Swiping Right at Braxted Park | Davina & Stephen
The mirror outside All Saints Church said it before anyone else could. Propped against the flint wall, in white lettering, it welcomed guests to the wedding of Davina and Stephen, and offered a small piece of evidence: proof that swiping right can lead to the rest of your life.
They met on an app. On the first of October, the flower girl was twirling in its reflection, the harpist was playing inside, and a family block in flame orange was filling the front pews.
Some weddings blend two cultures politely. This one did it at full volume.
Twelve women, one room
The morning at Braxted Park belonged to the bridesmaids. All twelve of them, in black satin pyjamas, moving between hair chairs and mirrors in a room papered with climbing vines, while a rail of emerald gowns waited by the window.
Davina sat at the centre of it in white, laughing, mimosa in hand, while SD Hair Bridal built her hair and Makeup by Venetia and Makeup by Jen worked down the line. By lunchtime the twelve were lined up beneath the orangery windows, and the noise level had not dropped once.
Across the estate, Stephen and his groomsmen were in cream suits, fastening each other's green ties in the sunshine outside the cottages. Stephen wore gold.
The first look belonged to the bridesmaids
At a quarter to two, Davina stepped out in her gown from Bridal Shop Romford and walked through the stable courtyard towards the twelve women who had spent the morning getting her ready. Their reaction is the closest thing to a sound you can capture in a photograph.
All Saints, Great Braxted
The church sits within the estate grounds, its flint walls and timber spire framed that day by an arch of white flowers. Davina's uncle walked her down the red carpet just after two, past the harp and the orange headwraps and a church packed to the doors.
Stephen watched her the whole length of the aisle. The rings followed, then the kiss, then a recessional that turned into something closer to a parade.
Confetti, and a lot of it
Outside, the guests had formed a tunnel that ran halfway across the churchyard. Somewhere in the middle of it, Stephen stopped to wipe the confetti from Davina's face. It took two seconds, and nobody else noticed.
Back at the house, the twelve bridesmaids lined up in emerald against the red brick of Braxted Park, and the whole family gathered for a group photograph that needed every inch of the lawn.
Rum punch in the walled garden
Cocktail hour moved to the walled garden, where the rum punch was flowing and J Hope Strings played violin in a green velvet jacket between the fruit trees. Children ran the length of the lawn. The cake by Ese Bakes, green and gold with white roses, waited in the marquee under a Mr & Mrs topper.
The wedding breakfast brought the food of both families to the same tables: stewed goat, mac and cheese, and plenty more besides.
The entrance
Nobody walked into that marquee. At twelve minutes past five the bridesmaids danced in, then the groomsmen, then Davina and Stephen behind the violin, arms up, the whole room on
its feet before they reached the top table.
The speeches that followed had the bridesmaids in tears and the room in pieces, in that order.
Golden hour on the parkland
At sunset we stole ten minutes on the open parkland beyond the house. The wind picked up Davina's veil and held it out across the grass, and the cedars went black against an orange sky.
Dry ice and cold sparks
The first dance began at eight, on a floor of dry ice with cold spark fountains rising either side. It lasted about a minute before Davina's mum rolled straight onto the dancefloor in her wheelchair to join them, and the family followed her.
That is the picture I would hand to anyone asking what this wedding was about.
Planning Your Braxted Park Wedding
For a wedding that brings two families and two cultures together, Braxted Park gives you room to do both properly: a church within the grounds, a walled garden built for long cocktail hours, and a marquee that can take an entrance like this one. Plan your timings around the light. On an October date the parkland glows from around six, and it is worth stepping away from the speeches for it. If you are planning a Jamaican wedding in Essex and want photography that captures the noise, the food, the aunties and the dancefloor exactly as they happen, I would love to hear about your day.
For seating, layout and timeline ideas at the same venue, see Abbie and Ryan's Braxted Park wedding.
Rob Moore is a fine art editorial wedding photographer based in Essex, covering historic estates, country houses, and destination weddings across the UK and internationally. His work has been exhibited across eight international cities.
Supplier Credits
Venue: Braxted Park
Ceremony: All Saints Church, Great Braxted
Bridal gown: Bridal Shop Romford
Hair: SD Hair Bridal
Makeup: Makeup by Venetia, Makeup by Jen
Cake: Ese Bakes
Violin: J Hope Strings
Photography & film: Rob Moore Photography
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