Emma and James had been together for seventeen years before they finally got married, so their wedding day at The Moat in Wrotham was never about proving anything to anyone. It was a celebration of a life they had already built together: three children, a story that began when they were teenagers, and a room full of the people who have been part of it from the very start.
The Morning
The morning began with Emma getting ready at the Holiday Inn before moving over to The Moat after 11am, while James was also close by getting ready for the ceremony. There were gifts for the groomsmen and bridesmaids, and a first look with Emma’s dad, Michael, before everyone made their way into the day properly.
The Ceremony
Emma walked in on the arm of her dad to “Still the One”, with her bridesmaids and the children leading the way. Registrars Debbie and Jill kept the whole thing warm and relaxed, with plenty of gentle humour as Emma and James made their declarations and vows.
One of the loveliest touches was their son Harry stepping up to look after the rings, carefully choosing the right one for each of his parents. Moments later James and Emma were announced for the very first time as Mr and Mrs Macklin, to a big cheer and a wall of confetti on the way back down the aisle.
The Speeches
James’s speech was the heart of the day, and it was everything a groom’s speech should be: funny, honest and genuinely moving. He took everyone right back to the beginning, “when we were just two teenagers” at The Pilot in Allhallows, where he first spotted Emma “in the park with friends, always smiling and laughing” and couldn’t take his eyes off her.
He had the room laughing as he admitted it took him a good few attempts, and that for a long time his main job in life was simply getting Emma home safely, something he reckoned is “still a common occurrence to this day”. Under the jokes, though, it was a love letter. He thanked Emma’s bridesmaids and best friends, his brothers, and all of their parents and step-parents for being on the journey “from when we were teenagers to now”. He spoke about their three children, Harry, Gracie and Johnny, and told Emma she was “born to be a mum”.
He gently pushed back on the idea that seventeen years together comes down to luck: “luck has nothing to do with it, it’s all the times we stuck together when things were rough.” Then he finished by calling Emma “my beginning and my end, my forever and always”, and raised a glass to his beautiful wife.
The Celebration
After the signing came the confetti, then drinks and time for everyone to settle into the reception at The Moat. The wedding breakfast started in the afternoon, with singing waiters bringing a bit of surprise energy into the room before speeches between courses.
By the evening, the cake was cut and the first dance opened the floor. With a saxophonist playing later on, it turned into exactly the kind of party this couple deserved: relaxed, loud in the best way, and full of people who had known Emma and James’s story long before this wedding day. That is exactly the kind of wedding we love to film. Nothing staged, nothing for show, just two people who clearly know each other inside out, making it official at last surrounded by family and old friends.
Credits
- Photographer: Florence Berry
- Dress & Suits: Moss Bros
- Saxophone: Owen the Only Sax
- Singer: Josh Hassel
- Cake: Jey’s Heavenly Events
- Make-Up: Helen Lee
- Hair: Soohistic Hair
- Decor & Styling: All You Need Wedding
- Trailer Music: “Still the One I Want” by Teddy Swims, via Fyrfly
- Videography: Talking Fly Wedding Films
