designed in collaboration with a dressmaker, while the other pieces were purchased from various retailers. The ability to remove up to three items and still have a complete outfit gave me a lot of scope to ensure I was always comfortable. I ultimately jettisoned the beautiful yet wildly impractical tulle overskirt before the evening function, retaining the shorter, more structured overskirt until the end of the day. Being a milliner, I accessorised with no less than three fascinators (changing after the ceremony and the wedding breakfast), each inspired by a different resident of Wonderland. I completed the look with a buttonhole and a bouquet. Tim wore a cobalt blue suit with a buttonhole in the lapel, a white shirt, a pink tie, and black shoes.” Adam and Tim asked their wedding party to wear items that made them feel comfortable. “While we did encourage hats/fascinators, we didn’t specify hairstyles, make-up, clothing, or a single, unifying colour,” continues Adam. “For those that wanted a steer, we shared our colour palette for the wedding, but our only requirement was that the outfit made them feel good. The slightly chaotic nature of our theme accommodated this more readily than a traditional concept, but we wanted to give as much control to our loved ones as possible.” TIME TO CELEBRATE “In line with our theme, we offered a ‘make your own hat’ station, with lots of pre-assembled paper hats and craft supplies for customisation,” explains Adam. “For our younger guests, we offered drawing pads, colouring pens/ pencils, sticker books and bubble wands. We also set up a photo booth using an old digital camera, cardboard accessories, and a Wonderlandinspired backdrop. Our live music was provided by Disco Centric and they performed a slow, soulful rendition of This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) by Natalie Cole for our first dance. They then picked up the pace and invited everyone to join us. The band was incredible and kept the dancefloor filled with two sets of upbeat, familiar songs and a strong stage presence.” MEMORABLE MOMENTS The happy couple felt overcome with joy and gratitude. “After the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, it was so special to spend time with the most important people in our lives,” recalls Adam. “The day went according to plan, and Craig Y Nos Castle’s wedding team took care of everything, letting us focus on our guests. “Our wedding ceremony was particularly special,” adds Adam. “As nonbinary people don’t yet have legal recognition in the UK and all the scripts use gendered language, we decided to have a bare-bones legal ceremony in the registry office about a month before the wedding. While not ideal, it gave us free rein to customise our wedding ceremony down to the last detail and involve our loved ones in leading the celebrations. The wedding ceremony took place in Craig Y Nos Castle’s Opera House. The script was divided into four sections, each led by a different member of our wedding party, spanning an introduction, the history of our relationship, our vows and the exchange of rings, and a celebration of the support of our friends and family. Everyone was given a rose when they entered, and during the ceremony, they all put their roses in a vase, making up a huge bouquet. It symbolised everyone coming together for love. Lots of people commented that this was their favourite part of the day. We think our guests responded to the ceremony’s focus on our relationship, our love, our marriage and our willingness to be honest about what’s important to us. Having the freedom to use a script that could celebrate our marriage, rather than marriage as an institution, was the silver lining of separating the legal ceremony from our wedding day.” The couple’s friends and family helped make their wedding extra special. “The willingness of our loved ones to take active roles in organising and leading our celebrations was wonderful,” says Adam. “The members of our wedding party, in particular, were so generous with their time, expertise and support in helping us to create something new. The venue’s wedding 45 REAL WEDDINGS
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