Meg and Arthur’s Whimsical Wedding at The Alverbank Hotel

Inspiration | Real Ceremonies | Wedding Ceremonies | Wedding Venues

August 30, 2026 / Miranda Ash /

Some weddings take months of careful planning and endless back and forth. Meg and Arthur’s Hampshire wedding at The Alverbank Hotel was not one of those. I met them at The Alt Fair in Southampton last year, and we hit it off so fast that by the end of the fair they’d booked me, along with several other suppliers, on the spot. Two hours, and their wedding was basically planned.

They came to the fair as a team, Meg, Arthur, Meg’s lovely Mum and her wonderfully sassy Nan, all in it together. It’s rare to see a couple move that quickly and happily, and it told me everything I needed to know about how easy and joyful the rest of the planning process would be.

White Dr Marten boots with blue dice charms

An Alternative Fair Whirlwind

Wedding fairs can be a lot. Rows of suppliers, a hundred conversations, so many decisions to make in one afternoon. But Meg and Arthur walked in knowing what they wanted, and they made quick, confident choices. There was no umming and ahhing, no “we’ll think about it and get back to you.” Just excitement and a wedding coming together right there in the room.

By the time they left, most of their big decisions were made which shows just how in sync Meg and Arthur are as a couple. When you know, you know!

The Alverbank: Nearly Two Hundred Years of Love Stories

Choosing The Alverbank for their big day suited them perfectly. Built in 1842, this beautiful Grade II* listed building has been quietly hosting love stories for nearly two centuries. It’s tucked among the trees of Stanley Park with lovely views out across the Solent to the Isle of Wight, and over the years it’s welcomed some pretty impressive guests, including Queen Victoria and the Duke of Wellington. Now Meg and Arthur have added their own chapter to that long history.

Emotional moment during a wedding ceremony.

The Alverbank team, led by the brilliant Claire, made the whole day feel effortless. That kind of warmth and organisation makes such a difference, not just for the couple but for every supplier working alongside them. Combined with the venue’s history and setting, it gave Meg and Arthur exactly the backdrop their personality-filled celebration deserved.

A Love Story With a Nerdy Twist

I can’t write about this wedding without sharing a bit of how Meg and Arthur found each other. It started in 2020, deep in lockdown, when Meg spotted Arthur’s Hinge profile. The photo that caught her eye was of him grinning next to a “Schmuck” sign in Vienna. From there, their romance unfolded in classic 2020 style, nervous video calls (Meg admits she sat on the floor of her tiny flat for their first one), an introduction to her beloved pink machete (yes she has a pink machete and it’s not a euphemism!), and eventually a first proper date in St James’ Park.

Things moved easily after that. Arthur moved back to London later that year and rented a flat just around the corner from Meg, though preferred her cosy little flat instead. When Meg broke her ankle at a festival, Arthur’s first-aid training kicked in and he looked after her through months of recovery and plenty of wheelchair trips across London. As Arthur later put it, even though it was a tough time, they quickly realised the other person was the easiest part of it all.

Since then, they’ve built a whole little world together. Dungeons & Dragons, horror films that Meg has to vet for being too “mean” or “meta,” musicals (very much her territory) and a shared soft spot for gloriously bad films like Return of the Killer Tomatoes. They once had a weekend long Lord of the Rings movie marathon complete with LOTR themed food – including the all important second breakfast.

They’ve also welcomed two cats into the family, Beef McQueef and Clive DeChive, who couldn’t make it to the wedding in person but were very much there in spirit, thanks to a pair of cardboard cut-outs ready for photos later on. They make the most of every opportunity.

Bride and groom during wedding ceremony.

Arthur proposed at Halloween Horror Nights in Florida, Meg’s favourite place in the world, getting down on one knee surrounded by monsters and spooks after nearly being rained off the night before. He’s said since that the proposal itself was scarier than anything else that night. Meg said yes, of course, then spent the rest of the evening showing off her new ring to every horror mascot she could find.

Inside the Ceremony

Meg and Arthur’s ceremony was full of little touches that made it feel unique to them.

It started with a lovely tradition I love including: the two roses. Meg carried two roses down the aisle, the first for a big hug with her Mum, and the second for her new mother-in-law, handed over later in the ceremony after the rings were exchanged. It’s such a simple gesture, but it says so much, a way of welcoming a new family in with open arms.

We also had a bit of fun with a paparazzi moment. I gave everyone thirty seconds to grab their phones and get their best shots of Meg and Arthur, blue steel poses and all, before getting straight back into the ceremony. It’s always a nice way to let guests get involved without anyone sneaking photos during the vows.

We also did a ring warming. Instead of the rings just sitting on a cushion, they were passed around every single guest, with the help of Meg and Arthur’s adorable little nephew. As the rings travelled through the room, everyone got a moment to hold them, warm them and quietly wish Meg and Arthur well for their future together. By the time the rings made it back to the front, they were carrying a room full of love and support, which is such a beautiful thing to build into a ceremony.

We had two readings, both chosen to reflect Meg and Arthur as a couple. Meg’s cousin read Sonnet 116 by Shakespeare, all about the steady, unshakeable nature of true love. Later, Arthur’s sister shared a Bible reading from Song of Solomon, chapter 8, verses 6 and 7, a beautiful passage about love that burns strong and can’t be swept away.

Then, we got to the heart of it all: their vows. Meg and Arthur wrote personal promises to support each other, to champion each other’s dreams and communicate openly, choosing each other every single day. Hearing two people make commitments in their own words, surrounded by everyone who matters most to them, never gets old. It’s exactly the kind of ceremony I love being part of, one that’s personal, a little bit silly in places, and completely full of heart.

The Little Details

What really stood out about this wedding was how much of Meg and Arthur was in every single detail. Meg is wonderfully creative, and she put that to good use designing and making a lot of the stationery, signage, table centre pieces and so much more! It gave the whole day a personal feel that you just can’t buy off the shelf.

Their shared love of Dungeons & Dragons and their two cats made its way into the celebration too. There were custom cocktails with a cheeky nod to Beef and Clive, giving guests a real taste of the couple’s sense of humour.

Then there was Meg’s dress. When I arrived in her suite that morning, she was getting ready in a stunning sparkly gown paired with white Dr. Martens boots. Hanging off the back of those boots were blue Dungeons & Dragons dice, her something blue and a lovely nod to the game she and Arthur both love. It sums up their whole approach to the day, elegant where it mattered, playful where it counted, and completely, unapologetically them.

A Dream Team

A wedding this personal doesn’t come together without the right people around you, and Meg and Arthur put together a brilliant team. Liz Evelyn Photography captured every part of the day beautifully, from quiet getting ready moments to the chaos of the dance floor. Toni Searle did Meg’s makeup and helped her feel every bit as radiant as she looked. And of course, The Alverbank team kept everything running smoothly behind the scenes.

Wedding celebration with guests and ribbons.

Having suppliers who genuinely click with each other and with the couple makes such a difference to how the day actually feels. That was very much the case here, and it showed.

Why This Wedding Was So Special

What made Meg and Arthur’s wedding so lovely wasn’t just the stunning backdrop of The Alverbank, although that certainly helped. It was the way they let their real, quirky, deeply loving relationship shine through every choice they made, from booking their whole day at a wedding fair in two hours flat, to handmade stationery, cat themed cocktails and D&D dice swinging from a pair of wedding boots.

Their love story, one that started with a Hinge photo and a Schmuck sign, wound through lockdown video calls and a broken ankle, and ended up with a Halloween Horror Nights proposal, is proof that the best weddings don’t try to fit a mould. Meg and Arthur didn’t just plan a wedding. They put together a day that felt completely like them, in a Hampshire venue with nearly two hundred years of love stories to keep them company.

Feedback

Myself and my wife had the pleasure of being married by Miranda in a ceremony last month. From start to finish, Miranda has been amazing. We felt looked after at every step of the way, with Miranda helping our day to feel that much more special. Miranda’s particular standout qualities include her ability to bring together all our personal anecdotes and in-jokes to the ceremony, her keen attention to detail and most of all her ability to control the guests while still making us feel like the centre of attention.

Miranda felt more than a Celebrant, she is someone who cares deeply about us and our marriage, and it truly felt like an old friend was leading the ceremony! Miranda is an exceptional Celebrant, and we would recommend her to anyone thinking about having a Celebrant-led ceremony.