Faye & Ed – Riverside House

Marrying Faye is by far, the best and easiest decision of my life.” Ed, 15 December 2023.

Faye Gregory and Ed Paxton met on an island called Praslin in the Seychelles archipelago. Known for palm-fringed beaches, granite boulders and a jungle-covered interior, Praslin is a paradise that Ed and Faye feel grateful to call home.

One of the things people complain about living on a small island is the lack of ‘things to do‘,” Faye told us. “Ed and I have never had this issue. We love nothing more than going snorkelling, going to the beach or taking the boat out and visiting new dive spots and islands but at the same time we also have fun staying at home finding a new series to watch, sitting on our veranda, playing with our animals, and just generally sharing each other’s company“.

The beginning of this love story

Ed and I first met through mutual friends of ours (not hard on a small island!). I instantly really fancied him. A little while into our friendship and A LOT of heavy flirting later he invited me over to his for a ‘Netflix and Chill’ session. Me being that bit younger and up-to-date with the times … I assumed there would be… not that much Netflix and very little chilling. When I arrived I was promptly handed a glass of gin and tonic and we sat down on the sofa to watch a film. To this day I have no recollection of what it was we chose, as I really wasn’t all that fussed about what was on! However, Ed (although had heard of the term ‘Netflix and Chill’) thought that it really was just watching a film and chilling. I deny this when he mentions it, but at one stage in the film I sort of lay down on the sofa and tried to casually edge my way closer to him. It mortifies me to think of it now! After the film had finished he was, of course, the perfect gentleman and drove me all the way home! Needless to say, it took a good few more weeks (and a few more Netflix and Chill suggestions from him!) for me to actually pluck up the courage and explain to him what I think should be happening in a Netflix and Chill session!


Before the ceremony began, Faye made a decision about what shoes to wear. She had two options: She decided on neither. She walked down the aisle barefoot because she said it felt more like her.


A snippet from Ed and Faye’s ceremony

“Just after Faye and Ed first met, Faye invited Ed to a party on Valentine’s day 2020 with a number of her friends and colleagues. They had a fun night and Ed left at the end of the evening knowing that he’d been flirting with Faye subtly and feeling that it had been discreetly reciprocated. I pause here for a moment to point out that this description of subtle flirting is Ed’s. When Faye recounted the story, she used the following words: A LOT of heavy flirting.

Okay, now back to Valentine’s Day 2020.

Once Ed got to his truck, he realised he’d left his keys at Faye’s so he vaulted over her wall to recover them. All the other guests had left and as he appeared across the lawn, Faye apparently thought that Ed might kiss her for the first time. He didn’t. He made his apologies, grabbed his keys and disappeared back over the wall….

There’s more to this courtship story but I will leave that to Ed, later, to talk about. For now, for this ceremony, we fast-forward to Ed and Faye being together. Together is a good place to be. For Ed and Faye, they have to bare a lot of time apart. Ed travels fairly frequently at short notice and they both find the separation hard. On the day Ed leaves, he always writes a number of post-it notes and hides them in places he know she will find them. In Ed’s words, “I tell her how much I love her and reassure her that everything will be ok and that I’ll be safe and be back with her soon. I don’t think she realises how hard I find it to leave her”. 

It follows that the time Ed and Faye do have together is precious and they are aware – more than most – of just how precious. When Ed is at home, he gets up with Faye every morning (5.30am) before she goes to work. Just after the alarm goes off, Ed will often sing the Cheers intro song, only with his own lyrics about the day. After this serenading, Ed makes Faye coffee and prepares her lunch. He feeds all the animals and packs Faye off to work with a smile on her face.

Whenever Faye comes home from anywhere whether it be from work, a friend’s house, from the shops, Ed always, always comes to the door to greet her. In Faye’s words, “It’s such a small gesture, but it always makes me happy”. Other ways Ed demonstrates his deep love for Faye: Admin – doing it for her, whatever it may be, whether it’s filling out forms, organising travel, picking things up – just anything she needs basically because Faye is so busy with the children or school, parent and staff related admin that she sometimes doesn’t get to her own to-do list. Ed helps with that. 

And then there’s sushi. Sushi is Faye’s favoruite food and you can’t really get it on Praslin so whenever Faye and Ed are in a different country Ed always comes back with take-away sushi for Faye (even if they are going out for dinner or have planned to order in, cook). He calls it ‘safety sushi’ – just in case Faye doesn’t like what they eat or it’s not enough!

Faye, in turn, makes Ed feel loved constantly, in everything she does. She puts everyone and everything before herself and is the most thoughtful person you could imagine. 

While Ed takes care of certain things at home, Faye always cooks dinner (which really isn’t a little thing, especially considering the limited choice of ingredients in Seychelles. They eat simply and healthily. In Ed’s words, “I absolutely love her cooking and feel her love in every meal she makes”. 

 


During the ceremony, Faye’s close childhood friend, Jess, read an extract from one of Faye’s favorite author, Dolly Alderton’s books. She adapted the reading to include details from Faye and Ed’s lives in a way that made it so personal and funny and heartfelt. I won’t share that version as it is for Faye and Ed, but I will share the original extract as I think it’s such a lovely alternative reading.

Everything I Know About Love

I know that love can be loud and jubilant…It can be dancing in the swampy mud and the pouring rain at a festival and shouting “YOU ARE AMAZING” over the band. It’s introducing them to your colleagues at a work event and basking in pride as they make people laugh and make you look lovable just by dint of being loved by them.
It’s laughing until you wheeze.
It’s waking up in a country neither of you have been in before.
It’s skinny-dipping at dawn.
It’s walking along the street together on a Saturday night and feeling an entire city is yours.
It’s a big, beautiful, ebullient force of nature.
I also know that love is a pretty quiet thing.
It’s lying on the sofa together drinking coffee, talking about where you’re going to go that morning to drink more coffee.
It’s folding down pages of books you think they’d find interesting.
It’s hanging up their laundry when they leave the house having moronically forgotten to take it out of the washing machine.
It’s saying ‘You’re safer here than in a car’ as they hyperventilate on an EasyJet flight to Dublin. It’s the texts: ‘Hope your day goes well’, ‘How did today go?’, ‘Thinking of you today’ and ‘Picked up loo roll’. I know that love happens under the splendour of moon and stars and fireworks and sunsets but it also happens when you’re lying on blow-up airbeds in a childhood bedroom, sitting in A&E or in the queue for a passport, or in a traffic jam.
Love is a quiet, reassuring, relaxing, pottering, pedantic, harmonious hum of a thing; something you can easily forget is there, even though its palms are outstretched beneath you in case you fall”.


A final and beautiful word from our groom about his now wife:

Faye knows me better than anyone and I’m truly myself with her. She knows that I’m a big kid at heart and much more sensitive and cretinous than everyone but my closest would ever imagine. She knows that I will always have her back and will defend her and us above all else. I also unashamedly show my weakest and most vulnerable side to her. I have witnessed her resolve in adversity and I don’t have a shred of doubt that marrying her is by far, the best and easiest decision of my life“.

     


Coordination: Elope Cape Town – Linds Whiteman 

Venue: Perfect Hideaways – Riverside House

Hair & makeup: Danielle Jacobs

Decor & Styling: Mema Creative

On the day: Rolling Events

Private chef: One Cooks Kitchen

Photographer: Kyle Quintao Wedding Photography and Lara Jess Photography

Officiant: Marriage Officer Lara

0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply