The big day arrived and I met Paul and his best man Richard on what was possibly the wettest Saturday we had seen in 2021. But the weather was quickly forgotten, eclipsed by the magnificent looking marquee. Paul and Mouna had organised some of the décor, including a stunning moongate and a pretty wedding cake arch, and these had been decorated beautifully by Emily Rose Events, a wonderful local specialist in dressing venues with artificial flowers. The dusky pink theme was spectacular.

On a more melancholy note, Mouna’s Mum and her sister were unable to travel from Sudan – and Mouna knew she (and many of their guests) would miss their presence greatly. So apart from livestreaming all the preparations and the ceremony to them, she and Paul arranged for two life size cut outs to be at the entrance to the marquee, so Mum and sister could welcome the guests, just as they would have done if they’d been there in person. A genius solution!

One of the most striking parts of the ceremony (for me) was the traditional greeting the guests gave Mouna and her entourage of sisters-in-law and flower girls as they arrived – if you’ve never heard this, it’s really quite something. Called the ululation – it’s a loud, long, high-pitched trilling sound (that you could say also resembles a howl), and it’s an expression of strong emotion (in this case, joy!) used at a communal ritual or event like a wedding. Truly, a welcome I’d never heard, and just out of this world to be a part of.

And so our ceremony commenced, with proud brothers Mohammed and Adil representing Mouna’s family in the ‘giving-away’, and then the most enthusiastic group vow, with participation by Mouna’s family via Zoom! We revisited Paul and Mouna’s story, hearing how romantic Paul has even learnt various Arabic phrases to impress his fiancée, and how Mouna has taught Paul that Tottenham was no longer the most important thing in his life. Their beautiful vows to one another and the exchanging of rings brought about more cheering, and before we knew it, this deal was sealed with a kiss and Paul and Mouna were whisked away for photos, before they moved on to their Sudanese ceremony later in the day.

This was such a special ceremony – sentimental, thoughtful and full of heart – and I take my hat off to Paul and Mouna for organising it in a very short space of time! The Britannia team were excellent hosts, it was so lovely (and easy) working with photographer Hannah Timm and I was a little sad to leave the continuing celebrations which I knew would continue to be lively and great fun.

I (Hannah) just want to add that Lisa was lovely to work with and led the ceremony beautifully. A celebrant is a great option if you are looking to do something a bit different and I would highly recommend Lisa. This was such a fun, colourful wedding and I loved the mix of both English and Sudanese traditional ceremonies.

If you are getting married and looking for your wedding photographer please get in touch, I’d love to chat about your plans