Sophie & Izzy’s Colourful Queer Pub Wedding
Pink, green, Till Death, a dog, a pub, an exit involving a red carpet on a table… Sophie and Izzy’s wedding was never going to be a quiet one.
Sophie and Izzy originally described themselves to me as a queer alternative couple who were very chilled out and absolutely not interested in the whole formal wedding situation. Which, naturally, sounded right up my street. They wanted a small, intimate wedding with around 60 of their favourite people, somewhere quirky, fun and a little bit different.
Enter The Bell in Ticehurst. And honestly, this whole day was such a good reminder that intimate weddings absolutely do not have to mean understated weddings.
Pink, green and very much Till Death
The whole wedding had this brilliant pink and green colour palette running through it, with loads of personality and little details that actually felt like them rather than things that had been added because Pinterest said they belonged at a wedding. There was a definite Till Death energy to the day.
Colourful.
A little alternative.
Very relaxed.
And not remotely interested in ticking traditional wedding boxes just for the sake of it. Exactly as it should be.
A pub wedding with their dog
There is already a lot to love about getting married in a pub, everyone is together, drinks are never far away. Nobody has to spend half the day being ferried between locations and the whole thing instantly feels a bit more relaxed. Add your dog into the mix and, frankly, you’ve already got me.
Sophie and Izzy’s day felt intimate without ever feeling small. It was one of those weddings where everyone actually knew each other, people could properly spend time together and the atmosphere never disappeared into hours of formalities.
That meant I could concentrate on what I actually love photographing: people laughing, hugging, drinking, talking, wandering about and generally forgetting there was a photographer there.
No getting-ready photos required
One of the things Sophie and Izzy told me right from the beginning was that they didn’t want getting-ready photographs. In their words, it “feels like hell”. Fair enough. 😂 And this is exactly why I don’t believe wedding photography needs to come with a compulsory list of things you’re supposed to do.
If you love the idea of having your morning photographed, brilliant. If you’d rather I turn up once everyone is dressed, drinks are being poured and the actual wedding is about to begin? Also brilliant. Your coverage should fit your wedding. Not the other way around.
Weddings don’t need to be formal to matter
Sophie and Izzy’s day had all the important stuff.
Their people.
Their dog.
A ceremony.
A lot of love.
A lot of colour.
A very good party.
And a couple doing things exactly the way they wanted to.
Everything else is optional.
So if the idea of a formal wedding makes you want to run in the opposite direction, take this as your permission slip:
you can just… not have one.
Have the pub wedding.
Wear the thing you actually want to wear.
Invite 60 people instead of 160.
Bring the dog.
Skip the bits you hate.
Put a red carpet over a table if the mood takes you.
Your wedding is allowed to feel like you.
And those are exactly the weddings I want to photograph.
Sophie & Izzy’s suppliers
Venue: The Bell in Ticehurst
Dress: Together Forever Brides
Suit: King & Allen
Hair: Beckies Bridal Hair
Make-up: Becky Addams
Florist: Parky’s Petals
Catering: The Bell Ticehurst
Cake: Claire Lawrence Cake Design
DJ: Dom from The Best Men
