Dan and Hannah are globe-trotters to the absolute max. Having spent the past decade moving houses (and lives) between England and Australia multiple times they decided to get married one of their favourite places in the world – Manchester!

Dan is an Aussie and Hannah is a home grown Manc, although they met whilst trekking the mountains of Macha Picchu. True to their beginnings they’ve always loved an adventure and wanted their personalised wedding ceremony to reflect their progressive, fun-loving attitudes to love and life in every way possible.

Guests came from near and far to celebrate with them in Gorilla’s swanky urban event space under the railway tracks, many travelling half way across the world to just for this special day. Naturally, Hannah and Dan wanted to spoil them with mouth-watering food and delicious cocktails in a unconventional venue slap bang in the middle of the city centre.

When we first started Skype chatting way back in 2016, they stressed they wanted an informal and relaxed non-religious ceremony to begin their wedding day; a wedding in which they could express themselves and the things they loved most in the world without any restrictions or imposed formalities. They chose their own readings, wrote personalised vows, found local band Noah’s Ark to play a live and soul-shiveringly beautiful rendition of Eva Cassidy’s Songbird and had the whole of Gorilla’s upstairs balcony and gin bar to party in all day long.

As well as exchanging rings they also included a ‘time capsule’ addition to their ceremony, which involved both of them writing letters to each other and then sealing them (unopened and unread) in a wine box – promising not to open them, or the wine, until their 25^th wedding anniversary. This is a really lovely and unusual alternative addition to a ceremony that a church or registry office won’t allow, and essentially allows a Bride and Groom to remind their future selves of the hope, dreams and feelings they had on their wedding days. The letter is a precious and priceless of the origins of their love and the beginning of their married lives together.

Dan and Hannah’s wedding day was lively, bubbly and brimming over with love and good vibes. It was an absolute honour to be their celebrant and I wish them every happiness in the world!

All photographs © Ginger Beard Weddings – www.gingerbeardweddings.com

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