Rhiannon & Luke

Rhiannon and Luke met when they were sixteen. Ten years later, after growing up together and buying a home, they married at Highley Manor in West Sussex. Their ceremony took place outside in the garden, with their families and friends around them.

The Morning

Before leaving for the ceremony, Rhiannon had first looks with her dad Steve, her brother and her bridesmaids. Luke left at 1.15pm and Rhiannon followed at 1.50pm, ready for the outdoor ceremony at Highley Manor.

The Ceremony

Steve walked Rhiannon down the aisle for the 2pm ceremony. When the celebrant asked whether he brought her to be married with his love and blessing, Steve answered, “I do.”

Luke and Rhiannon exchanged rings and made the same promise to love, respect and cherish one another. Kai, Luke’s best man and friend since preschool, brought the rings forward.

After signing the register, they came back up the aisle through confetti before joining their guests in the grounds.

The Speeches

Steve spoke first after the wedding breakfast. He remembered Rhiannon helping on the family farm when she was young and told her how proud he and Sandra were of the woman she had become.

He also spoke about the difficulties she had faced and the strength she had shown. “No matter what life has put in your way, you’ve risen above it and broken through,” he said. He described a quiet moment they had shared earlier in the day as something he would always treasure.

Although it was his job to welcome Luke into the family, Steve said Luke had been part of it since the day they met him.

Luke thanked the team at Highley Manor, their photographer Nicola and Rhiannon’s bridesmaids. Speaking to Rhiannon, he looked back on the years they had spent growing up, living together and buying a house.

“There is not a single person in the world that I would have preferred to have done this with,” he told her. “You make my life so much better. You support me in every way possible.”

Kai remembered hearing Rhiannon’s name often during their school years. At a house party, he saw Rhiannon and Luke together at the back of the garden and took a photograph. An hour later, Luke told him Rhiannon was now his girlfriend. Kai still has the picture. After the ceremony at Highley Manor, he photographed them together by the trees once more.

The Celebration

Rhiannon and Luke cut their cake just before 7pm and had their first dance to “Stand By Me” at 8.10pm. Luke then danced with his mum while Rhiannon danced with Luke’s dad. They swapped, with Rhiannon dancing with Steve and Luke with Sandra, before everyone joined them on the floor.

Credits

• Venue: Highley Manor, Balcombe, West Sussex
• Photography: Nicola Tulip
• Videography: Talking Fly Wedding Films