Chantal and Phil

I have fond memories of Chantal and Phil’s wedding. It was a DIY affair and the weather was absolutely glorious. The reception was in their spacious garden and the ceremony just a short walk down the lane from their house. They were a lovely couple, with older children. Very down to earth and extremely friendly.

I spent an hour or so taking photos of the girls getting ready, before heading over to the Church to take photos of the guests and groomsmen. On route, I found folk lounging around in the sunshine outside their camper and an extremely well dressed dog!

The ceremony itself was beautifully quaint, helped by the intimate setting created by the tiny Church. As such, there wasn’t much space to move around, but it did mean I was close to all the action. I try to be as subtle as I can when taking photos during the ceremony. You can normally hear a pin prick, so even the slightest thud of a camera case or lens change can disrupt the atmosphere. During Church weddings I make a point of not taking photos during the prayers. This is out of respect to the person conducting the ceremony and to acknowledge the solemn moment.

After any ceremony, one can always feel a great sense of relief - particularly with the bride and groom. It’s always lovely to see the outpour of happiness that guests bestow on them.

It was a lazy walk back to Chantal and Phil’s house for the wedding reception, where there was much singing, dancing and drinking. A few group photos were requested, but mostly I was left to document the afternoon as it unfolded in a very honest and natural way.

There was no first dance, as such, instead the girl’s performed an impromptu ABBA tribute number, which had the guests in uproar! I got the feeling the party was only just getting started when I left!

Sophie and Pier

Sophie and Pier were married just around the corner from where I was living at the time in Cheltenham. I knew the vicar, Nick Davies, extremely well, having photographed another of his churches, Pip and Jim’s, frequently for promotional work. Click here to see a Mother’s Day service I photographed for Nick and here and here to see photos from heritage recording Nick commissioned me to do.

On this occasion though, the subjects were Sophie and Pier. They had booked me for six hours, to capture photos of Sophie getting ready at her Mum’s house, followed by the wedding ceremony and reception. This was back in 2019 and I remember them being very relaxed about it all.

Being in a church, the ceremony was long, so plenty of opportunities to get lots of pictures. The church was also really big so it was easy for me to scuttle up and down the side aisles without getting in anyone’s way.

As with all church services, I make a point not to take any photos during the prayers. This is out of respect to the person delivering the prayer and to mark the solemn moment. Hymns on the other hand are lovely and loud, and so I snap away!

Aisle shots always seem to lend themselves well to black and white, especially those in a Church. I take everything in colour, any black and white images the couple receive have been adjusted in post production. It was lovely to see Sophie and Pier express so much joy as they walked down the aisle together at the end.

After the ceremony, guests poured out onto the street. Always a lovely moment full of kisses, cuddles, smiles and laughter. For some reason, this group of people seemed particularly cuddly!

After the bride and groom left the Church, I followed and met them at the reception venue, which was basically a field they had hired and erected a large tepee in. It was very informal and very relaxed. As the sun shone, guests chatted and laughed. I walked around watching and snapping anything that caught my eye. All very natural and all very candid.

Group photos were very informal, with Sophie and Piers opting for just a handful with their immediate wedding party. I love it when children are involved in group photos as they always bring an element of fun. You never quite know what they’re going to do, and that’s the beauty of them!

There was no first dance, the afternoon just rolled on into the evening. This period in the day always provides a natural break in photography as ‘eating’ photos are not the most flattering. It’s at this point that I either go and have a break myself, and come back in for speeches, or, go home. On this occasion, I left just as everyone was sitting down to eat.

Rachael and Mark

Manor By The Lake has been voted UK Wedding venue of the year more times than I care to remember, so when a couple contact me saying they’re getting married there, I feel excitement start to bubble! This is exactly what happened when Rachael and Mark got in touch. Listening to their plans and aspirations for the day, it all sounded wonderful. Fast forward a year and everyone had their fingers crossed for good weather, given that it was to be an outdoor ceremony.

As it turns out, the weather was overcast - the perfect light for photography. A little bit of sun is always nice for guests, but from my point of view, as a photographer, nice, white, dry clouds create a lovely soft light with minimal shadows.

Rachael had lots of bridesmaids, which made for a very lively morning in the bridal suite! It was great fun though. I always feel slightly privileged having access to this part of the day. One gets to hear all sorts of conversations, gossip etc and it can sometimes raise an eyebrow or two!

Rachael and Mark had me booked to cover the whole day, from bridal prep through to the first dance. There was plenty of time to photograph the grounds, ceremony area, groomsmen and anything else I could spot that I thought might help to tell the story of their special day.

Key to taking great photos is framing and composition, a great example of which is below. Adjusting the focus so that the ‘wedding’ sign is pin point sharp, creates a lovely dialogue with the guests walking off ‘towards’ the ceremony. It’s a nice narrative.

Prior to heading off to the ceremony, I spent some time with the bride and her bridesmaids, who were practising their aisle walks, with some help and direction from the event manager!

There’s a big difference when it come to photographing indoor and outdoor wedding ceremonies. Generally speaking, there is much more space to move around if the wedding is held outside. This means lots more opportunities to move around to get different angles without being noticed as much as I would be in a smaller, confined space. The camera settlings that are required are also very different.

I was fortunate to have met the registrars conducting this wedding at a couple of other weddings, so we were quite familiar with how each other liked to work. They were also happy to conduct the ceremony from the side, which gave me clear angles to get some great shots. I think they even asked the couple to pose for a photo at the exchange of rings too!

Manor By The Lake’s infamous group shot from the balcony of the bridal suite was on the couple’s photo list. A large group photo like this is helped massively with the assistance of some ‘on ground’ direction from members of staff.

I recall with this wedding that Rachael and John had a fairly lengthy list of group photos, so much so, that it left very little time for any candid photos, a style which I much prefer. Candid photos tell the story of a couple’s wedding day in a very honest and truthful way, capturing the moment.

Once the group photos were finished, I went straight into the wedding breakfast room to get some shots of the tables and decorations. I think there was only about ten minutes or so until guests were due to sit down.

Speeches followed food, and the first dance happened soon after. There was no need to use the flash gun as the natural lighting levels were actually okay, and the DJ lights for the first dance provided enough ambiance.

Lindsay and John

I recall Lindsay and John booking me for just a couple of hours for their wedding, which took place at the Painswick Hotel in 2019. It’s a gorgeous venue, with lovely gardens and the option to get married either inside or out. Luckily, on this occasion, the weather held, and the couple were able to get married under the pavilion arch.

I arrived fifteen minutes before the ceremony was due to begin, leaving me with enough time to get a few photos of the venue and introduce myself to the registrars. The ceremony was lovely, with John walking Lindsay down the aisle.

As is customary, the legal formalities had to be conducted under a covered area, (in this case, the domed arch) but the couple came back out onto the terrace to exchange rings. 

Confetti photos are always fun, with lots of banter and laughter. Despite it being a very small wedding, it didn’t stop guests throwing as much confetti as they possibly could on the happy couple!

After the ceremony, there were a few family photos before the small wedding party sat down for an intimate meal in one of the private rooms inside the hotel.

I stayed for a further twenty minutes to capture some pictures of the group chatting and opening gifts, before leaving them to enjoy their meal.

Alice and Mark

Alice and Mark booked one of my half day wedding packages for their big day at Ellenborough Park. Half day wedding coverage is a really affordable option for couples who want professional photos of their wedding. To couples considering half day coverage, I always suggest doing the speeches before the wedding breakfast, that way they get professional coverage of that part of their day too. I also suggest cutting the cake immediately after the speeches, or just before, again, to ensure that is also covered. It’s really only then the first dance that isn’t professionally photographed, but even that, if couples are clever about it, can be squeezed into a half day.

I’ve photographed a few weddings at Ellenborough Park, and the thing I love most about it is the beautiful spiral staircase. In this instance, the wedding cake had been placed directly in the centre at the bottom of the staircase. I happened to notice it on my way down from photographing the bridal prep, and thought it made a great composition.

As is usually the case, there was time before the ceremony to capture some informal, candid shots of the groomsmen and guests arriving. These are parts of the day the bride doesn’t normally get to see, so I always like to make sure I document it.

The ceremony itself was short but very sweet, and the registrar fairly relaxed in terms of photography. My preferred position is just behind the groom looking at the bride so I can capture her reaction and expressions. If room allows, I will try and move across to the other side to get a different angle and some photos of the groom.

After the ceremony is was time for group photos and informal mingling. I took many more photos than the small snippet here and I always invite prospective clients to view the full weddings on my computer when we meet face to face.

Group photos can be so much more fun than just people standing in a line. Some couples really embrace this, such as the lads below!

I always make sure I leave time to photograph the wedding breakfast room, ensuring that lots of the details have been documented. I understand how much time and effort goes into making the room look beautiful, so feel it’s important that everything is recorded.

Confetti throws happen so instantaneously, you never quite know what you’re going to get. My approach is a fast shutter speed and a high click through ratio. This guarantees a high number of crisp, sharp images.

Andrea and Josh

Andrea & Josh were married in 2019 and were joined for the occasion by a very small group of close friends and family. They were living in London at the time and planned a large celebration a few weeks later, which they also booked me to photograph. Click here to view the photos from that party.

For their wedding day, Josh and Andrea booked me from bridal prep through to speeches. There was no first dance as they were saving that for their London bash. I spent an hour or so photographing Andrea and her girlfriends getting ready, before heading over to see the boys for 20 minutes. It’s quite common for me to split my time like this. I also make sure I get photos of the ceremony room and venue.

Andrea and Josh received over 300 images, and were thrilled with the results. It'‘s impossible to include all of them in this small snippet but I am always happy to show prospective clients entire weddings in a face to face meeting.

The wedding ceremony was very touching, with some lovely moments between the couple. The registrar was very relaxed, which was great. It meant I was able to get into the best positions to capture all the important moments.

After the ceremony, Andrea and Josh requested we go straight into formal group photos. As I’ve mentioned in my other blogs, I’m not a huge fan of group photos, preferring instead a more natural, candid style of photography. I do however understand why couples like them, and so I’m always happy to oblige.

These confetti shots came out really well. Lots of smiles, and the confetti just seemed to ‘fall’ in all the right places - slightly in front of faces without obscuring them completely! Key to confetti shots is a fast shutter speed to capture sharp, crisp images thus avoiding confetti ‘blur’.

Before commencement of speeches, there was just enough time to photograph the cake, room and table layouts, plus grab a couple of shots of the bride and groom.

I remember the speeches were brilliant! Just right the balance of laughter and tears, with some of Andrea’s girlfriends being particularly emotional. It was very touching. I always try to capture both the speaker and the reaction, thus providing thorough documentation of the entire event. It’s lovely for couples to look back on this part of their wedding.

Tara and Jo

Tara and Jo opted for a very small, low key wedding at a beautiful Church perched on top of Churchill Down near Cheltenham. It’s a really pretty spot. I was booked for just an hour or so, to capture the ceremony and informal drinks, also at the Church.

The majority of my time was spent photographing the ceremony, with just half an hour either side of it to take a few snaps of the groomsmen and guests arriving, and then afterwards of the family.

Tara’s Dad looked extremely proud to be walking his daughter down the aisle. Joe, too, looked proud as punch to see his bride to be.

I take all my photos in colour. Any that the couple receive in black and white have been adjusted in post production. Black and white pictures carry a timeless feel to them, and work particularly well with aisle shots.

The Church was fairly small, with just a single aisle down the middle. This created a lovely, intimate feeling, but meant that my movement was restricted. The vicar was extremely friendly, and frequently invited me in to take a closer shot of the key moments. Many vicars don’t do this, so it’s always a bonus!

After the ceremony, there was just enough time to take some confetti photos along with pictures of the family congratulating the newly weds. We also did did some formal group shots, at the request of the couple, and even managed to squeeze in some pictures of just the two of them as well.