Today's real wedding is just so cool! You probably know by now that we love nothing more than couples who ditch the traditions that don't resonate, and keep the ones that do - and that's exactly what Natalie and Steve did with their fun Cambridge wedding. Starting the day with a ceremony at the Doubletree Hilton, these two took their 26 guests punting on the river (with Pimms and prosecco, obvs!) before treating them to a four course dinner their favourite spot, The Pint Shop. Celebrating in and around their hometown, with closest pals by their side, this awesome pair and their day were captured beautifully by Georgia Rachael Photography. 

Steve and Natalie met while they were both on the same Management Trainee course at a local construction firm, “We were actually friends for two years after meeting and good friends turned into something a little more! We’ve known each other for 12 years or so!” 

Well, this might be a first. The couple tell us that the proposal was a complete surprise to the both of  them! “We were in New Zealand for a friend’s wedding in Martinborough (North Island), and the day after the wedding we embarked on our four-day exploration of the South Island to then catch our flight home from Christchurch.”

Natalie explains that after an incredible day’s travelling, the pair were in for a pretty special sunset, “After driving from Picton to Hanmer Springs, seal watching in Kaikora on the way, we went for a short walk after dinner and watched the sun set over the mountains. Just before heading inside he got down on one knee!” she tells us. “Spur of the moment completely, we went and purchased a ring together the next day after driving to Christchurch, it was a lovely thing to do together and great to have a ring from New Zealand too!”

One of the traditions Natalie was sure she wanted to keep was having her dad walk her up the aisle.

Shaking up traditions, we love that Steve swapped out a wedding ring for something that felt more him, “He opted for a wedding watch which was sort of a nod to my grandparents, as they did exactly the same,” explains Natalie. “I had a personalised painted leather jacket that was worn with my wedding dress, this was done by the wonderful Bee Davis Illustration.”

Who needs a wedding car when you could have a WEDDING BOAT! Natalie and Steve took some time away after their ceremony for a little cruise around during their photo session.

Steve and Natalie kept things intimate with just 26 guests, “We a late afternoon wedding with some punting on the River Cam with all of guests and a nice four course dinner in the Pint Shop.”

We love that the couple's golden retriever Oscar popped in post-ceremony to say hello!

The bride and groom describe their wedding day as pretty chilled out, “We were surrounded by friends and family throughout. Some people have said our day is somewhat of an anti-wedding as we threw many of the traditions out the window and kept the really important ones as part of the day. We wanted to tailor it to exactly how we wanted to celebrate this moment in our lives.”

All aboard! The pair took all their guests (and a few bottles of bubbly) for a pre-dinner punt on The Cam - it looks like so much fun!

This pair had a clear vision for what their day would look and feel like, “Our priority was that we would be relaxed and it would be a fun day for our nearest and dearest. We always knew that this wasn’t going to be the traditional wedding.”

These two tell us about their choices for a multi-venue bash, “The ceremony venue was a lovely place by the river that we had the chance to put our stamp on. The Pint Shop is our favourite place to eat in Cambridge and we’ve got many happy memories of being out and around in Cambridge. It all fitted in well with our relaxed fun vibe that we wanted to create, thankfully the weather played ball on the day and it was a lovely sunny afternoon!”

The couple played around with the format of their day, “We tipped the traditional wedding on its head and only kept those that were really important to us i.e. speeches, father of the bride giving away. There were quite a few wedding traditions that we broke along the way, we both got ready together at our home surrounded by family and friends. We had a first look before the ceremony which we know is a bit of an American tradition but we wanted that moment for us both before the official ceremony.”

Because of their small guest list, the couple opted for another (very fun!) reception, four weeks after the wedding. “We called it our ‘I Do BBQ’ and celebrated again with 110 guests in a local pub garden with a catered BBQ, silent disco and garden games.”

Gin wedding favours are always appreciated!

You know we're partial to a cheese wheel wedding cake! I love that the could decked out their already-beautiful reception space with stylish rustic touches and simple florals and greenery.

We are loving Natalie's custom leather jacket! Her whole wedding day look had an effortlessly stylish feel to it, she really owned her wedding dress as she dashed around town with it billowing behind her! The greenery in her hair is so pretty too, tying in with elements throughout the day.

This is what I love about city weddings, these two got to hang out around their regular stomping ground and document the fun!

Looks like things got emotional for everyone during the speeches! Although it seems plenty of LOLs were had too!

The couple took their gorgeous golden retriever to France on honeymoon with them, “We went to a lovely self-catering place called Verdun through Boutique Retreats, it was the perfect escape for us and they were dog friendly which meant we could take Oscar on holiday with us!”

Thanks so much to Natalie and Steve for sharing your wedding with us - and to Georgia Rachael Photography for documenting it! Make sure you hit the gallery to see even more of their boating fun!