Civil partnership ceremony at Addington Palace, Surrey

The civil partnership ceremony of Oliver Boito and Chris Walker at Addington Palace on Saturday 11th June 2011

Today I’d like to introduce you to Ollie and Chris who recently celebrated their civil partnership ceremony just a few minutes down the road from me at Addington Palace just outside of Croydon, Surrey.  A slightly different format for us today, since we started our coverage a little later than usual and began with the ceremony itself rather than ‘preps’ shots… but then stayed later for some very entertaining entertainment!  More on that later…

Ollie and Chris are two fellas who know what they want… and what they wanted was a celebration of their partnership, and for all their friends and family to have a damn good time enjoying their wedding day.  And that was just what they did!  I knew from our first meeting that Ollie was a friendly smiley kind of guy, whilst Chris came across as a little more reserved by nature but completely focused and on top every detail for the forthcoming ceremony.  It was only after spending a little more time in their company that I realised that Chris also has a keen but very dry sense of humour – right on the money!

So let’s quit with the rambling and show you a few photos then – starting with some of the nicest vows I’ve ever heard, during the ceremony itself:

The ceremony was lovely, and was preceded by friends of Ollie and Chris singing A cappella as they walked up the aisle together.  Indeed, music and entertainment played quite a big part of the day, including a song from Ollie himself immediately prior to the wedding breakfast…

Food was laid on by Caper and Berry, and looked fab!  Ollie and Chris were keen for us to shoot the wedding in a very informal documentary style, so that’s exactly what we did…

Some very funny speeches…

…and then on to some evening entertainment. Bring on the fabulous “Dame Shirley Bassey” played by Wezley Sebastian, fresh from his role in Priscilla Queen of the desert.  This was a show not to be missed, and ensured that everybody here enjoyed every minute of their evening..!

Not only Shirley Bassey, but Tina Turner too.  Now, that’s entertainment… as our guests clearly agree.  Every wedding should have a drag queen. 🙂

And finally… our two grooms living it up on the dance floor.  Do you think everyone had fun? 😉

Thank you so much to Ollie and Chris for inviting Karen and I to photograph your special day for you.  I’ve referred to the day as a wedding day because as Chris said himself… that’s exactly what it is.  Congratulations guys, and all the very best to you both!

Rob.

Civil partnership photography in Surrey