Tying the Knot in Tenby!

 

 

The good people at “Around Tenby” asked me to write a blog for them about getting married in their beautiful seaside town. Of course, I happily obliged! You can read the article “Get Wed in Tenby” by clicking here. I’m going to tell you here about the Tenby beach wedding pictured in the article. This wasn’t actually a handfasting but I’m using the term “Tying the knot in Tenby” as the other metaphorical meaning of “Tying the knot” – to get married.

“My” Tenby Beach Wedding

As you will read in the article, there are any number of places to marry in Tenby, and ways of doing it. But one of my favourites was held in September 2020. Yes, really, we snuck one in before the second lockdown and it was BLISS! You’ll see a photo from it in the article, but more are on show here.

Katie and Neil had been together for a good few years before deciding they finally wanted to make it official and get wed. As you can see from the photos, one of their sons is an adult and the other is pretty much nearly there. They felt the need to have something simple but meaningful with just close family present.

Why Tenby?

Because they’ve got so many happy memories there of family holidays. They rent an apartment there most years and simply love the place. They also liked the thought of marrying on a beach so all that remained was to decide which beach!

How did we organise it?

Well, to be honest, having written the script, I just showed up where and when I was asked. They decided to hold their ceremony right up the end of the mile long south beach. This can be reached from Penally Station carpark and is far less busy than the other end which is close to the town. We held the ceremony around 6.0 pm to ensure there were even fewer people around. Neil and the boys were the first to arrive. They were armed simply with a chair and some cane torches, a few ribbons and silk flowers and a candle or two. Perfect.

Setting the Scene

The boys set things up under Neil’s instruction and we all gathered stones to create a heart shape for them to stand in. The flowers were attached to the torches, and a simple aisle created leading to the stone heart ceremony area.

The Arrival of the Bride

Katie and her Mum and Gran appeared from behind the dunes at the allotted time (well, more or less!) and the photographer’s pictures show her enjoying her walk through the dunes to reach us. She looked so happy.

I’ve no idea where she got her ballerina skirt and top, but she looked absolutely perfect! Relaxed, happy and cool in the baking September sunshine.

The Ceremony

They didn’t want any particular symbolism, but everyone did get to bless the wedding rings. I was particularly touched by the reaction of their sons. The younger son had been a bit fed up with being dragged all this way in formal clothes in the heat. Once the ceremony started he changed, and I wanted to cheer when I noticed his eyes closing in concentration as he clasped his parents’ wedding rings!

 

We spoke of their twenty years together, the strength of their partnership and the love for their family.

We acknowledged the beauty of our surroundings and its significance in the context of their marriage.

Treasured Memories.

After the ceremony there were photographs taken, but not too many, so we all wandered back to the cars together. The family to go and celebrate in their apartment, me to wend my way home. There may not have been a crowd present to celebrate with this family. But I’m confident that we created a memory that will stay with each one of them as a very precious day in their family’s history. Job done.

 

Contact me to Tie the Knot!

If you’re interested in tying the knot in Tenby, jump to my contact page and drop me a line.

 

Photographs, with many thanks, courtesy of the lovely https://www.angharadthomasphotography.co.uk/ Also, many thanks to Katie and Neil for giving me permission to share the joy of their day!