I’m delighted that you’ve booked me to be your wedding photographer. I value every wedding story that I am privileged enough to capture and every couple that connects with my photography.
I loved the sound of you two and your wedding. So without a doubt, when you booked, I did a little happy dance!
Most couples book me at least 12 months in advance. So, you’ll be busy wedding planning, with 1000 things to do before the big day.
You won’t hear from me directly until 12 weeks before your wedding. However, I’m only an email away if you need anything.
If you need advice, tips, my opinion or even a sounding board, I’m here. There’s not much I haven’t seen or heard over the last five years of weddings. I am officially ‘unflappable’ and will be the voice of impartial reason when you need me.
I’m all over the internet, you can find me on Instagram or Facebook to stay up to date with what I’m doing.
A couple of weeks before your wedding day we’ll meet over zoom to go through all the details of your wedding day in more detail. This will include checking addresses, timings and asking if you have any final questions.
If you haven’t booked a pre-wedding session then relax and enjoy the planning! You’ll know from your contract that the next payment is due 12 weeks before the wedding, followed by the final payment four weeks before. You can expect a reminder email from me around 7 days before it’s due.
Keep me in the loop with any plans for your day. Let me know if surprises are happening on the day. If you don’t know, let your designated wedding helper know who your photographer is so they can give me a little nudge about what is about to happen.
Ask your guests to be mindful of your memories; they are there to witness and celebrate your happy day. I always recommend an unplugged ceremony to ensure I capture your moments in their full glory, without a phone in the way. Find out more about an unplugged ceremony here.
One final thing, tell your friends and family who you booked to capture your fantastic day! Let them know I’m friendly, and nothing is off-limits. So, have fun and enjoy the moment!
I ask couples to organise food for me on the day. Often wedding venues don’t have anywhere for me to find food, and it’s one less thing I have to think about on the day.
I eat when you sit down for your wedding breakfast, usually in a quiet corner so that I can check what I need to do next, like set up for your first dance.
It doesn’t have to be a full three-course meal – talk to your venue about a supplier meal as it’s usually cheaper than the wedding breakfast, or I’m happy to order from a bar menu if available. I have no dietary requirements.
If you have a pre-wedding session, book this at least 12-16 weeks before the wedding date. It’s harder to pin me down in peak season April-October & December, so please bear that in mind.
Pre-wedding shoots happen on Sunday-Thursday unless otherwise specified in our communication. So around two weeks before your session, you’ll get a little reminder from me and a little bit of info on what to expect.
It goes by in the blink of an eye. I remind people to soak it up as I often receive a message regarding the ‘wedding blues’. It’s a significant build-up, and all that hard work comes together. So enjoy it, savour it, and I’ll capture it.
I usually start capturing 2-3 hours pre-ceremony, it’s so essential to the story, and I end a few dances after the first dance.
Everything else is natural, in the moment and honest. If you have the first dance, then I’ll be there & I want everyone on the dance floor after! I love natural laughter, snorting and everything else that comes with true happiness in a moment!
I catch little details throughout the day, from the flowers to the shoes and everything in between. All these details make up your story. Unique and beautiful.
I love bridal preparations. I usually like to arrive around 3 hours before the start of your ceremony. It gives me plenty of time to capture details and get to know your bridesmaids a little. Don’t worry if your make up artist is turning up at 6 am – generally, the bride is the last one to get ready as you’ll need your make-up & hair looking the best for longer.
You’ll get the Groom Preparations covered if you’ve opted for a second photographer. They will arrive around two hours before your ceremony. Plenty of time to capture a few moments with the groomsmen and your guests arriving for the ceremony.
The ceremony is the most important part of the day. You tie the knot, and I’ll try not to distract or get in the way. I take an entirely documentary approach to your ceremony. I want you to enjoy it, concentrate and not wonder what I’m doing!
I would recommend having an ‘unplugged’ ceremony. It means no phones, no tablets and people just enjoying the moment rather than trying to get the perfect shot of you walking down the aisle.
Previously, some guests have completely blocked my view of the aisle for their iPhone shots. So tell your guests to enjoy it, and not through a screen. If you’re not sure how to do this, ask your registrar to make an announcement at the beginning of the ceremony.
Churches are so beautiful, and for many couples, it’s an essential part of your wedding day. However, there are usually restrictions on what I can or can’t shoot. My job is to get the best of your day, but sometimes I’m not allowed to photograph the ceremony.
Check with your minister/priest on their restrictions on photography – be frank, as most of the time, they won’t bring this to your attention until you’re waiting outside, ready to get married.
I’m not allowed to photograph you signing the register. Instead, the registrar will set up a dummy book that you can fake sign.
Allow around 10 minutes after your ceremony to create this beautiful shot! It’s super fun for you and your guests. Make sure that if you want this shot, you provide your confetti, as about 80% of guests won’t bring confetti. Have a big basket full for your guests to grab if they want to be involved.
Want to spice up your confetti shot? GET A CONFETTI CANNON!
Allow 45 minutes to an hour to capture these essential shots:
You can tailor this list to ensure you get what you want. I limit you to ten shots during this part of the day as it takes a long time for people to get organised.
After we’ve done the groups, we can all have a little breather. I’ll get some candids around 30 minutes before you’re due to sit down for your wedding breakfast.
Doing it then means you get more time with your guests.
While everyone else is finding their seats, we’ll go off for a walk around the grounds taking some time for just the two of you. My style is very relaxed, and we won’t do anything that makes you uncomfortable. However, if you are nervous or have any anxiety about this part of the day, I would recommend taking part in the engagement shoot – that way, you’ll understand what happens and get used to having your photo taken.
I like 30 minutes to complete the romantic shots – a little longer in the winter because we won’t have a chance to do another shoot later. Thirty minutes is the perfect time to create beautiful portraits without keeping you away from your guests.
If your wedding is in the spring or the autumn, we’ll have time for a sunset session. In the hour before the sunsets, we’ll head off for a 30-minute shoot in the sunshine.
It’s my absolute favourite time to shoot – usually, the jacket has come off, the hair is a little looser, and you have both relaxed into the day. Therefore, these shots will feel much more relaxed.
If you’d love one of these shoots, know when the sun goes down and not plan your speeches during that particular hour.
These usually happen at the end of your wedding breakfast, and I’ll be ready to capture anyone who makes a speech, but I’ll also be trying to catch a few guest reactions.
Most venues have a place they like to display the cake during the day. If it’s possible to move the cake, it makes a great shot from the centre of the dance floor just before the first dance.
I shoot the first dance and stay for around 15-30 minutes of the party to capture the madness and dance moves.
I love an evening shot. Evening shots often happen from late September to March. In the summer, you’ll probably get a sunset session instead.
I’ll set it up while you’re throwing your shapes on the dance floor, and then I’ll bring you outside for around 5-10 minutes to complete the shoot.
We live in the UK. It rains a lot. If it rains- embrace it. Natural outdoor light is always better than indoors, so if for nothing else, join me out in the rain for your couple session. I’ll always bring an umbrella or two, but I work with the rain, not against it.
While you head off on your honeymoon or enjoy the post-wedding congratulations, I’ll be busy backing up your images and posting a sneak peek to Facebook.
I take great care in post-processing my images. I don’t outsource anything and consistently edit everything myself. Each wedding looks slightly different; that’s because they are. Various venues, colours, light, and weather will reflect differences in imagery, but my shooting style and editing style will always be mine.
Within eight weeks, you’ll receive an email from me with your download pin, a login and a link to your private online gallery. You can share this login with as many people as you like. They’ll get access for a year after your wedding as long as they have the password.
The gallery is attached to a professional print lab, so while you can download and print as many as you like, you can order them directly from there.
The day after your wedding (unless I have another wedding), I’ll be uploading a sneak peek of your wedding so that you can see something quickly from your fantastic day.
Feel free to tag, share and use as profile pictures should you wish to.
The only thing I ask is that you don’t use any Instagram filters over my beautiful edit – I’ve already added my own filter.
Your highlights are a selection of around 150 images from your wedding day. Relive your wedding day for the first time since the big day.
If you’ve ordered any products from me, such as albums or prints, I’ll let you know when your gallery is available on how to do this.
Didn’t order any at the time of booking? No worries, give me an email, and I’ll sort it out.
I love to know how much you love your photographs. It also helps other couples know that they can trust me and that other couples have booked me and are pleased with the results. You can leave a review at the following links.
If you loved your wedding and know someone getting married, I’d love a recommendation. You’ll also get a £50 print voucher in the online gallery. Yay!
If you need anything else from me, give me a quick call!
