A Colourful Fusion Wedding in Birmingham | Azzy + Kez
Planning a Fun Fusion Wedding in Digbeth
When Azzy and Kez first got in touch with me about their wedding, I was thrilled – not only were they planning the most fun fusion wedding at one of my fave Digbeth venues, The Old Library. They are also completely wonderful humans who I still chat with today (mainly with Azzy about Grey’s Anatomy or her sending me hilarious cat reels).
“We just loved Kate's energy, and knew she'd feel like another member of the wedding party”
Azzy and Kez spent about a year planning their wedding. Since it was a marriage of two cultures (Cornish and Sudanese) they had the opportunity to pick and choose their favourite parts from each and in Azzy’s words ‘cut out the boring bits’. A couple after my own heart. Once they figured that out, they searched for local Birmingham suppliers who could create the experience they wanted. They received lots of useful advice from the Old Library and found many of their wedding suppliers through Instagram.
Getting Ready Together on Your Wedding Day
I started at their home in Bearwood, where the couple and their friends were getting ready together. I really love it when couples throw out tradition and get ready together - not only is it nice for me to spend time with both of them, I always feel like my couples ground each other and help ease any nerves by being close. This part of the day was really chilled and fun, because that is who they are as people! Azzy wore a Sudanese toub, with traditional gold jewelry to match, and Kez wore an amazing pink suit. They both looked incredible. The wedding party consisted of two of their really good friends who also looked amazing in mix and match pink suits!
Colourful Digbeth: Pre-Ceremony Portraits
Due to the timeline, the couple and I went off around the wonderfully colorful Digbeth to do couple portraits before the ceremony. We were so lucky with the light, which made everything super colorful and vibrant. It was lovely to take this time out before the (wonderfully) wild ceremony kicked off.
The Joyful Sudanese Jirtig Ceremony
The wedding ceremony took place at The Old Library in Birmingham, one of Brum’s awesome venues by the Custard Factory. The venue was decorated and styled by Wild Halo in shades of pink and red to match their outfits. Red is the traditional colour in Sudanese weddings, and pink added a playful touch to the palette. The Old Library is a big, open white space (I love this about the building), which means couples can put their own stamp on it, and it looked amazing full of colour.
They had a Sudanese Jirtig ceremony, which involves a series of symbolic rituals to represent love and union, including sweets, incense, perfume, and a whole load of dancing, hugs, and joy. I honestly wished there were three of me at this point! So much was going on, and I think I did more steps in that ceremony than I did for the rest of the day! As the dancing transitioned to conversations, and after Azzy's stunning outfit change, we stepped outside for confetti and informal family photos.
Vegan Caribbean Fusion Food AND Cornish Pasties
During the reception, they had a lovely meal with friends and family, which was the most amazing vegan food I’ve ever had. I honestly wouldn’t have known the difference; it was soooo good. For the evening food, they had lush Cornish pasties as a nod to Kez's heritage, and I took several home with me and ate them while backing up. Typing this has made me hungry.
Heartfelt Speeches and one Fun Dancefloor
After food and lots of lovely hanging out, they had some wonderful speeches, ending in happy tears and lots of laughs and hugs. Which, along with dancing, pretty well sums up this wedding. I snuck the couple away for some after-dark portraits. I love the festoons in the Custard Factory, and on Fazeley Street. It was nice to take some time before the party revved up again.
Their first dance kicked off the evening dance floor to Alabama Shakes' "This Feeling," and the rest of the evening featured an incredible set from DJ Czafari, who really kept that dance floor full (not that I’d expect anything else from Azzy + Kez’s guests). Then it was time for me to hug them goodbye before running in and out for about 20 minutes every time I heard something fun happening on the dance floor. It was SO hard to tear myself away.
Feedback from the Couple
Here’s what the couple had to say about me as their wedding photographer:
"It was really important that our photographer could accurately photograph a range of skin tones (this was surprisingly difficult), which Kate does excellently! On our first video call where we met each other, we just loved Kate's energy, and knew she'd feel like another member of the wedding party. Lots of our friends and family mentioned how lovely Kate was. We also chose Kate because she's amazing at truly capturing the essence of the wedding, including many moments we didn't get to see at the time. The photos are like being there all over again! The photos perfectly capture the spirit of the wedding, the love and joy in the room. The portraits are beautiful, but we are particularly happy with the spectacular action shots (including some impressive facial expressions) from the throwing of the sweets and other parts of the ceremony."
The Best Wedding Advice from Azzy and Kez
"Don't do anything out of obligation; do exactly what you want, create your own tradition, it's your wedding and you can make exactly what you want of it! Also, vegan catering sidesteps the vast majority of dietary requirements!"
Check out more from this vibrant celebration in Birmingham below!
Brilliant Brummie Wedding Suppliers
Venue: The Old Library @theoldlibrary_
Outfits: Vinted for Kez's suit, David's Bridal for Azzy's white dress, and Coventry Road for the toub
Accessories: Borrowed, Etsy for the Groom and Bridesmaids lapel pins
Shoes: Vinted
Hair & Makeup: Ajoa @makeupbyajoa
Decor/Styling: The Wild Halo @thewildhalo
Cake: Kez's mum and sisters!
Caterer: Shiloh from Rasculture Food @rasculturefood
Planning your own fusion wedding and need a photographer who understands the unique blend of cultures and traditions? I'd love to be a part of your wonderful day! Head over to my contact form to get in touch. Or go check out some more weddings on my blog here.