take a few quiet breaths before heading back to the reception.
We went to a family friends farm, just up the road (thank you Brendon and Marlene!), then had a few quick photos at the beach.
These photos make me feel so lucky and grateful to live where we do. It is a pretty special place.
After we’d finished taking photos it was time to head back to the reception – and enjoy the party!
Don’t forget to check back in tomorrow when I’ll share all the details from the reception and party time.
If you have any questions, let me know in the comments below!
L xxx