Laura & Ian’s Summer Celebration at The Gallivant Camber Sands
The party they’d been waiting a year to have
A year earlier, Laura and Ian were saying their vows at Rye Town Hall with a handful of guests and face masks firmly in place.
This time?
Sunshine.
No restrictions.
All their people.
Their summer celebration at The Gallivant Camber Sands was everything 2020 didn’t allow, loud, joyful, full of children racing around and friends hugging properly without hesitation.
And it was so good to see them again.
Back Together at The Gallivant
The Gallivant looked beautiful, as it always does in summer. Soft coastal light, relaxed energy, and this time stunning florals by Wild Rubus Flowers bringing everything together.
The space felt warm and welcoming, not overly formal, just effortlessly styled. Kids were darting between tables, guests were able to chat and hug, something that definitely couldn’t have happened the year before, and the whole thing had that easy summertime glow.
It wasn’t about recreating their wedding day.
It was about celebrating it properly.
Wedding Breakfast in the Marquee
The wedding breakfast took place in the marquee space at The Gallivant, which is light, airy and perfect for a summer gathering.
There were speeches, proper ones. The kind where everyone settles in because they know it’s going to be good.
And then the best man casually referenced me.
Apparently, the year before in Rye, I’d positioned Ian carefully on a cobbled street so he looked a little taller than Laura in their portraits. Which, according to the speech, was “the real MVP move of 2020.”
I’ll take that.
The room roared with laughter. Always aim to please!
Camber Sands at Dusk
After the food and speeches, Laura, Ian and the kids slipped away and walked across the road to the dunes at Camber Sands.
The light had begun to mellow, casting a soft, flattering glow over the dunes and everyone in it.
No staging, no fuss. Just the four of them heading into the dunes at dusk, the kids burning off the last of their energy while Laura and Ian soaked it in. The day had shifted from busy to calm in that gentle way summer evenings do.
Nothing like their masked-up Rye ceremony the year before, this was the relaxed sequel.
A Wedding in Two Parts
Photographing Laura and Ian’s story across two years — a socially distanced Rye Town Hall wedding followed by a summer Gallivant Camber Sands celebration was such a privilege.
One was quiet, intimate and determined.
The other was open, joyful and gloriously noisy.
Both mattered.
And it was genuinely lovely to see them again, to see their boys a little bigger, to photograph not one but two parts of their story.
If you’re planning a summer wedding at The Gallivant Camber Sands, whether it’s your main event or a long-awaited celebration, I’d love to hear what you’re dreaming up.
Because sometimes the party is worth the wait.
Journal
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