What was meant to be a one night stand, ended up turning into finding the love of their lives. Within five months of meeting, Sarah and Jarrid had got matching tattoos, seven months in they got engaged and they were married 18 months later. Their plan was to have a wedding which felt like “a circus of love” and a “giant fun and pink love fest!!”

Choosing a local basketball courts as their venue, the couple just wanted their day to be fun for themselves and their guests. Sarah is a wedding photographer herself so right from the start knew exactly what they did – and crucially did not – want. “We just really wanted our guests to have FUN!” she said. “Our original 2020 wedding had the petting zoo planned but then we added in the balloon art, face painting and burlesque dancers when we finally had our wedding in 2022.”

Sarah had nine bridesmaids, all wearing a different pink dress of their choice. The bride’s dress came from Teuta Matoshi which she accessorised with ‘MRS BROWN’ hair clips and a pink veil from Crown and Glory. She also didn’t wear shoes!

Their legal wedding in 2020 really didn’t really go to plan at all. As Sarah explains, “We had to cancel three days before because of Covid so we went ahead with just five guests. My flowers were not what I asked for, my hair was the wrong colour and as I didn’t want to wear my pink dress for this small wedding I ordered 10 dresses on ASOS last minute which didn’t arrive in time! The celebrant messed up the vows and our original photographer cancelled because they didn’t want to shoot during the pandemic! Luckily, we found Lindsay, who not only did the most amazing job, it was honestly meant to be as she has become one of my closest friends.” They then booked Lindsay for their 2022 wedding and never looked back!

The bride’s mum was diagnosed with ovarian cancer two months after their 2020 wedding, on the same day the couple found out they were pregnant. As she wasn’t able to leave the hospital for the wedding, they visited her on the day so she could be a part of it. “Mum sadly passed 13 days later but she got to be at our original day and was live streamed in for the second one”, Sarah said. “My birthday is two days before our wedding anniversary and because mum was in hospital, I took my niece’s dresses and sparkly shoes in to show her and she loved them so much. I also clearly remember her asking if the dress I was wearing was the original one, which she bought me, and it was. Mum bought it for me before we were even engaged and it was the most stunning wedding dress I’d ever laid eyes on.”

As the bride’s parents couldn’t attend, she was instead walked down the aisle by her whole family. They walked in to Candy Shop by 50 Cent. “I am a great believer in keeping things fun, light and comical”, she said.

One of the big things she learned through shooting so many weddings herself, is that guests can get bored between the ceremony and meal, and there’s never enough food. So, they decided to go all out on the entertainment, and had a pizza truck arrive right after the ceremony which made enough pizza for dinner, midnight snacks and breakfast the next day! As well as the petting zoo, face painting and balloon art, Boutique Burlesque By Bailey performed.

Sarah concluded with some great advice for engaged couples, “As a professional in the wedding industry, I wish I could press upon every engaged couple that it is just one day. Yes, it is important and yes, it is expensive but it’s over in what feels like three seconds so make sure you have fun! If something happens and you can’t do anything about it, then just let it go! Focus on the fact that you are marrying your best friend and have the best day of your life. Make sure you don’t cheap out on the important parts like photography and video because that’s all you have left in the end, and you get what you pay for. Capturing a wedding well is an absolute talent and artform and there is a reason you pay a premium price for it.”

“Also, it’s both of your day and not just the bride’s day. Jarrid and I really worked together on all aspects and it was always what we both wanted. Focus on your relationship and not on your wedding day. Last but certainly not least, for the love of sweet baby Jesus please no more strapless dresses, 90s dangly fringes and white roses or I might cry. You don’t have to have a pink dress or anything, but you also don’t need to have exactly what everyone else has had!”