The barefoot bride chooses a remote, wild beach on a cool summer's day to celebrate with her husband, family and friends. After a short walk down the cliff from their ceremony, where homegrown scented garden roses and armfuls of greenery adorn the pretty little English church, shoes are quickly discarded, ties abandoned and everyone gathers to while away the afternoon on the most perfect of summer days.
She wears a simple crown of wild grasses and hedgerow blooms. Her hair is a loose braid, woven that morning in the garden by her mother over a cup of tea. Her feet are bare so that she can feel the sand beneath her feet and the only jewellery she wears is her engagement ring. The dress was purchased the previous summer from a little shop found tucked away on a cobbled street on holiday, hung carefully in the wardrobe on her return for a special occasion. It is a simple white cotton dress with feminine details; soft lace and embroidery at the hem and sleeves and falling elegantly just below the knee. It is a dress that can be danced in, worn again for anniversaries and doesn't matter if it gets speckled with sea spray.
They feast on hampers of artisan cheeses, cold meats, olive breads and lots of homemade butter. Ice cold champagne is popped as her husband lifts a glass to his new wife and whilst listening to cheery anecdotes, the waves lap against the shore and local beers and cordials are passed round in a wooden crate as guest sit perched on rocks and lie on blankets. Later, a beach fire is built and fresh fish is cooked for supper as a group of friends create a motley crew, a makeshift band, and play favourite songs as everyone sings along and dances in the sand as the sun sets.
Photography by Katy Lawrence | Shot in Cornwall | June 2016