Monkey World Wedding Photographer

Monkey World – situated a few miles outside of Wareham in Dorset – rescues and rehabilitates primates from around the world.  It gives them a safe environment in which to live out their lives, in natural groups.  The 65-acre park has been hosting events  for some time now and our visit early in September was for the wedding of Naomi and Jason –  two good friends of ours who we’ve known for several years.

The couple, their son Freddie  and their families were staying  in Wareham – at The Red Lion Inn, to be exact –  and our day began with a visit a short walk away at Barnets Barbers,  where Jason was due for a pre-wedding shave :-)
Monkey World is licensed for civil marriages.  Naomi and Jason’s ceremony took place right next to the chimpanzee enclosure with windows looking out to the animals.  And, as it’s partially open, it felt the wedding is taking place *in* the park rather than just in a room.  The newly-married couple got to feed the chimps too, after the service.
With the ceremony complete and the chimps fed it was time to take Naomi and Jason off around the rest of the park.  They got a guided tour on one of the park’s buggies and Sarah went with them to get some pictures as they toured the enclosures.

All of the Monkey World staff were helpful and friendly and made the day work really nicely, but without making things too formal.  A fantastic meal was served in The Wateringhole – probably one of the best buffets we’ve ever seen (and eaten)  and for the rest of the afternoon the couple enjoyed time with their guests.  We did a short photo session with them just as the park was closing which was a nice way to round off what had been a really lovely day.

Here’s just a small selection of pictures from Naomi and Jason’s day.